VMDK HFS+ cannot mount

[HobbitFootAussi]

Trying to mount my VMDK for an OS X Server VM under my Snow Leopard client, it won't let me. I'd like to do this so I can batch script some stuff. But of course I get an error:

Failed to mount partitions: The virtual disk does not have any partitions that the host system knows how to mount

Is there a way around this?

[WoodyZ]

If I create a Mac OS X Serve Virtual Machine in VMware Fusion I have no problem using VMDKMounter to mount the .vmdk so I guess my question to you is... was the VM created originally in VMware Fusion and if yes did you repartition/format the virtual hard disk?

[HobbitFootAussi]

Yes, I created it in VMWare just about an hour ago. Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server. One thing I DID do was change the files from 2GB split files to one file. I'll try re-splitting it to 2GB files.

[WoodyZ]

That should not have caused a problem unless you ran out of Host disk space.  Can the Virtual Machine still boot normally to the Desktop?

[HobbitFootAussi]

Host has 2TB disk space with 1.2TB free. Guest has 7GB used with 40GB setup. I just keep getting this error though:

Failed to mount partitions: The virtual disk does not have any partitions that the host system knows how to mount

I did have to reboot into 32-bit kernel (I normally am in 64-bit kernel) and also reinstall MacFUSE as that was somehow not properly installed. I wonder if I should also reinstall VMWare...

[WoodyZ]

This is really more a limitation of FUSE, (which is a 3rd party driver), not VMware Fusion.

From the VMware Fusion 3.0 Release Notes EN:

• You cannot mount a virtual disk on a virtual machine in a Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard host with 64-bit kernel.
  If you try to use VMDKMounter on a 64-bit kernel Mac OS X 10.6 host, you get an alert stating The VMware fuse daemon failed to start. Currently, MacFUSE does not work with 64-bit kernels.

Have a look at: http://www.offthehill.org/articles/2010/12/31/macfuse-for-64-bit-snow-leopard/

[HobbitFootAussi]

Thanks - but please read my entire post first If you read it, you'll see that I rebooted in 32-bit mode for that very reason. So I'm in 32-bit more right now, and that's the error I'm getting.

[WoodyZ]

I don't need to reread your post as I already know what you said and my last post was informational and provided a link for a 64-bt MacFUSE.

Also you didn't specifically say whether or not you could boot to the Desktop and I was asking so as to make the suggestion of adding another disk and then cloning it.

Anyway as a test if you execute the following command in a Terminal does it mount the preformattedHFSVolume.vmdk on your Desktop?

cp "/Applications/VMware Fusion.app/Contents/Resources/preformattedHFSVolume.vmdk" ~/Desktop; open ~/Desktop/preformattedHFSVolume.vmdk

Hint:  Copy and paste the entire command line into a Terminal and then press Enter.

[HobbitFootAussi]

I can boot to the desktop yes. I will try that.

[HobbitFootAussi]

OK reinstalling VMWare seems to have fixed my problem. Thanks.

[WoodyZ]

If you can mount the preformattedHFSVolume.vmdk then there is a problem with the VM if you can't then there is a problem with MacFUSE and or VMware Fusion in which case uninstalling/reinstalling is the only other suggestion I have.

[WoodyZ]

Glad you got it fixed!