How To Slow Down VM within Vmplayer - we can not enter bios of a virtual machine while using vmplayer - too fast to enter keys

[bcsweb1]

We open VMplayer

We select our Virtual Machine

When it starts up we want to enter BIOS of the Virtual Machine - which requires F1, or DEL, etc...

However, the Virtual Machine loads so quick that we can not click on the window to enter the hot keys to start BIOS.

How do we enter hot keys to start bios of the virutal machine when vmplayer starts the machine so quickly?

[RDPetruska]

Not sure if Player has this menu option that Workstation does - Power On to BIOS. If not, you can add a line to your vmx file to boot into the BIOS.

bios.forceSetupOnce = "TRUE"

[bcsweb1]

That works GREAT - however - we do not want to force them into BIOS - we want to give the ability to GO TO IT if they need it?

Is there a way to slow down the load or prompt them to go to BIOS?

[asatoran]

Try

bios.bootDelay = "5000"

Where the number is the amount of delay in milliseconds.

[bcsweb1]

Is that the complete command? On a line by itself?

[asatoran]

Is that the complete command? On a line by itself?

Yes, on a line by itself.

FYI: forum member Continuum has a great website with all the VMX commands.

[bcsweb1]

Thank you - Yes I have been all over that site for information...

One last sticking point is increasing the number of Recent Virtual Machines that is displayed on the main screen of the player.

They are all listed in the preferences.ini but the player only displays 5 of them - we need to display 8 of them.

Any idea?

[RDPetruska]

Thank you - Yes I have been all over that site for information...

One last sticking point is increasing the number of Recent Virtual Machines that is displayed on the main screen of the player.

They are all listed in the preferences.ini but the player only displays 5 of them - we need to display 8 of them.

Any idea?

I do not believe this is possible.

[Baktha]

I am running VMware Player 4.0.4 build 7-44019.

The VMF file (file type: VMXF) seems like an XML file... and so, I am not sure how/where to enter the delay command.

any help will be much appreciated.

thanks in advance,

/Baktha

[WoodyZ]

Baktha wrote: The VMF file (file type: VMXF) seems like an XML file... and so, I am not sure how/where to enter the delay command.

It goes in the .vmx file not the .vmxf file!

[Baktha]

sorry, forgot to mention, the file is Fedora-64.vmxf. here is how it looks-

<?xml version='1.0"?>

<Foundry>
<VM>

<VMId type="string">52 e4.....</VMId>

<ClientMetaData>

<clientMetaDataAttributes/>

<HistoryEventList/>

</ClientMetaData>

<vmxPathName type="string">Fedora 64-bit.vmx</vmxPathName>

</VM>

<tools-install-info><installError>5</installError>

<updateCounter>2</updateCounter>

</tools-install-info>

</Foundry>

[WoodyZ]

Baktha wrote:

sorry, forgot to mention, the file is Fedora-64.vmxf. here is how it looks-

<?xml version='1.0"?>

<Foundry>
<VM>

<VMId type="string">52 e4.....</VMId>

<ClientMetaData>

<clientMetaDataAttributes/>

<HistoryEventList/>

</ClientMetaData>

<vmxPathName type="string">Fedora 64-bit.vmx</vmxPathName>

</VM>

<tools-install-info><installError>5</installError>

<updateCounter>2</updateCounter>

</tools-install-info>

</Foundry>

That is the .vmxf file, it goes in the .vmx file not the .vmxf file!

[Baktha]

found it, thanks alot!