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Category Archives: vmware

An abundance of threes

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This week Apple announced their latest update to OS X Mountain Lion, version 10.8.3. We highly recommend that Fusion users running Mountain Lion apply this update. Not only does it come with great new features, it also includes a fix for the graphics problem that could cause some virtual machines to unexpectedly crash on certain Macs.

To coincide with the release of OS X 10.8.3 we have released VMware Fusion 5.0.3. This includes a number of important bug fixes and minor improvements including better support for Office 2013, improved cursor performance in Unity mode and support for Boot Camp partitions on 3TB drives.

To update Mountain Lion to version 10.8.3, click on: Apple Menu > Software Update…

To update VMware Fusion 5 to version 5.0.3. click on: VMware Fusion Menu > Check for Updates… or click here!

VMware Cyber Monday Sale – Savings up to 40%!

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There is no better time to upgrade or buy VMware Fusion 5 than during our Cyber Monday 5-day sale!

 

Winner of the PCMag, MacWorld UK and MacFormat Editors’ choice awards, VMware Fusion 5 is the ultimate way to run Windows 8 on a Mountain Lion Mac. So buy or upgrade now and get more than 70 new features including better performance, faster graphics and Retina Display optimization.

  • Upgrade from VMware Fusion 3 & 4 or from Parallels for only $29.99!
  • Buy VMware Fusion 5 Professional and save 40%
  • Buy VMware Fusion 5 and save 20%

 

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Extended by another two days until Friday 30th at midnight PST

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The reviews are in. VMware Fusion 5 shines.

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VMware Fusion 5 and VMware Fusion 5 Professional launched with rave reviews. Macworld, PCMag, MacFormat and many more loved the 70+ new features, including optimization for Mountain Lion, Windows 8 and the latest Macs.

We’re especially pleased with the 3 Editors’ Choice awards from MacWorld UK, MacFormat and PCMag. See for yourself what everyone’s talking about:

MacWorld UK (5 mice) – Editors’ Choice: 

“It’s not just hype when VMWare claims that Fusion 5 can run Windows software at ‘near native’ speeds.”

PCMag.com (4.5 stars) – Editors’ Choice:

“Highest performance among benchmarked desktop virtualization solutions tested.” 

MacFormat UK (5 stars) – Editors’ Choice:

“Fusion 5 is great, we liked it and can highly recommend it. It’s cheaper than Parallels and ran just as fluently during our testing.”

NetworkWorld - Gearhead rating of 5 out of 5:

“VMware’s Fusion 5 Professional Edition for OS X is a really big step up in virtual machine technology under  OS X”

MacWorld US - 4.5 mice:

 

This holiday season choose the ultimate way to run Windows on a Mac. Choose VMware Fusion 5.

 

Announcing VMware Fusion 5 packed with 70+ new features and optimized for OS X Mountain Lion

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With the recent availability of Mountain Lion, new Macs and the upcoming release of Windows 8, we thought it would be the perfect time to launch a new version of VMware Fusion. Today the team is extremely excited to announce VMware Fusion 5 with over 70 new features. 

Here are some of the key features:

Designed for Mountain Lion 

VMware Fusion 5 has been designed to work on Mountain Lion and integrate to some of its key features. You can now get VMware Fusion updates directly in Mountain Lion’s notification center or search for your favorite Windows programs in Launchpad. And if you have an Apple TV, you can even use “AirPlay Mirroring” to view your Windows environment on your HDTV.

 

Optimized for Windows 8

Who said Windows 8 was for PCs? Get the most out of the new Windows 8 “Metro” UI directly on your Mac and view it in smart full-screen or in unity mode. VMware Fusion 5 has been optimized to take advantage of new Windows 8 technologies and will make you wonder why you would ever consider running Windows 8 on anything other than a Mac.

 

Approved by the Latest Macs

View Windows like you’ve never seen it before with Retina Display optimization for a crisp and detailed experience of your Windows programs. Extend your Mac’s connectivity to your Windows environment and take advantage of USB 3 support for ultra-fast file transfers in Windows 8.

 

Next Generation Performance

VMware Fusion 5 will make running Windows in a virtual environment feel nearly native. Optimizing for technologies found in the latest Macs, you can get up to 40% faster performance when rebooting Windows 7 or when resuming virtual machines. And for all the mobile users out there, you’ll be pleased to know that you can get up to 45% more battery life when running virtual machines with Fusion 5.

 

New Functionalities

VMware Fusion 5 also comes with a number of UI enhancements to make it even easier to run and manage your virtual machines. The new Virtual Machine Library has been updated with Retina Display optimized thumbnails, folders and a new “Finder style” list view which lets you see the disk space taken by each of your virtual machines. Snapshots have also been updated so you can take 1-click snapshots directly from your virtual machine window and revert in 1-click.

 

 New Embedded Learning Center

The new embedded Learning Center lets you access a wide range of videos directly from within VMware Fusion. Get access to a wide range of step-by-step easy to view videos that will help you get started with running Windows on a Mac.  Popular videos include: how to purchase and install a new copy of Windows and how to transfer your entire PC to your Mac.

 

One more thing…

With the growing adoption of Macs in professional environments, we’re really excited to announce an all new version designed for advanced users: VMware Fusion 5 Professional.  VMware Fusion 5 Professional comes loaded with advanced features such as the ability to create restricted virtual machines and create custom networks with the all new network editor.

Best of all, VMware Fusion 3 and 4 users who want to upgrade to Fusion 5 will get VMware Fusion 5 Professional for the price of the standard edition!

So upgrade to VMware Fusion 5 today and get the best way to run Windows on a Mac.

Note that if you purchased VMware Fusion 4 on or after Mountain Lion was released on July 25th 2012, you are eligible for a complimentary upgrade to the next version of VMware Fusion. Click here for more information about this upgrade program.

To buy a copy of VMware Fusion 5 click here.

To try VMware Fusion 5 click here.

If you would like to learn more about VMware Fusion 5 and VMware Fusion 5 Professional click here

Got more than one Mac? We’ve got you covered.

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@dmedrick asks: "For a single user, can I install 1 copy of fusion on both my iMac and MacBook Pro or do I need two separate Fusion licenses?"

Starting with VMware Fusion 4, personal users only need one license to install on all the Macs you own. If you're a business or educational institution you'll need one license for each copy of VMware Fusion. The relevant excerpt from the VMware Fusion 4.0 license agreement says:

You may install and use the Software for personal, non-commercial use on any Apple-branded products running Mac OS X (“Mac Computer”) that you own or control.

If you are a commercial enterprise or educational institution, you may install and use the Software on a number of Apple-branded products running Mac OS X (“Mac Computer”) that you own or control equal to the number of licenses purchased.  Installing and using the Software on multiple Mac Computers with a single license is prohibited even if the computers are not running the Software concurrently.

VMware Fusion 4 upgrades are available now for a promotional price of $49.99. New users can take advantage of the same promotional pricing until the end of December 2011.

VMware Fusion 2 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard: Even Better

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image Many VMware Fusion users have been wondering how VMware Fusion 2.0.5 fares on Snow Leopard, and we’re proud to report that VMware Fusion 2.0.5 now offers experimental support for the Snow Leopard when running the default 32-bit kernel!

Of course, we kept up with the pre-release seeds of 10.6 and done a great deal of testing of VMware Fusion 2.0.5 and found that it worked well on the default Snow Leopard install (the 32-bit kernel which runs both 32-bit and 64-bit applications). However, there was always the minor chance that something could change before the final version of Snow Leopard.

Our initial testing of VMware Fusion 2.0.5 with the final release of Snow Leopard has gone very well, but we are still running our full suite of tests on the final Snow Leopard release just to be sure.

Just so you know, I’m writing this blog post in Windows XP virtual machine on an iMac running VMware Fusion 2.0.5 on Snow Leopard and it works great.

If you are using an older version of VMware Fusion, download the FREE upgrade to VMware Fusion 2.0.5 in order to run your virtual machines on Snow Leopard

UPDATED : So, what is the story with 64-bit Snow Leopard?

Apple is promoting the 64-bit transition in Snow Leopard now that all Apple applications included with Snow Leopard, like Calculator, to Finder, and Windows Server are ported to 64-bit. According to Apple, all included Apple applications are now 64-bit for higher performance, but the default kernel for every Mac except the Xserve is the 32-bit kernel. So, even though you are running the 32-bit kernel by default, the rest of Mac OS X Snow Leopard is running in 64-bit mode for better performance.

VMware Fusion 2.0.5 offers experimental support for the default install of Snow Leopard, which runs both 32-bit applications and the new faster 64-bit applications on the default 32-bit kernel.

In addition to the default Snow Leopard install, which is the 32-bit kernel with support for 32-bit and 64-bit applications, Snow Leopard now offers a 64-bit kernel option that is available by default for Snow Leopard Server on 2008 and 2009 Xserves. The 64-bit kernel can be enabled optionally on a number of 2008, 2009 Macs

However, VMware Fusion 2.0.5 is NOT compatible with the optional 64-bit kernel of Snow Leopard and Snow Leopard Server.  For most users, this will not be a problem, as the 64-bit kernel of Snow Leopard only starts up by default only for Snow Leopard Server on 2008 and 2009 Xserves.

The transition to the 64-bit kernel of Snow Leopard is a major undertaking and something that we are taking seriously as we plan future products. If you are interested in beta testing future versions of VMware Fusion, click here to sign up.

Checking if Snow Leopard is running the 32-bit or 64-bit kernel

If you are not sure which version of Snow Leopard you are running, it’s really easy to check:

1) Select About this Mac from the Apple menu

2) Click on More Info to open System Profiler

3) Click on Software and check the “64-bit Kernel and Extensions” option. If you are running the 64-bit Kernel, it will say “Yes”, if you are running the 32-bit Kernel it will say “No”.

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How to Switch from 64-bit to 32-bit Snow Leopard

If you found that your computer is running the 64-bit version of Snow Leopard and you need to run your virtual machines, it’s really easy to switch it to the 32-bit kernel. Simply restart your computer holding down the “3” and “2” keys on the keyboard

Enjoy VMware Fusion 2.0.5 on Snow Leopard

Apple has worked hard on this revolutionary software, and we know many of you have been waiting eagerly for Snow Leopard (I've personally been waiting for the new Easy Text Selection feature in Preview to make highlighting text in PDF’s much easier).  We always want our customers to be able to use the newest software available, so we are pleased VMware Fusion 2.0.5 works well (though still experimental support for now) on Snow Leopard.

If you don’t have VMware Fusion yet, the VMware online store is having a limited time “10% Off” sale on VMware Fusion 2.  Save 10% instantly when you buy VMware Fusion today – offer expires 8/31/09!

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VMware Fusion: Top App for Running Windows on a Mac on a Tight Budget

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 InformationWeek

InformationWeek recently published their list of “Top 19 Mac Apps For Tight Budgets” and VMware Fusion was chosen app to run Windows on the Mac.

Mitch Wagner summarizes why Mac users on a tight budget need VMware Fusion.

The most common use is to run Windows and get access to proprietary Windows apps that are not available for the Mac … As if that’s not cool enough, Fusion will let you do a few more things: You can share data between the "guest operating system" and the Mac. You can set some Windows apps to be the default app for specific kinds of documents. And you can run Windows apps in their own, separate windows on the Mac, so they look more like native Mac apps.

In addition to VMware Fusion, there are a lot of other great apps on the InformationWeek Top 19 Mac Apps list that I personally use daily including TextWrangler, Adium, Evernote, Things, and Tweetie. So, I highly recommend you check out the InformationWeek Top 19 Mac Apps list to find some great apps you may not be using today but should check out.

If you aren’t already using VMware Fusion, download a 30-day trial and see why VMware Fusion is the top app for running Windows on a tight budget.

Meta Blogging: Blogging about Windows Live Writer on Mac with VMware Fusion, from Windows Live Writer in a VM, in Unity mode, with VMware Fusion (my head hurts)

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VMware FusionScreenSnapz013   

 

I’ve been looking for a blogging tool to help with this blog for a while now.  No offense to TypePad, but their online tool was a little tough on me.  Some of the Team Fusion bloggers, like Ben Gertzfield, Regis Duchesne, and Shawn Morel swear by Red Sweater’s Mars Edit. 

As I’ve pointed out in the past, for good or for bad, I, like fellow Fusion user Danny Sullivan, am a Windows user, living on Mac hardware thanks to VMware Fusion.  But for me, as someone who has too much stuff going on, and doesn’t have a heckuva lot of time to go up a new learning curve, there’s value in how certain Windows apps on VMware Fusion “just work” for me, from a UI standpoint (i.e. Windows UI cues have been burned into my reptile brain).

Windows Live Writer seems to be like that for me.  After having blogged a couple times about some of our users who are using Live Writer on Mac in a Windows virtual machine under VMware Fusion, I thought I’d give it a spin, in my own Windows XP VM.

So far, I’m loving it.  I’m a big fan of WYSIWIG, and Live Writer feels like a web-enabled version of Word, with some blogging stuff thrown on top.

I had a little fun with the screen shot above, in a moment of Friday morning geekiness, iterating the screen cap a couple times, so we could get a screen cap in a screen cap in a screen cap.  Enjoy!

 

Ask Dave Taylor Answers Questions About VMware Fusion

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Tech support guru Dave Taylor over at "Ask Dave Taylor" has a great post up about running Vista in a virtual machine on VMware Fusion.

Apparently he’s had a lot of his audience asking him questions about VMware Fusion for running Windows on Mac, so he thought he’d do a post on Vista in a VM.

I love the screenshot he provided as proof of success.  Good old Solitaire:

Vmwarefusionrunningvista

Nuts and Bolts: Printing to Mac Connected Printers from Windows Virtual Machines

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Nuts_and_boltsOur friend Rob Griffiths over at Macworld magazine has a great post today about the intricacies of printing to a Mac printer from a Windows machine, either virtual or physical.

Lots of people know about Apple’s Bonjour networking software and how it can be used to print on a Mac printer from Windows.   But what a lot of people may not know is that with some tweaking, even a non-Bonjour capable printer can be used to print from Windows, with the help of an additional Apple technology: printer sharing.

Check out Rob’s post to get the lowdown.  One thing to note: if doing this from a Windows virtual machine on VMware Fusion, you’re going to want to be in Bridged Networking mode.

And you can see more about printing in VMware Fusion virtual machines, and more about Windows on Mac, on our self-paced tutorials page here.