Getting Started with VMware Fusion
VMware Fusion for Mac OS X
2 Getting Started with VMware Fusion
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Contents
Getting Started with VMware Fusion 5
Introduction 5
What Is a Virtual Machine? 5
What You Can Do with VMware Fusion 6
System Requirements for VMware Fusion 7
Install VMware Fusion 8
Upgrade VMware Fusion 10
Start VMware Fusion 11
Getting Up and Running 11
Create a Windows Virtual Machine with Windows Easy Install 12
Create a Virtual Machine from the Boot Camp Partition 14
Migrating an Existing PC to a Virtual Machine 15
Import an Existing Parallels Desktop or Microsoft Virtual PC 7.0 Virtual
Machine 15
Using Mac Keyboards in a Virtual Machine 16
Sending the Ctrl-Alt-Delete Command to a Virtual Machine 17
Quit Your Virtual Machine 17
VMware Fusion Resources 18
Supported Guest Operating Systems 18
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4 Getting Started with VMware Fusion
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Getting Started with VMware Fusion
Introduction
VMware Fusion™ enables you to run your favorite Windows applications and
PC-only devices on your Intel-based Mac. Designed from the ground up for
the Mac user, VMware Fusion makes it easy to take advantage of the
flexibility, security, and portability of virtual machines to run Windows and
other x86 operating systems side by side with Mac OS X.
What Is a Virtual Machine?
A virtual machine is a software equivalent of a physical computer that, like
the physical machine, runs an operating system and applications. In the case
of VMware Fusion, a virtual machine is equivalent to a personal computer
(PC). A virtual machine is like having a computer running inside another
computer, mimicking the actions of different hardware devices commonly
found inside a computer, such as a processor, memory, and a hard drive. It is
a software file stored on your Mac that contains Windows and all your
applications associated with it.
The Mac that you run a virtual machine on is typically referred to as the host.
In this context, the virtual machine is referred to as a guest.
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6 Getting Started with VMware Fusion
What You Can Do with VMware Fusion
With VMware Fusion, Intel-based Mac users have many capabilities.
Run your favorite Windows and Linux applications on any
Intel-based Mac, without rebooting – VMware Fusion runs on Mac OS
X Snow Leopard and Leopard, and supports over 150 operating systems,
including Microsoft Windows 7.
Get the most out of your Mac
and 8GB of RAM and eight virtual processors per virtual machine in
version 3.1, VMware Fusion turns your Mac into a powerhouse.
Run a wide range of sophisticated 3D applications and games –
VMware Fusion lets you take advantage of the combination of your
Mac’s advanced graphics and Windows 7 new desktop with Aero
animations. With DirectX 9.0c Shader Model 3 support and OpenGL 2.1
support for Windows, you can run your favorite Windows games and
applications better than ever without having to reboot.
Create virtual machines easily – The VMware Fusion New Virtual
Machine Assistant guides you through the process of creating a virtual
machine. Windows Easy Install and Linux Easy Install make it easier than
ever to install your favorite operating system on your Mac.
Migrate your Windows PC to a virtual machine effortlessly –
VMware Fusion lets you use your Mac and take your old Windows PC
with you. With the VMware Fusion integrated Migration Assistant, you
can convert your physical PC into a virtual machine to run on your Mac
in a few steps, and access all of your old PC applications and files.
Graduate from Boot Camp – If you have been running Windows using
Boot Camp on your Mac, but want to be able to run Mac OS X and
Windows side by side, VMware Fusion can directly access your existing
Boot Camp partition. You can even import it into a virtual machine,
letting you reclaim your disk space.
– With support for 64-bit virtual machines
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