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eddleetham
Contributor
Contributor
‎03-05-2021 01:56 AM

unable to open file Virtual Machines.localized/Windows 7.vmwarevm/Windows 7.vmdk

I am using VMware 8.5.10 on a Mac running OS X 10.11.6.

I closed down VMware as normal last night, but when I opened it this morning I got the message "unable to open file Virtual Machines.localized/Windows 7.vmwarevm/Windows 7.vmdk".

Nothing has changed in the meantime and I can see the file in Finder.  However I have noticed that the word ".localized" does not appear in the folder name; the folder is called Virtual Machines and the only file it contains is Windows 7.vmwarevm.

If I look in my Time Machine backup I see that Windows 7.vmwarevm is actually a folder and it does contain the file Windows 7.vmdk.  Could this be a hidden file on my Mac?

Anyway, can anyone explain why VMware won't load, when I have made no changes since I last used it?

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ColoradoMarmot
Champion
Champion
‎03-05-2021 10:47 AM

Just a side note - time machine is not remotely reliable for backing up virtual machines.  Best to exclude the bundle, and then back it up manually.

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eddleetham
Contributor
Contributor
‎03-05-2021 11:55 AM

Yes, I have heard that. But it seems to have backed up the file OK and I’m not trying to restore it. It’s just that VMware won’t load. And I’ve no idea why.

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ColoradoMarmot
Champion
Champion
‎03-05-2021 12:06 PM

So the localized is an internal/hidden path that apple uses for certain kinds of files. 

A virtual machine is actually a bundle of files (a special folder), with an extension of .vmwarevm try searching for that extension in finder and see if you can find the whole virtual machine (not just the vmdk file)

That bundle BTW is why time machine breaks - because different pieces of it can be backed up at different times and they get out of sync.

 

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eddleetham
Contributor
Contributor
‎03-27-2021 04:44 AM

Well I've had no luck in fixing this problem, so I guess I'll just uninstall VMware and forget about running Windows on my Mac.  It's not a great problem, though there are a few things I would like to have done before waving it byebye.

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership
‎03-27-2021 05:44 AM

Would you mind to post a complete list of files in the VM's folder (.vmwarevm bundle)?
For this please run ls -l from the command line, which will show the files' properties like time stamps, sizes, etc.

In case that the VM's current vmware.log file contains details about the issue, please compress/zip it and attach it to your next reply.

André

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