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dbutch1976
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

Bootable ESX VMWARE 3.5 iso image

Hi guys,

I am having finding a bootable ESX VMWARE 3.5 ISO. I am using the software for testing and the initial 60 trial period ran out. I'm trying to locate the original CD I used but can't find it anywhere, all the ISOs I've used so far which all claim to be ESX VMWARE 3.5 just don't boot. Do I only need to burn specific files from the image to CD in order to run the install? Within my CD is a folder called images which in turn has a file called boot.iso. This boots into the installed however later in the install it prompts for which install media to use and then says it can't find the required files on the CD. Attached is an image of the folder tree on the ISO I'm using. Can someone take a quick look at it and tell me what the hell it is because I've now downloaded the file from multiple sources, none of these images are bootable. As far as I'm concerned the CD should just boot like any other OS install so who knows what I'm missing....

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azn2kew
Champion
Champion

How are you install ESX 3.5 on? Is this on a bare metal or one VMware Workstation 6.5 as a lab? Anyways, you need to burn the ISO using Imgburn to a CD and boot it from there if you've downloaded the correct file without corruption. I would double check the disk itself to see if its working by testing it to boot. If you see ESX 3.5 setup screen that's good if not download a new one.

You can install ESX 3.5 using iso image as well, but you have to upload to local disk on your hosted machine, which might be your Windows XP or Vista and then edit the ESX 3.5 VMs and browse the CD/ROM device to using ISO option. Click here to download latest package if needed. Make sure you have CD/ROM selected as "Connected" or "Connect when Power On" option.

If you found this information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful". Thanks!!!

Regards,

Stefan Nguyen

VMware vExpert 2009

iGeek Systems Inc.

VMware, Citrix, Microsoft Consultant

If you found this information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful". Thanks!!! Regards, Stefan Nguyen VMware vExpert 2009 iGeek Systems Inc. VMware vExpert, VCP 3 & 4, VSP, VTSP, CCA, CCEA, CCNA, MCSA, EMCSE, EMCISA
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AndreTheGiant
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Immortal

Do I only need to burn specific files from the image to CD in order to run the install?

The ISO file that your download from VMware site is already bootable.

Be only sure to use a burn program that mantain the bootable sector of the ISO.

For example, you can use ImgBurn: http://www.imgburn.com/

Andre

Andrew | http://about.me/amauro | http://vinfrastructure.it/ | @Andrea_Mauro
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dbutch1976
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

I am installing to a bare bones system. I know there's nothing wrong with the hardware or the boot settings because it boots using a Windows 2003 Server CD, but as soon as I put any of the ESX Vmware cd's that I've tried they simply do not work. I have also tried using imgburn and it creates a CD exactly like all the others...

Arrgh.... why no earth would this be so complex?? Download image --> burn image --> boot from CD. Sound hard?? No not really... :smileyangry:

Does anyone have a link to a known working copy of the ESX VMWARE 3.5 install files on .iso?

I'm at my wits end... I need this system up and running so that I can study... help please!!

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wila
Immortal
Immortal

Hi,

It's not complex, if it is then something is out of the ordinary.

Did you check the md5sum of your download?



--

Wil

_____________________________________________________

VI-Toolkit & scripts wiki at http://www.vi-toolkit.com

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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dbutch1976
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

I'm not sure how to check the MD5 sum but I think the real problem is that I'm not sure what to compare it aganist. Could someone take a screenshot of the correct folder structure of a functioning ESX VMWARE 3.5 bootable install CD so I can compare it against the structure in the screenshot I've attached? At this point I feel certain there's another CD that I'm supposed to use and I just have no idea what it is.

What I find really bizzare is that there is a folder called IMAGEon my CD which has a file called boot.iso. That file is a bootable file and it begins the install just to fail at a later time... Arghh... feels like I'm just missing something very basic here and I want to make sure I've got the right image to start with.

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wila
Immortal
Immortal

Hi,

Comparing the folder structure? That won't help much to see if the CD is bootable or not.

But here you go, a listing of ESX3.5 update 04 is:

dr-xr-xr-x 7 root root 2.0K Mar 14 19:12 .
drwxr-xr-x 8 root root 4.0K Jun  5 09:58 ..
-r--r--r-- 1 root root   86 Mar 14 19:12 .discinfo
dr-xr-xr-x 2 root root 2.0K Mar 14 19:11 dosutils
dr-xr-xr-x 3 root root 2.0K Mar 14 19:11 images
dr-xr-xr-x 2 root root 2.0K Mar 14 19:11 isolinux
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 207K Mar 14 19:12 open_source_licenses.txt
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 3.2K Mar 14 19:12 README
dr-xr-xr-x 2 root root 2.0K Mar 14 19:08 scripts
-r--r--r-- 1 root root  410 Mar 14 19:12 TRANS.TBL
dr-xr-xr-x 5 root root 2.0K Mar 14 19:12 VMware

From the sounds of it you are a windows user, if you want to check the md5sum from that platform then use for example these steps:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/linux/answers/LQ_ISO/Checking_the_md5sum_in_Windows

You run that against the iso image you downloaded, for Update 4 the md5sum should be: (md5sum:8ef3674c5f9e72334a094179063cf221)



--

Wil

_____________________________________________________

VI-Toolkit & scripts wiki at http://www.vi-toolkit.com

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
dbutch1976
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

Well, I guess we may be making progress, and yes I am a windows guy so thanks helping me through the Linnux speak. Here is the input and output:

D:\Software\ESX VMWARE>md5sum -c esx.iso

md5sum: esx.iso: no properly formatted MD5 checksum lines found

Does that mean I've got not one but two bad ISOs?? I got the same output from both commands.

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dbutch1976
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This issue has been resolved. It appears to have been a combination of things including a defective ISO. Thanks for recommending imgburn and walking me through checking the MD5 checksum, we got there in the end.

Many thanks.

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