VMware Communities
sbh77
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

virtualize windows 7 on triple boot macbook pro using fusion - no bootcamp

Hi. I know I have seen many, many posts online about using Bootcamp but here is my situation. Again, sorry if this is already addressed - I have searched for a long time, read many of Woodyz's posts and others, etc....

I have a triple boot MBP - rEFIt on /dev/disk0s1, Snow Leopard on /dev/disk0s2 (HFS+), Windows 7 Ultimate 64 (NTFS) on /dev/disk0s3, and Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 64 (ext4) on /dev/disk0s4.

I only want (well for now) to be able to run Fusion from Mac to run Windows (Visual Studio is the main reason and others in my group are windows people).

This is what I have tried:

1.) unmounted /dev/disk0s3 from Disk Utility

2.) /Applications/VMware\ Fusion.app/Contents/Library/vmware-rawdiskCreator create /dev/disk0 3 WIN764 lsilogic    (once tried ide)

3.) Ran Fusion Version 4.1.3 (730298) to get:

New -> Continue -> Create a custom virtual machine -> etc. etc. which places a vmwarevm folder in the Virtual Machines localized...

4.) I then edit, with a mac editor (nano), the vmx file in there to add:

scsi0:1.present = “TRUE”
scsi0:1.virtualDev = “lsilogic”
scsi0:1.fileName = “../WIN764.vmdk”   (because the 2 files created by rawdiskCreator are just above this vmwarevm folder.

When all this is done I just get the DHCP rotating bar and it says no operating system is found.

I can't seem to find step-by-step instructions for those of us who don't use bootcamp.....

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Steve

Reply
0 Kudos
1 Solution

Accepted Solutions
WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

On occasion I have to create a Virtual Machine using a Physical Hard Drive, placed temporarily in a FireWire Enclosure, so what I do is create a normal file based Virtual Machine using VMware Fusion and make sure the VM's vHDD is set to IDE.  I then use vmware-rawdiskCreator and create a set of .vmdk files for the pHDD as as an IDE disk.  I then manually delete the VM's existing (empty) .vmdk file(s) and place the ones created with vmware-rawdiskCreator in the Virtual Machine Package and make the aforementioned edits to the .vmx configuration file.  Now depending on the Physical Machine the pHDD came from and what OS is installed I have to first boot the Virtual Machine with a customized ISO Image of a WinPE Boot Disk that I then inject the necessary drivers for the HDD & Keyboard Controllers and Windows Registry Entries, when a Windows OS, and any additional tweaks that may be required.  This is being done to avoid the typical 0x7 BSOD, etc.

Note:  When applicable, you'll have WPA (Windows Product Activation) and other product activation type issues to deal with when doing this and not all product activation type issue are rectifiable so keep this in mind.  Windows and Microsoft Office should be taken care of by VMware Tools but any others will require creative workarounds, if possible, if their manufactures will not support this use case scenario.

For some background on what's required I basically used information in the importer.iso in the VMware Fusion.app bundle to validate my own scripts/programs to do the same thing that VMware Fusion does as if this was being done on the Boot Camp partition itself.  The contents of that .iso make for good reading, if you understand that sort of stuff. Smiley Wink

View solution in original post

Reply
0 Kudos
10 Replies
WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

If I was doing it, I'd create it as an "ide" disk using vmware-rawdiskCreator and then place both files inside the Virtual Machine Package and use the following in the .vmx configuration file.

ide0:0.present = "TRUE"
ide0:0.fileName = "Virtual Disk.vmdk"
ide0:0.deviceType = "rawDisk"

suspend.disabled = "TRUE"

Note: Change the name "Virtual Disk.vmdk" to the name you used to create it with vmware-rawdiskCreator.  Also only edit the .vmx file while the Virtual Machine is shutdown, not suspended and VMware Fusion closed.

DANGER: DO NOT take Snapshots or Suspend a Virtual Machine that uses a Raw Disk! You Have Been Warned! Smiley Wink

sbh77
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

Thank you for your quick reply! I was hoping to hear from you as I have read several of your articles!

I will try what you did. I just had to do an in-place windows 7 restore (startup repair from the install DVD failed miserably, bootrec.exe /fix this and fix that failed, even rewriting the bcd, my core files were fine and I even re-registered them) so will try again very soon - many updates to go Smiley Happy Will try this tomorrow when I get an image made of my windows partition (using the install dvd). To tell the truth, the triple-boot instructions I followed were apparently very robust as this in-place reinstall did not affect my Mac OSX nor my Linux!

My only other question is should I delete all the striped vmdk files, all other files, etc. when I create a "blank" machine? Maybe, because of your instructions, I just add the two files created by rawdiskCreator...?

Also, I have read in the past about making two different hardware profiles in Windows. However, googling around and looking in Win7, it seems that these profiles are no longer supported in Windows 7. Should I just rely on VMware tools to "take care of this"?

Thanks again and I'll post tomorrow. If it all works out I'll also close the question as successfully answered!

Many thanks,

Steve

Reply
0 Kudos
WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

On occasion I have to create a Virtual Machine using a Physical Hard Drive, placed temporarily in a FireWire Enclosure, so what I do is create a normal file based Virtual Machine using VMware Fusion and make sure the VM's vHDD is set to IDE.  I then use vmware-rawdiskCreator and create a set of .vmdk files for the pHDD as as an IDE disk.  I then manually delete the VM's existing (empty) .vmdk file(s) and place the ones created with vmware-rawdiskCreator in the Virtual Machine Package and make the aforementioned edits to the .vmx configuration file.  Now depending on the Physical Machine the pHDD came from and what OS is installed I have to first boot the Virtual Machine with a customized ISO Image of a WinPE Boot Disk that I then inject the necessary drivers for the HDD & Keyboard Controllers and Windows Registry Entries, when a Windows OS, and any additional tweaks that may be required.  This is being done to avoid the typical 0x7 BSOD, etc.

Note:  When applicable, you'll have WPA (Windows Product Activation) and other product activation type issues to deal with when doing this and not all product activation type issue are rectifiable so keep this in mind.  Windows and Microsoft Office should be taken care of by VMware Tools but any others will require creative workarounds, if possible, if their manufactures will not support this use case scenario.

For some background on what's required I basically used information in the importer.iso in the VMware Fusion.app bundle to validate my own scripts/programs to do the same thing that VMware Fusion does as if this was being done on the Boot Camp partition itself.  The contents of that .iso make for good reading, if you understand that sort of stuff. Smiley Wink

Reply
0 Kudos
sbh77
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

Well I crossed my fingers and it worked - the first response you gave, with the IDE settings, etc. I am very relieved and grateful for your help! I was almost going to condemn myself to having a physical partition AND a virtual machine or just partitions and a shared space. Smiley Sad Luckily I didn't have to do anything with your second post - especially since I did not understand all of it!  ha ha. Honestly, I would love to learn more about this stuff, and when I have enough time I would, but I am in the process of cramming to learn ARM Cortex-M4 assembly and a new embedded board (leaving Freescale HCS12). I guess none of us can "know it all" and so it is especially helpful when there are people like you who offer help.

Thanks again,
Sincerely,
Steve

Reply
0 Kudos
DaveYostCom
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

A few weeks ago, using VMware Fusion 5.0 on my MacBook Pro, I made a virtual machine that boots from an existing Windows 7 disk, attached via USB 3.0 adapter. I followed instructions I read somewhere, and as I recall it was a whole lot easier than what you did.

Now I can't for the life of me find those instructions. 😕

Boot Camp is not involved.

I did not copy the Windows drive to a virtual disk file, although I recall that I was given that option when I created the virtual machine.

Reply
0 Kudos
WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

DaveYostCom wrote: I followed instructions I read somewhere, and as I recall it was a whole lot easier than what you did.

Now I can't for the life of me find those instructions. 😕

Yeah, so what's your point! Smiley Wink  The OP had a special situation, a triple boot MBP with rEFIt as the Boot Manager and VMware Fusion probably didn't recognize it.  Anyway, over the years I've created Virtual Machines just about every way that can be done, officially and unofficially, and sometimes one needs to do whatever it is takes to accomplish the task at hand.  Some versions of VMware Fusion will automatically recognize an external hard drive with a Windows install and treat it as though it's Boot Camp, even though technically it's not, and offer to run it as a Virtual Machine and automatically process it just as if it was a Boot Camp install.  I do not know if VMware Fusion 5 will do that and I'm not in a place I can test at the moment.

Anyway if you have an issue or question then you need to expound on what you've said as I don't see a question in your post.

Message was edited by: WoodyZ - Originally posted, Mar 5, 2013 4:39 PM.

Reply
0 Kudos
DaveYostCom
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

Could you elaborate please on what exactly the danger is with suspending in this situation? Is the windows HTFS disk irrevocably hosed? What? Thanks.

Reply
0 Kudos
DaveYostCom
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

I can't find anything in the VMware Fusion user interface that leads to this outcome, but I know I did it. I've tried googling using any and all of the words above. Can't find it. Where are those instructions? How did I do this? Does anyone know where there are instructions for tricking the the VMware gui into doing this? If I've installed the Boot Camp drivers onto the disk, will VMware Fusion recognize it then?

Reply
0 Kudos
gVes
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

Reply
0 Kudos
JuloSatran
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

Well things change. I am using OS10.9 and Fusion 6.2.

I am able to create the virtual machine in a partition (and I did try scsi and ice and sata on creator.

ide complains about me trying to virtualise in an "old mode" so I switched to sata (0.0 for the hdd and 0.1 for cdrom).

For both SATA or SCSI when I try to boot (using rEFIt) I get an error:

Windows failed to start....

... some text about restarting with the installation disk (which I can't I have a 2009 iMAC with a broken DVDdrive)

....

Status 0xc0000000e

Info: The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible.

In Fusion the partition continues to operate fine.

What device is inaccessible?

What can be done?

Thanks in advance for advice.

Julo

Reply
0 Kudos