Having trouble installing Snow Leopard Server on Fusion 4

[Kernos]

I upgraded from Fusion 3 to 4. I want to use Fusion to run Snow Leopard Server under Lion, so I use some Rosetta apps. When I try to install SLS from disk it starts and then stops with the message:

"The CPU has been disabled by the guest operating system.

Power off or reset the virtual machine."

Im trying to install on a MacBook Pro i7 quad core with 8 gigs RAM. Fusion is version 4.0.1

What do I do?

Thanks in advance,

Bill Blank

[dariusd]

Hi Bill,

Apple will only support Mac OS on CPU models that they had shipped at the time that the particular version of Mac OS was created.  Although other causes are possible, the error you are seeing is typical for the case where your host's CPU is "too new" for the guest OS, and for a i7 quad-core host it would seem to be a likely cause.

Which exact version of Mac OS are you attempting to install into the guest?  I'd appreciate if you could grab the vmware.log from inside the VM bundle and attach it to a reply so that I can take a peek.

Cheers,

--

Darius

[jswager1]

I'm having the same problem.  Have Fusion 4 installed on up-to-date Snow Leopard, but can't install the OS on a VM.  I attached my vmware.log file.

[Kernos]

Thanks Darius,

The MBP is an early 2011 8,3 which originally shipped with Leopard. It was a refurb from Apple. I have attached the vmware.log. Several files failed to load, eg:

----------------------------------------

2011-11-01T21:25:51.670-06:00| vmx| I120: ConfigDB: Failed to load ~/Library/Preferences/VMware Fusion/config

2011-11-01T21:25:51.670-06:00| vmx| I120: VMX exit (0).

2011-11-01T21:25:51.670-06:00| vmx| I120: AIOMGR-S : stat o=3 r=9 w=0 i=0 br=147456 bw=0

The Fusion package I have is the update from Fusion 3. I'm wondering if this is different from a new version of Fusion 4 as some supporting files seem to be missing from the user library.

Bill

[dariusd]

Hi Bill,

It's safe to ignore the "Failed to load ~/Library/Preferences/VMware Fusion/config" messages... they are perfectly normal and do not indicate any sort of problem.  (We really should tone them down so that they don't look like a problem...)

Regarding the "CPU has been disabled" failure, the compatibility-critical parts are the CPU in your laptop (which you've identified) and the version of Snow Leopard Server you're trying to install inside the guest.  Since you're installing it from a physical disc, can you check the label and let me know which exact version it is?  Usually 10.6.0 through 10.6.2 or so are flexible about which CPUs they'll work with, whereas 10.6.3ish onwards are more limited in their CPU compatibility.  Versions that were bundled with a system and labelled as being for some particular hardware (i.e. "for Mac Mini") generally won't install in a VM.  If you have a retail Snow Leopard Server 10.6.0  disc (not for any particular hardware), that would give you the best chance of being able to install.

Cheers,

--

Darius

[jswager1]

The install CD could be the problem.  I'm using a 10.6.3 OS X Server install CD.  I'll see if I can get a lower versioned one and retry.

[Kernos]

It's a retail version of 10.6.3, so I guess that is the problem.

Two things occur to me without buying another SLS 10.6.0:

1. I wander if it possible to hack the installer so the CPU check is ignored. I suspect that bit is compiled.

2. I have a Core 2 Duo Mini. If I install FUsion on that and I copy the virtual machines on the Mini to the MBP, will that work?

Bill

[dariusd · Accepted solution]

Hi Bill,

You should be able to install and configure 10.6.3 on the Core 2 Duo Mac Mini.  If you were to then move it as-is onto the MBP, it will fail at boot in the same way you're seeing with the installer now... however... if, while it's on the Core 2 Duo host, you apply every update available through Software Update, power down the guest, and then move it across to the Core i7, there is a good chance it will work (I believe 10.6.8 supports your Core i7 CPU)...  It's definitely worth a shot.

Cheers,

--

Darius

[Kernos]

That worked!!!!!

Thank you muchly!

Bill