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ELinder
Contributor
Contributor

Mac OSX 10.6 and 10.8 non-server as Guest in Fusion 10?

I recently purchased Fusion 10 to run Windows on my Mac, but I'm wondering if it is possible to install the non-server versions of Mac OSX Snow Leopard 10.6 or Mountain Lion 10.8 as guest VMs. If not, what is the oldest non-server MacOS that will install as a guest? The FAQ is not clear on that point. I have an old purchased Mac version of Adobe CS3 that I'd like to use that will not run on High Sierra without a lot of problems.

Thanks,

Erich

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daphnissov
Immortal
Immortal

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ELinder
Contributor
Contributor

I did see that page, but if you look at this page Fusion & Fusion Pro FAQs - VMware Products  it shows some more versions of MacOS, hence my confusion.

Erich

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daphnissov
Immortal
Immortal

Your confusion is rightly justified. My only advise is to try it out for yourself. Unsupported does not always mean "won't work" but, like all such ventures, your mileage may vary.

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ColoradoMarmot
Champion
Champion

It's based on apple licensing requirements.  10.6 definitely requires the server version.

You're likely to have issues with CS3 in any case, as Fusion doesn't provide accelerated graphics capabilities or color management.  You can get the photographer's edition of CC for about $10/month (photoshop and lightroom) that'll run natively.

ELinder
Contributor
Contributor

I already have that plan for Lightroom and Photoshop, but there are a couple programs in the CS3 Suite that still do more than enough for what I need. For example I don’t use Illustrator or Acobat enough to justify paying for the new versions, so I may as well find a way to use the versions I already own.

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ColoradoMarmot
Champion
Champion

Gotcha.  Illustrator in particular is going to be a problem.

I believe that Mountain Lion was the first version that could be virtualized without the server edition.

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SvenGus
Expert
Expert

AFAIK, (Mac) OS X/macOS 10.7+ (thus, also Lion) can be virtualised in Fusion as the normal client version...

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ELinder
Contributor
Contributor

I've tried installing Adobe CS3 under 10.10 Yosemite and 10.11 El Capitan guests, but the setup program won't even run. I keep getting a JavaScript critical error with both the Apple provided legacy JAVA6 for MacOS and the Java8 for Mac direct from Oracle installed in the guest MacOS. I definitely was able to install CS3 on Yosemite when that was my main OS a few years ago.

Is there an issue with running JAVA runtime in a Mac guest OS? I can't find anything in the VM Fusion knowledge base.

I see that MacOS 10.8 Mountain Lion is still available from Apple. Perhaps I give that a try, though I'm not hopeful. I'm beginning to think that both CS3 and Java assume at least rudimentary 3D accelerated support to even begin the installation which doesn't seem possible in a Mac virtual machine. Or is it?

Erich

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ColoradoMarmot
Champion
Champion

I remember that now - Java is problematic because it want's 3d, and there isn't any support for OSX VM's.  You might try an older java (5?) that matches the era when CS3 came out.

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