Where are the VMs located?

[licensedtoquill]

I have asked a few times about Fusion crashing when I try to install Linux on my MacBook Pro which has already got Boot Camp installed into a VM. No one seems to know why.

I am continually trying to install this Linux, and Fusion continually either crashes or runs its VM from CD while I am trying to get it to install to the hard drive. It is certainly unresponsive during the instal process and wont let me give it the instruction to install to the hdd!

But now I am getting naming problems : Every time I try to install a new Vm it becomes called Ubuntu 64 bit (2) and (3) and (4) etc. I was told how to get rid of the VMs by deleting them from the menu, which is itself difficult to get to! But it doesnt seem to be deleting the VMs (which I AM shutting down from the VM menu)

I am used to these VMs being on the desktop. But they arent there and apparently deleting them from the menu, - as well as the files, - doesnt seem to be deleting the VMs so that I can start again

Is there anything I can do about this to delete ALL Linux VMs and start again please?

[admin]

No offense, but I think much of the confusion is of your own making. There's no grand conspiracy or intentional secrecy (but I suppose if you want to be paranoid, I'd say that anyway). The things you describe are simply not self-consistent, and I suspect you are trying to follow a bunch of different routes simultaneously and getting confused when guide A's description doesn't match up with guide B's result. You haven't given important details when asked, and are running on faulty hardware. We're trying, but honestly you're making it difficult.

You can install Ubuntu (or any other Linux) from a CD, following the same procedure you would on a physical machine. This does not involve downloading virtual appliances or importing. For example, this blog or this blog have step-by-step instructions with pictures (they was written for 1.x, but much of it still applies to 2.0) - I'm not endorsing them, they just happened to turn up as top hits in a Google search (and there are more, which I'm sure you can find).

Subnote: The CD is what is asking you whether you want to run from CD or install to disk. After the install, you are no longer booting from the CD but rather the virtual hard disk (which does not ask the question). FYI, this is what happens if you were to install Ubuntu on a physical computer.

Subnote: Intrepid Ibex is not a supported guest OS (and isn't even finalized) so may have unexpected quirks when run in Fusion, either due to Ibex itself or Fusion's handling of Ibex. I would suggest using 8.04.1 instead.

Subnote: Fusion supports Easy Install for some Linux guests. With Easy Install, you can skip many of the steps involved in installing the guest OS because Fusion does them for you.

A completely different method to getting a Linux virtual machine is to download a virtual appliance. This does not involve CDs or installation or setup. You do not "install the VMDK files created" (at least for most virtual appliances, I suppose there could be mispackaged ones). You simply tell Fusion to open the .vmx file. You may still have to install or update Tools, depending on where the virtual appliance came from, but you don't have to set it up. Again, without knowing exactly which ones you tried and are having trouble with, we can't possibly help.

Much of the tutorials and guides are written for Windows simply because we expect most users to be interested in Windows. I would expect (and to be clear, this as well as the rest of my posts are my personal opinion , I don't set policy) Linux users to be slightly more advanced and independent.

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look at all those confusing error messages

You're paraphrasing the error messages, which makes it difficult to explain what they mean (because it's not clear what you're doing or what messages you're seeing). It sounds like you're running multiple virtual machines at once, and the messages are letting you know that since various devices (e.g. CD-ROMs) can only be used by one OS at a time (see : Virtual Hardware), the others will lose access. However, since you haven't provided details, this is a wild guess and may not be correct.

And even worse, I am being told to use something I cant find at all, called a Wizard

Technogeezer misspoke, and was referring to the New Virtual Machine Assistant ("Assistant" being the OS X equivalent of Window's "Wizard").

Is this why it is constantly asking whether to install TOOLS, even after they are supposed to have been installed?

It doesn't sound like you've gotten to the point where you can install Tools, which can only be done after the guest OS is installed and after you're logged in. On some versions of Linux, you have to take a few more steps, and this is documented in the Help (and covered in various places online - again, Google is a good tool if you need the extra help).

[licensedtoquill]

(There has been a week long gap in this thread during which I had the circuit board of my McBook Pro replaced)

I really dont think you are being fair: Thus far I have utilised about two courses, both of which are indicated in the help files: I have followed a link on the VMWare site to an .ISO and downloaded it to my desktop. I do this with Boot Camp open. Nowhere does it day you cant do this, though there is an error message telling users they are installing a new VM while one is open. Unless you cant do this, this is about as arcane an error message I have ever seen with Windows. I then minimise Windows and go to FILE - OPEN - CONTINUE WITHOUT DISK (or sometimes I am given a screen with three options, the top two of which are 'get OS from CD or .ISO'). During this process, users are given yet another completely useless message telling them to install tools. Why on earth is one told to do this? What possible advantage can it give? Is there any conceivable situation where one might NOT want to install tools? Why doesnt the install process automatically install tools if tools arent somehow already in the package being installed? anyway

When I did this the first time I was given the option during the install process to install in a preferred language (which you can never apparently do, and the ENTER command doesnt work on the VM which you are creating at this stage) after which once I was given the install screen with the option to run from CD or install to HDD. Thereafter whenever I have tried this, I have never been given the option to install to the hard drive, even immediately after doing this with exactly the same iso file, and using it in exactly the same way. Reading your response I cant see why the first time, the iso gave me the optoin of installing to HD and never thereafter.

The other way is when I download a zip file which as far as I can see is a VA. Unzipping it gives me a whole bunch of files including a large number of VMDK files each of which looks like an OS with no instructions anywhere as to how you install them if what you want to do is to install the OS to your hard drive. Curiously in the past when I clicked on the vmx file, all it did was to create a log file which didnt say much. NOW it went into the VM, loaded all instructions and gave all appropiate options (despite the VA being backTrack which is about the least user-friendly of the newer generation ones around at the moment). Incidentally is this what you meant by "You simply tell Fusion to open the .vmx file." Did I do this wrongly or did you mean 'doubleclick the .vmx file in the VA folder on your OSX desktop to open a new VM and put it in the library'?

I wonder if it is possible that the Fusion problems I was experiencing have now gone away with the hardware repair? And that once you figure out to click on a .vmx file in an appropriate VA, all is in fact as easy as it is supposed to be? Or should I be installing the OS in the folder to the hard drive instead of running it from the folder?

BTW When you say "Subnote: Fusion supports Easy Install for some Linux guests", do you mean only very old Linux distros such as Ubuntu 5 or 6?

One last point: How does one know when tools are installed? With Windows one can see it being installed and the installation completes and it tells you about this. And an entry appears in add/remove programs which cant be passively taken out (even though it DOES give a curious error message on going into windows with the mouse which it says it doesnt recognise). But with Linux there don't appear to be any messages and the menu annoyingly continues to say that the tools are 'being installed'.

[admin]

there is an error message telling users they are installing a new VM while one is open. Unless you cant do this, this is about as arcane an error message I have ever seen with Windows.

Again, without knowing the exact text of the error message, I can't answer why it's appearing or what it means. Some hardware can only be used by one OS at a time, so if this is the informative (not error) message I'm thinking about, it's just letting you know this may be the case. See also : Virtual Hardware.

users are given yet another completely useless message telling them to install tools. Why on earth is one told to do this?

There are people who don't realize they can install Tools, why they want to, or that they need to.

What possible advantage can it give?

I believe the message outlines some advantages. There are lots, but a short list would include host/guest drag-and-drop, arbitrary guest resolution resizing, soft mouse ungrab, HGFS shared folders, improved performance, 3D, and so on.

Is there any conceivable situation where one might NOT want to install tools?

Yes, actually. These tend to be advanced use cases and if you don't want Tools, you know exactly why you don't want them, but there are valid reasons not to. Almost everyone should have Tools installed.

Why doesnt the install process automatically install tools if tools arent somehow already in the package being installed?

If you use Easy Install, Tools are automatically installed. If you have an existing virtual machine, Tools are not automatically installed for at least two good reasons: you might not want Tools, and doing things in the guest without Tools is nearly impossible (it's a chicken-and-egg problem).

When I did this the first time I was given the option during the install process to install in a preferred language (which you can never apparently do, and the ENTER command doesnt work on the VM which you are creating at this stage) after which once I was given the install screen with the option to run from CD or install to HDD. Thereafter whenever I have tried this, I have never been given the option to install to the hard drive, even immediately after doing this with exactly the same iso file, and using it in exactly the same way. Reading your response I cant see why the first time, the iso gave me the optoin of installing to HD and never thereafter.

The second time you were booting from the hard disk, not the CD. Merely having the CD inserted doesn't mean you're booting from it (just as inserting an OS X DVD in your Mac and rebooting doesn't mean you're booting off the DVD).

The other way is when I download a zip file which as far as I can see is a VA. Unzipping it gives me a whole bunch of files including a large number of VMDK files each of which looks like an OS with no instructions anywhere as to how you install them if what you want to do is to install the OS to your hard drive.

"install the OS to your hard drive" is ambiguous at best. Boot Camp aside, you do not install guest OSes to your host hard drive, but rather to a virtual hard drive (represented by .vmdk files). A Virtual Appliance should already be installed on the .vmdk files, there is no need for you to install the guest OS.

Incidentally is this what you meant by "You simply tell Fusion to open the .vmx file." Did I do this wrongly or did you mean 'doubleclick the .vmx file in the VA folder on your OSX desktop to open a new VM and put it in the library'?

Yes, double clicking the .vmx file will work.

I wonder if it is possible that the Fusion problems I was experiencing have now gone away with the hardware repair?

Have they? Are you still seeing problems?

And that once you figure out to click on a .vmx file in an appropriate VA, all is in fact as easy as it is supposed to be?

Yes, opening the .vmx file should be all you have to do, which is why we were all very confused about your problems.

Or should I be installing the OS in the folder to the hard drive instead of running it from the folder?

See previous note about "installing the OS" for why this question doesn't make sense.

BTW When you say "Subnote: Fusion supports Easy Install for some Linux guests", do you mean only very old Linux distros such as Ubuntu 5 or 6?

One of Linux's weaknesses (and strengths) is the diversity between distros. Not all distros support the same automatic install mechanisms, if they support them at all. At the least, I know Fusion supports Easy Install on Ubuntu 7 and 8 and some RHEL version. If you can't use Easy Install, Fusion will not give you the option.

Note that some CDs are misidentified, and even though Fusion can use Easy Install in general for that distro, it may not work with that particular CD (e.g. an Ubuntu alternate CD).

One last point: How does one know when tools are installed?

It depends on the guest - Tools capability varies between guest OSes. Indicators that Tools are working include live resizing of the guest display, drag-and-drop between host and guest, copy/paste between host and guest, Unity, and being able to run vmware-toolbox.

But with Linux there don't appear to be any messages and the menu annoyingly continues to say that the tools are 'being installed'.

See Help > VMware Fusion Help > Creating Virtual Machines > VMware Tools > Installing or Upgrading VMware Tools in a Linux Virtual Machine from the Command Line with the Tar Installer.

[licensedtoquill]

Hi again

Many thanks for your very complete response: My problem was that I didnt *really *understand the V bit in VA or VM etc. I was confused by the use of Fusion where I have an installation on the hard drive (Boot Camp) and thought that I have to install a new OS to a partition as I did when I first installed a linux OS (and forgot the password). I was under the impression that the V bit meant that you could use a Virtual machine on the OSX desktop when you had installed it to a partition

I now see that there is no need to install it if one has this OS in a VMDK file and the Vm opens when I want to open Linux. In the past I had received the impression with Linux and Windows machines that there was some speed difference between running Knoppix from a CD and installing it to a HDD.So I thought that there would be some advantage to installing the OS from the ISO to the HDD

How exactly does this clicking-on-a-vmx file work? If I open Linux to it's VM and go out on Synaptics and (for example) get Snort, does the VMDK file change to reflect the installation of Snort next time I shut down the computer and restart and open the VM?

(By the way, you were right about the hardware issue: The problems I was having DO seem to have disappeared as soon as I changed the logic board, though I still get the (only slightly) annoying continuous "installing tools" message on the menu. Thanks for telling me how to recognise when tools are installed.BTW I still think that tools should be installed by default and there should be an option to uninstall them or not install them)