Windows guest extremely slow under VMWare

[Enigmax]

Host OS: Windows XP SP2

Guest OS: any Windows

VMWare version: 6.5.2 (tested on older versions - same)

So, VMWare guest is extremely slow. When I run guest OS, only BIOS screen is showing about 1 minute.

Strange fact, when I continuosly move mouse over the guest OS window or over VMWare main menu - execution of guest OS speeds up and begins execute well... When I stop moveing - guest OS becomes too slow. Maybe some display/mouse grab data incompatibilities...?

Clear Windows Vista executes on such guest about 30 minutes, but work there is impossible..

Could anyone help please..!

[AWo]

Welcome to the forums!

How much CPUS/cores does the host have?

How much vCPU's have you assigned to the guest?

How is the process priority configured for VMware Workstation and this particular guest?

Are the VMware Tools instaleld in the guest?

Where is the guest stored? On a local drive or a remote drive?

Do you overcommit the memory?

AWo

VCP / VMware vEXPERT 2009

[Enigmax]

Hi AWo, thanks for the interest to help

1. Host have 2 processors, Core Duo, 1.8 Ghz

2. Guest has 1 CPU, tried set to 2 - same problem

3. Sorry, do not understand this process exactly.. could you please explain?

4. VMWare tools - installed. This is not a core of problem. Even if I create new VM, it runs very slowly, it is very slowly even when BIOS screen (most first screen that shows VMWare after starting guest OS) is shwoing. On this scren is showing big "VWARE" word, it become gray, then lime, then white, i.e. it looks like VMWare draws this screen very slowly.

5. Guest OS is stored on local HDD drive. Windows is installed into c:\windows, vmware guest is in d:\VMWare

6. Yes, I'm looking for decision already about few monthes. Tried to reduce guest commited memory to 100MB/250MB/500MB/1GB - looks like the problem does not relate to memory, always I had the same problem..

Could you suggest something...?

[Enigmax]

Also, I thought that the problem could be due to some installed software, maybe antivuruses etc. I uninstalled all "dangerous". Thought that maybe some services block job of VMWare services, I disable and stoped a lot of non vmware services and checked VMWare workability after each stop - still nothing.... problem still is not solved..

[AWo]

2. Guest has 1 CPU, tried set to 2 - same problem

Stay with one vCPU otherwise you might face another slowdown.

3. Sorry, do not understand this process exactly.. could you please explain?

You can set the priority of the guest processing for all guests or a single one: "Edit > Preferences > Priority"

6. Yes, I'm looking for decision already about few monthes. Tried to reduce guest commited memory to 100MB/250MB/500MB/1GB - looks like the problem does not relate to memory, always I had the same problem..

Do not overcommit if possible, set the configuration to "Fit all virtual machine memory into reserved host RAM": "Edit > Preferences > Memory".

Install the latest display driver in your host. If you have configured the host swap space, change it so that Windows takes care about the size.

AWo

VCP / VMware vEXPERT 2009

[Enigmax]

Stay with one vCPU otherwise you might face another slowdown.

Yeah, if it would be possible.. I looked my laptop BIOS and did not find where I can disable one core...

Install the latest display driver in your host. If you have configured the host swap space, change it so that Windows takes care about the size.

Will try to do...

AWo, also one strange thing, after a hundred laptop restarts, VMWare starts to work well! But after next stand-by - it slows again...

[AWo]

Stay with one vCPU otherwise you might face another slowdown.

Yeah, if it would be possible.. I looked my laptop BIOS and did not find where I can disable one core...

No, one CPU assigned to the virtual guest. Of course you can use both physical CPU's.

AWo, also one strange thing, after a hundred laptop restarts, VMWare starts to work well! But after next stand-by - it slows again...

Disable power-management software like Intel Speed-Step (that's all for testing of course).

AWo

VCP / VMware vEXPERT 2009