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Frequently Asked Questions

If a virtual machine crashes, will the entire PC (and other running virtual machines) also crash?

No. Each operating system runs in an isolated virtual machine window. Errors within an operating system or applications running in a virtual machine do not affect other virtual machines or the PC on which they are running. This is because VMware products have built-in error-protection and isolation capabilities for reliably running multiple virtual machines at the same time. For example, the host operating system is not affected by the operating system and applications that run inside the virtual machine. Furthermore, if an error occurs with the software running inside a virtual machine, the problem will be isolated to that particular virtual machine (the host and other virtual machines running on the host will not be affected).

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What are VMware products' software compatibility?

VMware virtual machines are compatible with thousands of software packages -- applications whose minimum software requirements meet the virtual machine specifications. For example, the following popular applications can run inside a VMware virtual machine:

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What are the system requirements for running VMware Workstation?

You can find a list of VMware Workstation system requirements by clicking here.

You can also find the latest information about VMware Workstation on the VMware Web site at http://www.vmware.com/products/desktop/.

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What features are new with VMware Workstation 3.0?

You'll find performance improvements throughout VMware Workstation in this release. Some of them - such as smoother mouse movement - are obvious. Others operate behind the scenes to make more efficient use of the resources of your host machine and speed the performance of your virtual machines.

For a list of specific new features, see New Features of This Release.

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What is included in VMware Tools?

VMware Tools is a supplemental software suite that includes two components:

VMware Tools is included with VMware Workstation.

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What network protocols are supported?

Each virtual machine has a unique Media Access Control (MAC) address, a hardware address that uniquely identifies each node of a network. Hence all network protocols are supported, including Internet Protocol (IP), Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX), and NetBios Enhanced User Interface (NetBeui).

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How are network protocols assigned to virtual machines with regards to the host system?

Each virtual machine's guest operating system is configured for any network protocol -- regardless of the protocol used by the host system.

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What types of networking are supported by VMware Workstation?

VMware Workstation supports three types of networking:

>>More information on networking with VMware Workstation

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How are IP addresses handled for virtual machines versus the host system?

Each virtual machine has its own unique IP address -- the IP address of the host is not shared nor spoofed.

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If the underlying PC hardware changes, do the operating systems running in virtual machines need to be reconfigured?

No.

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How can I run a virtual machine if there is very little free space on my local hard drive?

You can run a virtual machine that is stored on a shared network server. VMware Workstation can access virtual disks stored remotely on a file server. To enable this access, you must set up host-only or bridged networking for the virtual machine.

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What if I trash a virtual machine during a session? Do I have to rebuild it?

No. Simply choose to restore the original session settings and all changes made to the virtual machine during the session will be discarded.

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What is virtual networking and how is it different from traditional networking?

Virtual networking allows Web-based, client/server, and peer-to-peer applications to run in multiple virtual machines -- on one standalone computer.

>>More about networking in virtual machines

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How much RAM is required to run VMware Workstation?

You need enough memory to run the host operating system and its applications, plus enough memory to run each virtual machine's guest operating system and applications. VMware recommends 128MB, with a minimum of 96MB.

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What is the limit of memory that can be used by a virtual machine?

The amount of memory you can allocate to a virtual machine depends on the amount of memory you have on your host computer and the operating system you are running on your host computer. The absolute maximum memory you can allocate to a virtual machine running in VMware Workstation 3.0 is 1GB (1024MB).

You can expand this limit by disabling memory checks for virtual machines.

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How can I install a guest operating system if I only have an upgrade version of the operating system?

You cannot install an upgrade version of an operating system in a virtual machine. You must have a full version of the operating system.

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Why can't I send Ctrl-Alt-Del only to the virtual machine?

When you type Ctrl-Alt-Del in a virtual machine, both the host operating system and the virtual machine receive the Ctrl-Alt-Del. It is not possible to mask the Ctrl-Alt-Del event from the host operating system.

If you need to use Ctrl-Alt-Del:

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Can I run a virtual machine inside another virtual machine?

A virtual machine cannot be run within a virtual machine. VMware recommends that you do not attempt this procedure. Attempts to run a virtual machine within a virtual machine may hang your system.

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Can I run Workstation over a network?

Yes, Workstation runs over a network. This, however, can have a substantial performance impact.

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