Upgrading from VM 8.5.10 to VMware Fusion 13 Player

[149Bway]

4/1/16 Purchased VMware Fusion 8 to run Windows ME (databases & word processing)
1/18/18 Upgraded to VM 8.5.10 (with annoying results but got it to work)

9/27/23 Upgraded from Mohave to Monterrey (12.7)
VM8 no longer launches
Error #1 = "Unable to Retrieve kernel symbols"
Error #2 = "Failed to initialize monitor device"

If I purchase VMware Fusion 13 Player
will VM 13 recognize and absorb the
Windows files and data from the now unusable Fusion 8?

I have copied what I believe are the VM files (in the Mac Documents folder)
( MS-DOS.vmwarevm    28gb) to a flash for safety's sake.

Thank you...

[Technogeezer]

If you're using Fusion 13 for personal (non-commercial) use, you're eligible for a free personal use license. Otherwise you will have to purchase a full Fusion 13 license because there's no upgrade discount available for Fusion 8 licenses.

Use the information from the following KB article to remove all remnants of the existing Fusion application before installing Fusion 13: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1017838 . This process will not touch your virtual machines.

Your virtual machines should run under Fusion 13 on Monterey. When you first power them up under Fusion 13, you will be asked if you want to upgrade the virtual hardware. Say NO. You can upgrade the virtual hardware later.

Yes, the VM files are specialized folders (referred to as a bundle) with a .vmwarevm extension. Copying the bundle should get you all of the underlying files that make up the VM. You are wise to copy the virtual machine files to a flash drive before attempting any kind of upgrade. But make sure the virtual machines are powered off (not suspended) and all snapshots are removed before copying them. .

[149Bway]

Technogeezer...
Thank you for your clear advice.

Understand that I am happy to pay for VMware Fusion 13 Pro
in the belief that if I use something (and it works)
I should support it.

That said....
When I download VM13 ...
1. Will it launch the installation process with minimal input from me?

2. The 1017838 article you recommended is for deleting VM10.x and later.
Does it still apply to my VM8.5.10?
In other words just drag the VM8 app icon to the trash,
then check for all those VM files?

3. Will VM13 locate and adopt the VM8 data files ?
( MS-DOS.vmwarevm in the Mac Documents folder)
That file is the one I copied to a flash and is post-update.
I know it was shut down (not suspended)
but I suspect any snapshots are included it it
and since VM8 is now inaccessible there is nothing I can do about that.

Thank you...
... phil

[Technogeezer]

Phil,

1: The installation process will ask you for administrator credentials in order to perform the installation and may ask you to grant macOS permissions in order for Fusion to run properly. Grant any permissions that are asked for.

2) Yes, drag the app to the trash, then go ahead and check for (and remove) the files that are noted in the KB article. That should give you a clean installation.

3) Yes, Fusion 13 will be able to locate and "adopt" your existing VMs. The KB article process will erase knowledge of existing virtual machines, but you can get them back relatively easiliy:

• scan for virtual machines using File -> Scan for Virtual Machines. Add any other folders where you know you have the virtual machines, and click the Scan button
• use File -> Open to open individual virtual machines "manually". In the open dialog, navigate to where you have your VM(s) and select one.

[149Bway]

Paul...
re: your step 2 of 9/28 08:56

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3779548 (3/13/2012)

"In Finder, select Go to Folder... from the Go menu. Enter ~/Library into the box that opens. The user Library folder will open. You'll find the files you are looking for in the Preferences folder."

In Finder, searching for Library (without the ~/ prefix which returned nothing) provides the following list.
The first two are old the rest are from 9/27/23 between 13:16 & 14.55
Should I delete the first two? Only??  Have I now done the complete search?

... phil

com.vmware.fusion              4/01/2016

VMware Fusion                    8/20/2023

https+++auth.vmware.com

https+++blogs.vmware.com

https+++communities.vmware.com

https+++customerconnect.vmware.com

https+++docs.vmware.com

https+++interopmatrix.vmware.com

https+++kb.vmware.com

https+++mylearn.vmware.com

https+++store-us.vmware.com

https+++www.vmware.com

[Technogeezer]

There are two locations you need to check with Go To Folder from the Go menu:

• /Library (the system-wide Library folder) - look for the files and folders that are marked in the Tech Note starting with "/Library/" 
• ~/Library (the Library folder unique to the user you're logged in as) - look for the files and folders that are marked in the Tech Note starting with "~/Library/"

If you've deleted the Fusion application from your Applications folder, all of the files noted in the tech note should be deleted to clean up any cruft in preparation for the installation of Fusion 13.

[149Bway]

Paul....

SUCCESS !!      (of a sort)
VW13 is downloaded, installed and up & running.

I have left kudos for you all around..
And I sincerely thank you for your clarity & patience in guiding me through the unsettling process.

The only hiccup is grandfathered in.
It is the inability to actually get the VWare to recognize any keyboard  & mouse input.
This first showed up back in 2018 when I went from VW 8 to VW 8.5.10.
I worked around this by using RealVNC.
It accepted input just fine and still does in VW13.

The downside is that while I can drag & drop from Mac to the VW desktop (and therefore to VNC) , I cannot reverse the process from VNC back to Mac.  It has been this way for five years and I work around it by saving VW files to a flash and then accessing it via Mac.   Annoying, but it works.
 
If you have any bright ideas on this I am happy to try them.

Otherwise, I am back in business with no loss to my data.

... phil