Using Windows 8.1 as host.
Using Workstation 10.0.1 build-1379776
Creating a new VM, giving it 4 cores and 4096 MB RAM and a new disk.
Pointing it at the downloaded Ubuntu 13.10 (saucy salamander) desktop amd64 install ISO
After install, the VM starts, X server starts, session manager starts, and lets me log in.
The desktop background image loads, and then nothing else.
Right-clicking the desktop allows me to access the control panel, but nothing else.
No windows that I manage to open have close buttons.
So, it seems to me that somehow, the window manager has not started properly.
Given that I can't actually get a command prompt on this VM, I can't start looking through guest logs to try to figure out what it is it doesn't like.
And to make it clear what the question is:
- How can I make it properly start the window manager and desktop shell so I can actually use the guest as intended?
I just did this install with an 8.1 host, same Workstation version, 4 cores, 4GB of memory, Easy Install, and it worked fine for me. Have you tried non-Easy Install? I've had similar issues before on bare metal installs with Nvidia cards, but obviously that's out of Workstation.
Are you able to open a terminal after logging in with "CTRL+ALT+T"?
Yes, the non-Easy install works.
My graphics card is a FireGL Mobile. Maybe that matters?
Possibly. When I had similar issues (again, bare metal) it was with a 540m and it was due to the Optimus feature. The full installer is probably detecting your GPU and getting you the proper drivers.
I don't know how Workstation is passing the GPU on, but after doing an Easy Install on my desktop (running a GTX 580) my GPU shows up as "VGA compatible controller: VMware SVGA II Adapter".