Since I used VMware for the first time I have been fascinated about the virtualization technology.
On this page I put up some useful things for use with VMware products. Have fun, but use at your own risk.
If you want to contact me, see the end of the page.
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VMware Workstation 5 includes a very nice tool, vmrun, that allows the user to control some VMware functions via the command line, mostly to start and stop virtual machines.
The tool VMRemote takes this further by exposing vmrun's commands to the network so they can be executed from another computer. VMRemote and its client require the .NET Framework 1.1.
Features of version 1.2:
Download VMRemote 1.2 Requires .NET Framework 1.1
Download VMRemote 1.2 Client API docs (for developers, extract into client directory)
Notes:
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As part of the VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit, the tool DiskMount can be downloaded which allows offline mounting of VMware virtual disks as a drive letter.
The shell extension lets you mount such virtual disks via a Windows Explorer context menu.
Download shell extension (for x86 systems)
Download shell extension (for x64 systems)
Notes:
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I've put together a package containing drivers and important updates for using with MS-DOS, Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 within VMware products.
I call this collection the "31pack" (pronounced "three-one pack").
The current version is 1.1. The following changes were made from the initial release:
The 31pack is available as a simple set of files or as an ISO image, ready for mounting in a virtual machine. Enclosed in the ISO image download is also a floppy disk image that contains only the CD-ROM driver and MSCDEX.
Download driver package as a simple set of files
Download driver package as ISO image
The package contains:
To install the software, either copy all files into an INSTALL directory within the virtual machine, such as C:\INSTALL, or mount the provided ISO image.
Below I'll outline the steps to install each component, along with the systems that the driver or update applies to.
Networking | ||
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[X] DOS [X] Win 3.1 [ ] WFW 3.11 |
Microsoft Network Client 3.0 / Network card driver:
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[ ] DOS [X] Win 3.1 [ ] WFW 3.11 |
Activating the network in Windows 3.1:
Important: The MS-DOS network drivers must be loaded for the network to function in Windows. |
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[ ] DOS [ ] Win 3.1 [X] WFW 3.11 |
Network card driver:
TCP/IP protocol driver:
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CD-ROM | ||
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[X] DOS [X] Win 3.1 [X] WFW 3.11 |
CD-ROM driver:
MSCDEX:
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Sound | ||
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[X] DOS [X] Win 3.1 [X] WFW 3.11 |
Sound driver:
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Display | ||
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[ ] DOS [ ] Win 3.1 [X] WFW 3.11 |
Super VGA driver patch:
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CPU Idling | ||
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[X] DOS [ ] Win 3.1 [ ] WFW 3.11 |
DOSidle tool (v2.10):
Alternative 1: DOSidle 2.0
Alternative 2: Microsoft Power Manager (POWER)
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[ ] DOS [X] Win 3.1 [X] WFW 3.11 |
WQGHLT tool:
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Operating System Updates | ||
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[ ] DOS [ ] Win 3.1 [X] WFW 3.11 |
Y2K Update for File Manager:
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[ ] DOS [X] Win 3.1 [X] WFW 3.11 |
Euro support:
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If you have an MS-DOS or older Windows system running (Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98/ME or below), logon attempts from such versions to a Windows Server 2003 domain fail out of the box because Windows Server 2003 domain controllers have communication signing (SMB signing) enabled by default and the old systems do not support it. SMB signing was introduced to prevent malicious users from tampering or intercepting network traffic.
If you need a quick-and-dirty solution for compatibility reasons, simply turn of SMB signing at the domain controller - see below for how to do this. For more details about this issue and ways to resolve it, see Microsoft's KB entries 811497 and 555038.
How to disable communication signing on Windows Server 2003:
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The default sound card emulated in VMware Workstation depends on the program version and the guest operating system:
Program | Guest OS1 | Sound Card Name |
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VMware Workstation 8.x and higher | Windows Vista and higher | High Definition Audio |
VMware Workstation 8.x and higher | Windows XP and lower | Sound Blaster AudioPCI2 |
VMware Workstation 7.x and lower | All Windows versions | Sound Blaster AudioPCI2 |
VMware Workstation 10.x and higher3 | MS-DOS or Windows 3.1 | Sound Blaster 16 |
1For simplicity, the appropriate server versions of Windows were omitted, it applies to them as well.
2May be labeled differently in the guest OS depending on the driver used, e.g. Sound Blaster PCI 128.
3And maybe also in some lower versions, this was not tested.
By modifying the machine configuration file (VMX file), the card can also be changed to a different one that may be more appropriate than the default.
The following table shows which drivers to use for for Windows and DOS operating systems:
Card short name | Card name(s) | Operating systems | VMX file entry1 | Driver to use2 |
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HD Audio | High Definition Audio | All 32-bit and 64-bit versions of: Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 | sound.virtualDev = "hdaudio" | Driver is provided by the guest operating system. The HD Audio sound card is available in VMware Workstation 8.0 and higher. |
ES1371 | Sound Blaster AudioPCI, Sound Blaster PCI 128 | All 32-bit and 64-bit versions of: Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 | sound.virtualDev = "es1371" | VMware VMaudio driver - included in the VMware Tools of VMware Workstation 6.5 and higher. Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 support requires VMware Workstation 7.0 or higher. |
ES1371 | Sound Blaster AudioPCI, Sound Blaster PCI 128 | Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Server 2003 (32-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit), Windows Server 2008 (32-bit) | sound.virtualDev = "es1371" | Sound Blaster PCI 128 driver for Windows 2000 (SBPCI128Setupus_w2k.exe) |
ES1371 | Sound Blaster AudioPCI, Sound Blaster PCI 128 | Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Server 2003 (32-bit) | sound.virtualDev = "es1371" | Sound Blaster PCI (WDM) Drivers V 5.12.01.5017 (SBPCI_WebDrvsV5_12_01.exe) 4 Megabyte Waveset for SB PCI 16/64/128 (eapci4m.zip) 8 Megabyte Waveset for SB PCI 16/64/128 (eapci8m.ecw) The wavesets are optional since a 2 MB waveset is already included with the driver. Using a larger waveset means better MIDI sound quality, but requires more memory. Use the Device Manager to add new wavesets (*.ecw) to the "SB PCI(WDM)" driver. |
ES1371 | Sound Blaster AudioPCI, Sound Blaster PCI 128 | Windows 95, Windows 98 | sound.virtualDev = "es1371" | Sound Blaster PCI 128 driver for Windows 9x (SBPCI128Setupus_w9x.exe) Beginning with VMware Workstation 6.0, installing this driver causes new Windows 95 and 98 VMs to crash (blue screen) at driver installation. Additionally, Windows 95 VMs where the crash occurred become unbootable and the operating system halts with a Windows Protection Error. Windows 95 and 98 VMs that have been created with previous Workstation versions that have this driver installed crash after upgrading the virtual hardware to Workstation 6.0 or higher. Workarounds:
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ES1371 | Sound Blaster AudioPCI, Sound Blaster PCI 128 | Windows NT 4.0 | sound.virtualDev = "es1371" | Sound Blaster PCI128 (Drivers Only - Windows NT4.0) (SBPCI128Setupus_wnt.exe) |
SB16 | Sound Blaster 16 | Windows 95, Windows 98 | sound.virtualDev = "sb16" | Driver is provided by the guest operating system. |
SB16 | Sound Blaster 16 | Windows 95 MS-DOS mode, Windows 98 MS-DOS mode | sound.virtualDev = "sb16" | Sound Blaster 16 driver for Windows 95 MS-DOS mode (95dosapp.exe) |
SB16 | Sound Blaster 16 | MS-DOS, Windows 3.1 | sound.virtualDev = "sb16" | Sound Blaster 16 driver for DOS/Windows 3.1 (sbbasic.exe) |
1The entry is only for selecting the sound card device, not to add a new virtual sound card. It might not be present if the default emulated sound card is in use.
2Some of the systems might already include the necessary drivers and in this case no separate driver needs to be installed.
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I also like playing games, not only current ones, but also older games. The following is a list of operating systems that can or cannot be used for playing games in a virtual machine.
This list is specific to VMware Workstation and is solely based on my own opinion.
Guest OS | Can Play? | Comments |
---|---|---|
MS-DOS | No | Slow. Problematic hardware setup. Don't use. Use DOSBox instead. |
Windows 3.1 | Maybe | I only tried small games and no VMware Tools are available, so it may not work for more demanding games. |
Windows 95 | Yes | Looks ok. |
Windows 98 | Yes | Looks ok. |
Windows ME | Yes | Looks ok. |
Windows 2000 | Maybe | May work if games don't require graphics hardware features (T&L, shaders, etc.). |
Windows XP | Maybe | VMware Workstation 6.5 includes DirectX 9.0c support for Windows XP. You need a decent machine to make this work. |
Windows Vista | Maybe | May work if games don't require graphics hardware features (T&L, shaders, etc.). |
Experiences with the new Direct3D Support in VMware Workstation 6.5
When I tried out this feature the first time, I set all graphics settings in the games to minimum. It was still too slow for me, not fluid enough. Either my machine was too old for this or there is some improvent potential on VMware's side. On the host, I was able to play all the games in high quality without noticeable problems.
The first lesson I learned, was that upgrading to the Workstation 6.5 hardware version is absolutely necessary, to get something useful regarding 3D performance. Done that, the performance was still unsatisfying. In the end, it turned out that my host machine was underpowered for this task (Intel P4 "Prescott" @ 3 GHz with an ATI Radeon X800 GT).
So a decent machine is required, even for older games. I upgraded the host's hardware and it became better (Intel Core2Duo @ 3,16 GHz with an ATI Radeon HD 3850).
I tested the following games with the new host hardware:
Graphics settings for Max Payne 2:
Warning message when launching Half-Life 2: Episode Two about video hardware not meeting the minimum requirements: |
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The page author is not responsible for the contents of the linked pages.
http://www.vmware.com | Official VMware site |
http://www.vmaschinen.de | German site about virtual machines |
http://boling.us/ebs/apps/vmmaster | "VM Master", a tool to automatically start and stop Workstation 5 virtual machines. |
http://www.vmware.com/community | Offical VMware discussion boards |
Site is no longer active. Possibly moved to http://sites.google.com/site/chitchatvmback/ |
"VM Back", Ken Kato's page with info about VMware internals as well as various tools and drivers. |
http://vmware-forum.de | Unofficial german VMware forum |
http://www.sanbarrow.com | Homepage of a virtual machine "mad scientist". |
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January 5, 2015: |
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VMware is a trademark of VMware, Inc. I'm not affiliated with this company in any way, just another user of their great software.
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