Just installed Fusion. Why the limitations on screen resolution?

[osxpertise]

I've installed the VMware Tools so that isn't the issue. How come there are no screen resolutions for widescreen displays? It would be a pretty good idea to have displays that are native for Apple hardware like 1680x1050 and 1280x800.

[HPReg]

Which guest OS are you using?

Does your guest resolution change when you resize the VM's window?

[Alnitak]

It would appear that the graphics drivers in the current release do not support wide-screen resolutions, at least in the Mac OS X version; all I can get are standard resolutions for normal-format monitors--none of the wide-screen formats.

I assume this will be added?

[rcardona2k]

>I've installed the VMware Tools so that isn't the issue. How come there are no screen resolutions for widescreen displays?

One reason is there would have to be resolutions defined for options like Toolbar shown, toolbar hidden, etc. for all different kinds of screens. Instead of dealing with these cases, it's much easier to hit the "Maximize (green window button)" and that automatically sizes the Guest resolution to your screen display. This feature is called AutoFit Guest.

[osxpertise]

So if I select maximize, it will adjust correctly to my resolution? I didn't try that because I thought it would just enlarge itself and look fugly. Plus, I don't always want to run full screen.

I don't think its too hard to implement various sizes. Parallels does it with no problem. One of the things I've been doing with Parallels is run XP at 1280x800 to simulate the desktop of a MacBook and I use SnapZ Pro to capture the screen in that resolution for training video's. I won't be able to do this with the limitations of VMware's SVGA driver. It looks to me like its the same SVGA driver that has been around for years in the Linux and Windows versions of VMware.

[HPReg]

I don't understand any of this. When you resize the VM's window (by holding and dragging its lower-right resize grip), it should change the resolution on the guest on the fly. Is is not what you are seeing?

[HPReg]

It's much easier to hit the "Maximize (green window button)" and that automatically

sizes the Guest resolution to your screen display. This feature is called AutoFit Guest.

The maximize button is implemented to do "the right thing (tm)". If your guest has tools and tools are installed, then the maximize button does a Fit Guest. Otherwise, it falls back to Fit Window.

[osxpertise]

But thats just it. I don't want to maximize to the full desktop. I want to run Windows in a window, but not in a 4:3 resolution. I'm running a MacBook Pro which has a resolution of 1680x1050. I'm running Windows XP as a VM. In Parallels, I can select resolutions of all types including widescreen 16:9 formats.

In VMware, my choices are only in 4:3 formats. I am trying to create some training videos that capture Windows in a specific resolution. I'd rather not have to drag the window to obtain that resolution. I'd like to be able to choose it in the Windows display settings.

Its time to update your SVGA drivers to include widescreen formats.

[rcardona2k]

OK so what you're looking for is this VMware Knowledge Base article:

Adding Video Resolution Modes to Windows Guest Operating Systems

FWIW, Parallels has a GUI which adds your custom resolutions through their Tools.

[tirmidi]

It's much easier to hit the "Maximize (green window

button)" and that automatically

sizes the Guest resolution to your screen display.

This feature is called AutoFit Guest.

The maximize button is implemented to do "the right

thing (tm)". If your guest has tools and tools are

installed, then the maximize button does a Fit Guest.

Otherwise, it falls back to Fit Window.

That is "really cool (tm)". I hadn't realized it worked that way.

[osxpertise]

Thanks for the link. But change the registry just to get a 16:9 format? Thats crazy. I think I'll stick with Parallels for the time being. It seems to give me what I want.

I'll check back in a few months to see if VMware has updated their SVGA drivers. But like I said in a previous post, I think these are the same SVGA drivers that they have had for about 5 years.

[rcardona2k]

>But change the registry just to get a 16:9 format? Thats crazy.

It's not crazy: it's Windows!

>think I'll stick with Parallels for the time being. It seems to give me what I want.

>I'll check back in a few months to see if VMware has updated their SVGA drivers

Well this is the first beta like you say. There's nothing wrong with the SVGA drivers as you can find posts here about other running large and widescreen formats. I'm running full screen in 1440 x 900 on my system. Mostly what's needed is a little GUI utility to add these to the Guest's registry configuration, it's not that big a deal. Unfortunately I couldn't find a simple GUI on c|net, tucows, etc. for this.