Guest machines created on Windows host wont start on Linux host

[iisidor]

I have Workstation 6.5 on Windows Vista and created a number of VM hosts (Windows XP and Linux Ubuntu) on a NTFS USB drive. I have been using these virtual guests on Windows Vista for over a year. I installed a Linux host machine, and tried to open the virtual guests on VMWare player and VMWare Workstation 7.1 with the same error:

Operation on file "/media/My Passport/My Virtual Machines/Windows XP Pro Jasper Server/Windows XP Professional.vmdk" failed.

If the file resides on a remote file system, please make sure your network connection and the server where this disk resides are functioning properly. If the file resides on removable media, reattach the media.

Choose Retry to attempt the operation again.

Choose Abort to terminate this session.

Choose Continue to forward the error to the guest operating system.

After hitting Continue a number of times, I get the error:

NVRAM write failed

and the virtual guest stops, and I have to power it down. If I copy the same VM guest to a Linux partition, then the problem goes away.

I thought that VMs could interoperate on Windows and Linux.

[AWo]

Can you post the .vmx file of such a guest which is not working?

AWo

VCP 3 & 4

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[piaroa]

What you have here, is probably your Linux host no being able to write to NTFS. Most Linux with the appropriate module will read NTFS but not write to it.

So VMs are compatible with either Linux or Win hosts, but you need to have a writeable partition.

To share VMs in the same USB disk between Win and Linux, I think you could partition your hard driver, or part of it in FAT32.

If this post has been helpful/solved your issue, please mark the thread and award points as you see fit. Thanks!

[AWo]

Good point!

Move the guest to a local partition and try to start it from there.

AWo

VCP 3 & 4

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[iisidor]

I can write in the folder with Linux. I have tested it by creating documents and folders with native Linux programs. Nevertheless I will copy the machine to a FAT32 drive.

Attached is the vmx file.

[AWo]

Your .vmx points to a snapshot file called "Windows XP Professional-000001.vmdk". Is this one and the base file "Windows XP Professional.vmdk" available on your USB stick?

Post the "vmware.log" file from an unsuccessful start (you'll find it where the guest is stored). It seems that the base file is missing.

BTW, you use the shared folder option? There are drive names like C:\ and K:\ in the .vmx file. They won't work anymore as Linux does not use drive names.

AWo

VCP 3 & 4

\[:o]===\[o:]

=Would you like to have this posting as a ringtone on your cell phone?=

=Send "Posting" to 911 for only $999999,99!=

[iisidor]

Update to this question: I copied the VM to another NTFS partition and it worked. Don't know if this is the solution, but for now, I'll move them all to this new partition.

Thanks for the help.

[piaroa]

Glad you sorted it out.

If this post has been helpful/solved your issue, please mark the thread and award points as you see fit. Thanks!