VM Ware Fusion 4 with El Capitan - Ways to access my data

[DavMat]

Hi,

last week I upgraded my OSX to El Capitan and now I am facing problems with my VM Ware Fusion 4.

Unfortunately I can't start the virtual machine anymore but need to access data in Windows.

What are my options to access my data?

Are there ways which do not include an update to a new version?

If there is now way without updating: Can I upgrade safely to VM Ware Fusion 5.x or higher without losing the data. (I've read the update advice on the VM-Ware site - but I'm not sure whether it applies for my case or not).

Thanks in advance!

Best,

David

[wila · Accepted solution]

Hello,

VMware is current at VMware Fusion version 8, you can't buy an earlier version via the website, only via contacting the sales team.

You would need Fusioni version 6 at least in order to run under El Capitan, but as you don't have that, it will be version 8 (which is fine).

You  should have no problem running the Fusion 4 virtual machine under Fusion 8. Having said that, it is always a good idea to make a backup copy of your virtual machines before trying to power them on in Fusion 8.

You can get a 30 day trial from Fusion 8 here: Try VMware Fusion or Fusion Pro. Run Windows on a Mac without rebooting. | United States

Just use that to see if it works OK, after 30 days you can buy the license and change the time limited license in a permanent license.

edit: While updating the VM is no problem. You do not get an update price when coming from Fusion 4, you would have to pay the normal price.

Tip: If you can then wait until black Friday, VMware usually offers their desktop products for a discount.

--

Wil

[vmxmr]

last week I upgraded my OSX to El Capitan and now I am facing problems with my VM Ware Fusion 4.

Unfortunately I can't start the virtual machine anymore but need to access data in Windows.

What are my options to access my data?

Are there ways which do not include an update to a new version?

If there is now way without updating: Can I upgrade safely to VM Ware Fusion 5.x or higher without losing the data. (I've read the update advice on the VM-Ware site - but I'm not sure whether it applies for my case or not).

David - I agree with wila. Run the trial version of VMware Fusion 8 to recover your data. Install the trial version, then copy the data to a shared folder so you can access it from the Mac.

If you need to run the virtual machine itself going forward into the future, that's different. There is probably no easy solution other than buying another copy of VMware. They won't give you VMware Fusion 5 for free, so just bite the bullet and pay the money for version 8.

[DavMat]

Hi Wil,

thanks a lot for your advice. It totally makes sense. I will try it tomorrow!

Cheers,

David

[DavMat]

Hi vmxmr,

thanks a lot for your additional advice and clarification.

Have a good day,

David