Fusion 13 - Windows 11 ARM installation hangs indicating no network access

[Mijrob]

I built multiple levels of Windows 11 ARM ISO's using VMWARE docs and ALL fail during installation indicating no network access when network is available.  I tried NAT, AutoDetect and Shared options.  None seem to work.  Ideas?

[Technogeezer]

The reason you are getting no networking is that Fusion provides a vmxnet3 virtual NIC for its Windows 11 VM and Windows 11 ARM does not have a driver for this NIC out of the box.  Fusion Help has a topic "Manually Install VMware Tools on Windows" that describes how to install VMware Tools on Windows 11 ARM, but it's incomplete IMO.

Here's a procedure that I've used for the Tech Preview that should work for initial setup of Windows 11 ARM It avoids what you're seeing.

After initial installation of Windows 11 ARM from ISO, you'll see the first screen for the Windows setup process:

Don't click in this window. Instead, press Shift-Fn-F10 that will open a Windows command prompt running as an admin.

At the command line prompt, execute PowerShell:

powershell

Go back to the Fusion menu bar and select Virtual Machine -> Install VMware Tools. Click "Install" on the next dialog when prompted. The VMware Tools ISO will be mounted to the VM as the D drive.

Wait a few moments while the D drive is mounted. Then go back to the Powershell window and type the following commands:

d:
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
.\setup.ps1

Drivers for both vmxnet3 and VMware SVGA 2D graphics will be installed. The screen will blank out briefly while the graphics driver is installed. If you feel like poking around, there is a readme file on the D drive that provides more complete documentation on the setup.ps1 script that installs the drivers.

When the drivers finish installing,  reboot the VM with the following PowerShell command:

shutdown /r /t 0

After reboot, the setup process will restart at the first screen. Continue the process and the network will be discovered.

[Mijrob]

Thank you. I found the section I. The help guide. My current issue is sharing files between Mac and arm systems. I have file sharing turned on and selected the sharing directory and rebooted. Windows is not able to see Mac files. Also I added printer sharing and when I try to add printers in windows the add process fails. Ideas?

[ColoradoMarmot]

There are no tools for windows yet, so no sharing (file, print or clipboard), and no copy/paste.

[Mijrob]

Thank you!  After waiting more than a year for Fusion 13 and not having file sharing is VERY disappointing.  I have been using CrossOver, which works OK, pending full function Fusion.

[-MATTO-]

@Technogeezer - you rock, this worked - thank you!

[Technogeezer]

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@Mijrob wrote:

After waiting more than a year for Fusion 13 and not having file sharing is VERY disappointing.  

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You can get file sharing in a Windows 11 ARM VM by using Windows file sharing in the VM and configuring Windows file sharing on macOS works.. It's just that Fusion's folder sharing doesn't. That's definitely inconvenient not having folder sharing.

Personally given the warts and issues with VMware folder sharing over the years that they still haven't fixed, I'd seriously consider Windows file sharing.

[SpiderTrumpet]

Super helpful.  Thanks

VMWare you truly are a bag of skid marked pants for charging £100 for a product that needs its community to make it work.  Last time!  My work comp uses Parallel's and it just works out the box.

[kwarts]

Thank you!!