Deleting the Virtual Machine

[cerisen]

Hi,

I was safely using windows installed through the VMware fusion. For some reason the virtual machine stopped operating and everytime when I tried to restart the program I encountered a black screen. It did not have any windows or dos related figure/text. I'm not sure what went wrong and I have to reinstall everything from scratch now. However, I will also need to delete the virtual machine which is currently not working. How can I do that? Also, I'd appreciate if you have any suggestions for my problem.

Thanks,

[WoodyZ]

I will also need to delete the virtual machine which is currently not working. How can I do that?

It's always best to start by reading the documentation!

To Delete the existing Virtual Machine...

VMware Fusion menu bar > Help > VMware Fusion Help > Running VMware Fusion and Virtual Machines > Deleting a Virtual Machine

[cerisen]

Thank you. I found that earlier while searching for it. I actually thought that whatever I've saved or installed in the virtual machine was gone since I was not even able to start it. But if you use Time Machine (in MAC) through an external hard-drive, you can restore the previous standing of your virtual machine. So, technically you don't need to take a snapshot in VMWare fusion. Just close the virtual machine and Time Machine will basically save the latest standing of your virtual machine for you. If you will need that, use the Time Machine "restore" function to get back to where you were in your virtual machine, or any previous points in time. I'm just happy that I found this function. I won't need to delete the virtual machine anymore.

Best wishes,

[admin]

Time Machine is not a good replacement for snapshots, they serve different purposes. Here are some reasons why:

• Time Machine needs to back up your entire virtual disk every time anything on it changes, while snapshots are smarter and just include the things that have changed.

• In addition to the greatly increased space requirements, it'll also take longer to back up that much data - this isn't so bad if you use a local disk, but it'll be painful over the network.

• Time Machine doesn't (or shouldn't, at least) work on open files, so you'd need to either trigger a manual backup or make sure you weren't using the virtual machine during a scheduled backup.

• If you want to use Time Machine, be aware that 10.5.0/10.5.1 had a bug where they can corrupt virtual machines (and other files), and so Fusion 1.1(.1) tells OS X not to use Time Machine. Use 10.5.2 and see

Anyway, while Time Machine may be a good solution for you, I want to caution that it is not a universal substitute.

[cincydba]

Just checked the documentation and there is no 'Deleting a Virtual Machine' option. I can't find it anywhere.

[admin]

Did you follow Woody's instructions? Works for me. Also, see

[dp_fusion]

Snapshots are absolutely not the same thing nor for the same purpose as backups. Snapshots are meant to restore system state, including what ever the state was when the snapshot was started; backups are meant to restore data. Folks need to take some time to understand the not so subtle differences and understand the consequences of overcommiting with snapshots. Properly used they're wonderful things.

[WoodyZ]

Just checked the documentation and there is no 'Deleting a Virtual Machine' option. I can't find it anywhere.

Aside from the fact that it is in the documentation and I presented the full path to find it the another post in this thread, how hard is it to open the help file and click the Search tab and type the word delete and then press Enter and then click on Deleting a Virtual Machine?

[Tron777]

• Deleting a VM? i just deleted the folder with the vm-files - is this ok?

• Time Maschine? - never use it to backup a VM because all modified big files are copied every time time maschine runs - i excluded the folder where the virtual maschiens are located from backup.

I created a shell script which creates a compressed tar archive and copy it to my backup disk.

only vmware fusion may not run at backup time.

Karl

[cerisen]

I absolutely agree that snapshot does not function as the Time Machine and they have different purposes. The only good thing about Time Machine is that you can save/restore your virtual machine if you face any problems that cannot be solved by trying to going back to the previous snapshot point in time. For instance, I had a black screen when I tried to reboot/initiate the virtual machine. I had no other option but to delete the virtual machine. Time Machine at that point helped me to get back to the condition which was not saved by the snapshot option. In short, both function differently and it's good to keep in mind the option that Time Machine is another way to backup your virtual machine if you cannot get around the problem through VMware fusion possibiliies.