Fusion 13.5.0 - Unable to create Windows VM

[s-phillips]

It appears that Fusion 13.5.0 might have an issue when creating Windows VMs.  I have experienced this on two different MacBook Pros, the first is my MacBook Pro 14-inch, M3 Pro, 2023 and also my MacBook Pro 16-inch, i7, 2019.

When attempting to create a basic Windows 10 VM using default settings on my Macbook Pro (i7) and a freshly downloaded Windows 10 ISO (Win10_22H2_English_x64v1.iso) from Microsoft, it will constantly freeze at 15% of the "Getting files ready for installation" portion of the install.  Might I mention that when it freezes, not only does the VM freeze but Fusion is completely unresponsive and requires a Force Quit and a restart of the Mac.

Over the weekend I attempted a Windows 11 ARM install on my MacBook Pro (M3 Pro) using a fresh Windows 11 ARM iso and had the exact same freeze issue at 15%. Previously when I used Fusion 12, I had no issues installing an version of Windows and it would zip through the install from the ISOs.  

Anyone else experiencing these issues?  Any fixes or suggestions as to how to get a guest VM to install Windows now?

[Technogeezer]

Those hangs and freezes are not normal. It's more likely to be something on your system. 

First, what version of macOS are you running on both systems?

What folder are you saving your VMs to?  Did you save it to the system hard drive, or are you using an external drive? If an external drive, is it formatted with HFS+ or APFS (you shouldn't use FAT32,  ExFS, or NTFS drives). 

Also are you saving your VMs to a folder that's configured to sync to the cloud? That's a no-no.

[s-phillips]

Currently I can only provide details regarding the MacBook (i7) as the other one is not with me at the moment.

• MacOS: Sonoma 14.2.1 (23C71)
• VM Location: System Drive @ /Users/<username>/Documents/VMs/
• Sync location: Nope (Documents folder is not set to sync to iCloud)

All the above settings were similar if not the same on the MacBook (M3 Pro). I'd have to verify later today but I assume that they are correct on the MacBook (M3 Pro).

[ColoradoMarmot]

Make sure that:

1) you're installing and running fusion as an administrator

2) That  it's an APFS file system (not case sensitive)

3) That on the M3, you're using the built-in windows 11 installation option.

[s-phillips]

So after various attempts to install onto the internal drive of the MacBook (i7) at various points (Documents. Desktop, User folder and a VM folder created in Library) I still was not able to install.  I instead attached a Sabrent external USB-C with a WD_Black SN750 500GB NVMe SSD formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and attempted an install.  I was able to install after the third attempt.  Fusion froze are various points with a couple being at the previously mentioned spot, other when Windows was copying installation files and a couple during Windows setup. I will see what happens on my M3 Pro later tonight.

[Technogeezer]

There's still something amiss if Fusion is hanging while trying to run a VM's installer.

Was that a fresh install of Fusion 13.5, or was it "upgraded" over a prior release? If that Mac has had a progression of macOS and Fusion versions "upgraded" over time, it may make sense to perform a full manual uninstall of Fusion per KB article https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1017838 to make sure there's no "cruft" left over from prior versions.

Do you have any third-party AV installed on that Mac, and if so, is it configured to exclude the areas where you are saving the VMs?

Could there be any other third party software installed on the Mac that could be interfering with Fusion?

Also, do you have the folders where the VMs are located excluded from Time Machine backups.

Have you looked at what's going on with Activity Monitor or "top" when Fusion is hanging?

[s-phillips]

So I was able to successfully able to install Win 11 ARM on the M3 Pro.  I pointed Fusion to use the external drive as that worked on the i7.  Things appear to be working correctly and not installation issues occurred.  

The M3 Pro was a clean install of Fusion 13.5.0 whereas the i7 was upgraded from v11.x to v12.x to v13.5.0.  I'll look at that KB to remove and do a clean install on the i7.  

I just find it weird that two different MacBooks were having similar VM installation failures both at various points.

[dashed_adepts0u]

Thanks Philips.

I was struggling to have the Win11 installed on Fusion 13.5 MBPro i7 for the past few days.

Your suggestion to install on an external drive really worked very well..
Just like you I was getting stuck at "Copying files....."

Now it works great.

thanks

[Technogeezer]

Out of curiosity, where was Fusion looking to save the VM before you directed it to the external drive?

[Technogeezer]

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@Ignacio88 wrote:

Experiencing freezing during Windows VM installations on VMware Fusion 13.5.0 can be frustrating. Here are several troubleshooting steps and suggestions to help resolve this issue:

1. Check System Requirements: Ensure that your MacBook Pros meet the system requirements for running VMware Fusion 13.5.0 and the Windows VMs. Make sure you have enough RAM, CPU, and disk space available for the virtual machines.

2. Update VMware Fusion: Check if there are any updates available for VMware Fusion. Sometimes, software updates include bug fixes and improvements that can address issues like freezing during VM installations.

3. Check VMware Compatibility List: Verify that the Windows 10 and Windows 11 ARM ISOs you are using are compatible with VMware Fusion 13.5.0. Refer to VMware's compatibility list to ensure compatibility with the version of Fusion you are using.

4. Try Different ISOs: If possible, try using different Windows ISOs to see if the issue persists. Sometimes, ISO files can become corrupted or incompatible, leading to installation issues.

5. Adjust Virtual Machine Settings: Try adjusting the virtual machine settings such as memory, CPU cores, and disk size before starting the installation process. Sometimes, allocating more resources to the VM can help with performance and stability.

6. Check Virtual Machine Configuration: Review the virtual machine configuration settings, including hardware compatibility and virtual hardware versions. Make sure they are configured appropriately for the Windows VMs you are trying to install.

7. Disable Hardware Acceleration: In VMware Fusion preferences, try disabling hardware acceleration (if enabled) to see if it resolves the freezing issue during VM installation.

8. Check for Resource Contention: Ensure that there are no other resource-intensive processes running on your MacBook Pros while installing the VMs. Resource contention can lead to performance issues and freezing during VM installations.

9. Check VMware Fusion Logs: Review the VMware Fusion logs for any error messages or warnings that may provide insights into the cause of the freezing issue during VM installations.

10. Contact VMware Support: If the issue persists despite trying the above steps, consider reaching out to VMware support for further assistance. They may be able to provide additional troubleshooting steps or solutions tailored to your specific situation.

By following these steps and suggestions, you should be able to troubleshoot and resolve the freezing issue during Windows VM installations on VMware Fusion 13.5.0.

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While the general troubleshooting information you're posted is helpful in generalized cases, you might want to take the information that ChatGPT, et. al. generates and tailor it in your own words to the question that is being asked and the information that's already been provided. It shows that you understand what the problem is, and avoids advice that isn't pertinent. Plus it has a much more human touch to it.

[dashed_adepts0u]

Update :

After Windows booted from the external drive, I shutdown the VM.

Then moved the VM to the internal drive and rebooted the VM, it's working perfectly well from the internal drive.

[dashed_adepts0u]

to the internal drive