Windows 8.1 host, Ubuntu 13.10 Easy Install Guest: Window Manager not starting

[jwatte]

Using Windows 8.1 as host.

Using Workstation 10.0.1 build-1379776

Creating a new VM, giving it 4 cores and 4096 MB RAM and a new disk.

Pointing it at the downloaded Ubuntu 13.10 (saucy salamander) desktop amd64 install ISO

After install, the VM starts, X server starts, session manager starts, and lets me log in.

The desktop background image loads, and then nothing else.

Right-clicking the desktop allows me to access the control panel, but nothing else.

No windows that I manage to open have close buttons.

So, it seems to me that somehow, the window manager has not started properly.

Given that I can't actually get a command prompt on this VM, I can't start looking through guest logs to try to figure out what it is it doesn't like.

And to make it clear what the question is:

- How can I make it properly start the window manager and desktop shell so I can actually use the guest as intended?

[pherce]

I just did this install with an 8.1 host, same Workstation version, 4 cores, 4GB of memory, Easy Install, and it worked fine for me. Have you tried non-Easy Install? I've had similar issues before on bare metal installs with Nvidia cards, but obviously that's out of Workstation.

Are you able to open a terminal after logging in with "CTRL+ALT+T"?

[jwatte]

Yes, the non-Easy install works.

My graphics card is a FireGL Mobile. Maybe that matters?

[pherce]

Possibly. When I had similar issues (again, bare metal) it was with a 540m and it was due to the Optimus feature. The full installer is probably detecting your GPU and getting you the proper drivers.

I don't know how Workstation is passing the GPU on, but after doing an Easy Install on my desktop (running a GTX 580) my GPU shows up as "VGA compatible controller: VMware SVGA II Adapter".