VMware Communities
fastball25
Contributor
Contributor

Using Fusion with ext. HD files

Hello, I'm new to the mac world, so all of my old files are in PC format. I recently purcahsed an ext. HD from OWC and it comes in HFS+ format. I bought a Macbook Pro and would like to be able to run some windows programs virtually. I planned on loading fusion with Windows XP pro to a virtual hard disk that is NTFS formatted. My question is, will fusion allow windows XP to view files on my external hard drive or will I have to get MacDrive? I want to keep the ext. hard drive in HFS+ format so it works best with Mac OS, but I also want to be able to open files off that drive in virtual windows. Thanks!

Reply
0 Kudos
1 Reply
BP9906
Expert
Expert

You wont need MacDrive.

If you create your VM in Fusion and place it on your external drive it will all be stored there. Keep in mind that VM is exactly that, Virtual. So what happens is Fusion creates a file (called VMDK) which is a virtual hard disk. You specify the disk size in Fusion (which cannot be greater than the size of your physical hard drive).

Once you get XP loaded on Fusion, you can put the network adaptor in "Bridged" mode which will make the XP VM act like another machine on the same home network you have.

As for sharing files, Fusion has a "Sharing" option that allows you to share OSX folders in your VM. When you share those folders, they appear as a network share (
.host\shareName) thus allowing you access to them. You could also do the normal file sharing since you have your VM network adaptor as bridged, but the option is up to you.

Hope this helps you understand the virtual vs physical and how you have to think in 2 worlds to understand it.

Reply
0 Kudos