The failure is due to a kernel API change in the new Linux kernel that ships with Ubuntu 9.04. The vmhgfs kernel module that powers the shared folder feature failed to compile during the VMware Tools install. After reboot, you should be able to mouse in and out of the virtual machine window without the ungrab key combo.
This can be easily fixed by running command "sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-input-vmmouse" as root in a terminal window in the Ubuntu virtual machine.
This is because the vmmouse driver, a VMware mouse driver that enables the mouse ungrab feature, was not installed along with X.org included with Ubuntu. You will need to use CTRL+ALT to do that. You will see that Easy Install already recognizes this version!!! (we were thinking ahead…)Ĥ) Once the Ubuntu virtual machine finishes installing and then boots up, you will have a working Ubuntu 9.04 virtual machine, however there are a couple of minor issues that can be easily worked around.įirst, you will immediately notice that you cannot seamlessly move your mouse cursor outside of your virtual machine window. For VMware Fusion instructions check out this blog post.ġ) Download the Ubuntu 9.04 x86 Desktop CD image.Ģ) In VMware Workstation 6.5.2, use the New Virtual Machine Wizard (File -> New), and point it at the Ubuntu ISO image you downloaded.ģ) Follow the instructions in the New Virtual Machine Wizard.
Here are the steps I took to get a working Ubuntu 9.04 virtual machine on VMware Workstation. It works well but requires a few tweaks to get the mouse and shared folders to work fully.
Other tools in the package support synchronization of time in the guest operating system with time on the host, and improve the performance of your mouse.Ubuntu 9.04 otherwise known as "Jaunty Jackalope" was released last week, so we grabbed the Ubuntu 9.04 ISO image to try creating a VM in Workstation 6.5.2 (Windows XP host) and VMware Fusion 2.0.4 on Mac OS X. The package also provides support required for shared folders and for drag and drop operations. With the VMware Tools SVGA driver installed, Workstation supports a significantly faster graphics performance. To do this and other important tasks, you will need to install VMware Tools. However, Fusion 2 adds a new functionality – you can also copy and paste formatted text from one OS to the other. I found that, although it could be resource-hungry at times, other processes weren't generally slowed down by the program as it installed the guest OS.Īs with VMware Fusion 1.0, you can drag and drop files and folders between Windows and OS X, as well as copy and paste plain text. That's why I decided to really put my 2GHz Dual Core iMac to work, to see how much VMware takes the handles exactly. Sure, you don't want to disturb the installation process, but you don't want to waste too much time either. Guest OS installation takes between 50 and 70 minutes to complete, depending on your hardware and whether you're doing something else while the machine is working.
Just sit back and watch Fusion expand and copy the files, install the features and updates, and restart your virtual PC several times until Vista is installed. The on-screen information is extremely simple to follow. As soon as you slide in your copy of Vista, Fusion partitions your resources for the guest OS, creates a Virtual Machine Library and starts installing the OS. Newcomers too will find the program intuitive.
However, before buying your own copy of VMware Fusion 2, be sure your Mac is prepared to handle the workload.įor those who've used virtualization software before, installing Windows Vista with VMware Fusion is as easy as pie. If you need to run Windows apps, but love your Mac so much you simply cannot go with a PC, VMware Fusion may be the answer.