Vmware technical help...

[Vmwareiz1]

My computer specs are core 2 duo E6320 with 4 gig of ram.

I am having terrible performance on both vmware and my computer when its run.

I have xp32bit pro installed on vmware, and vista 32bit installed on my desktop.

Even if I have 1 word processor running on vmware, and internet explorer opened on my desktop, the performance is absolutely horrible.

I defragged it on both vmware and my desktop but didn't help.

Can anyone help or give me insights?I am really new to vmware.

My VMware 6.5.1 build 126130 , processor is set to 1, memory is set to 1024mb.

Thanks.

[Scissor]

Please attach the vmware.log and .vmx file from the directory containing your Guest.

[Vmwareiz1]

there were many files so i uploaded in rapidshare and zipped it.

http://rapidshare.com/files/179597046/VMware.zip.html

[Scissor]

Looking at the logs, the only thing I see that might be relevant is that you appear to be using VMWare Shared Folders. Can you try disabling them to see if it makes a difference?

- Which AntiVirus software are you running? On your Host AV Configuration, have you excluded the folder containing the Guest from Real Time Scanning?

- Are you running any 3rd party firewalls?

- Do you have any VPN software installed?

Can you describe the "terrible performance" problems you experience in a bit more detail. Are things slow accessing the network? Accessing Hard drive? Something else?

[Vmwareiz1]

I am not using any antivirus nor any 3rd party firewalls. and no, no vpn softwares are installed.

well the terrible performance is basically all around, opening windows explorer, games(not modern), opening up files, etc.

It takes atleast 5-7 seconds to open up files and such.

P.S. it seems disabling the shared folders increased performance somewhat.

[Scissor]

Your Guest files are stored on your Host's local C: drive, right?

Can you try reducing the amount of RAM allocated to your guest to 512 MB to see if that makes a difference? I've found that allocating too much RAM to a XP Guest can actually slow it down.

I also see you have two Ethernet adapters installed in the Guest. If you're not using the second Ethernet adapter, try removing it.

On a side note, you mentioned earlier that your host has 4 GB RAM installed and that it is running 32 bit Windows XP. I just wanted to point out that depending on the specific configuration of the computer, typically 32-bit Windows can only address around 3.2 GB of physical RAM. However, since you are only allocating 1 GB RAM to your Guest I don't think you're running into a shortage of RAM on your Host.

Hmm, otherwise I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. Perhaps someone else will chime in with suggestions.

[Vmwareiz1]

I set it to 512 MB, and have 1 ethernet port now.

Doesn't feel any different.

Is gaming suppose to be terrible in vmware in the first place?(not crysis, old games like d2)

[Scissor]

Can you verify that you have enabled 3D Acceleration in your Guest? From the VMWare GUI -> Highlight your Guest -> VM Menu -> Settings -> Hardware Tab -> Display -> Verify "Accelerate 3D graphics (DirectX 9.0c)" is checked.

Then in your Guest, try uninstalling the VMware Tools, rebooting, and installing the VMWare Tools.

Try reinstalling the VMware tools even if the above option was already set.

I personally don't do gaming inside a VM. Perhaps someone else will chime in with their own results.

[Vmwareiz1]

3d graphics are enabled.

I reinstalled vmtools, but see no difference in performance.

[Scissor]

Are you running any CPU-intensive tasks on the Host or Guest (SETI@Home, etc?)

Are you running any Disk-intensive tasks on the Host or Guest?

How much RAM is free on your Host before you start your Guest? I think your Host is running Vista, so for a rough estimate open up Task Manager -> Performance Tab, and let me know the three lines under the Physical Memory (MB) Section (Total, Cached, Free).

[Vmwareiz1]

Total: 3581

Cached: 2337

Free: 700

And no, I'm not running anything cpu or disk intensive.

[Scissor]

Ok, so your host can see around 3581 MB of installed RAM, and 2328 MB of it is available for use by other programs if necessary.

So running low on RAM on your Host shouldn't be the problem.

[Vmwareiz1]

I've seen some people with lower comp specs have better performance than I do.

It's just weird though.

[Scissor]

Can you try creating a new Guest with just a base Win XP install + VMWare Tools to see if the problem still occurs?

[Vmwareiz1]

should i delete my old guest and make a new one or just createa new one?

[Scissor]

Try creating a new one.

[wila]

Hi,

Try booting the VM without any USB devices connected to your guest and see if that makes a difference.

Also I noticed this very peculiar detail in your logs... not sure if you can do something about it..

Jan 03 21:57:23.248: vcpu-0| The guest OS tried to update the CPU's microcode.

Jan 03 21:57:23.248: vcpu-0| Since a newer microcode version exists, please consider updating the microcode on your host.

--

Wil

_____________________________________________________

Visit the new VMware developers wiki at http://www.vi-toolkit.com

[Scissor]

Hi,

Try booting the VM without any USB devices connected to your guest and see if that makes a difference.

Also I noticed this very peculiar detail in your logs... not sure if you can do something about it..

> Jan 03 21:57:23.248: vcpu-0| The guest OS tried to update the CPU's microcode.
> 
> Jan 03 21:57:23.248: vcpu-0| Since a newer microcode version exists, please consider updating the microcode on your host.
> 

<br><br>--

Wil

_____________________________________________________

Visit the new VMware developers wiki at http://www.vi-toolkit.com

Good catch. A BIOS update on the host might address that problem.

[Vmwareiz1]

Disabled the USB, and updated my BIOS. Performance seemed to be increased somewhat.

The performance still seems to be lacking though, any more ideas?

P.S. You want my updated log files?

[Scissor]

Try creating a new WinXP Guest and see if the performance problems also exist in the new Guest. If so, then attach the vmware.log and .vmx file from the directory containing your new Guest.