Windows 7 x64 on the VMWare Player
I went with the VMWare Player option first since I’m waiting on some clarification on the VirtualBox install on Intel x64.
The install was quick and it needed a reboot. When it came back up, I had a VMWare Player option in my Start Programs. It opened and gave me an option to Create a New Virtual Machine. When I clicked it, it found the installation disk in the DVD drive and asked if I wanted to use it. There was no Duh! button so I clicked Next.
It asked for a product key and a password. My trial version disk did not have a product key so I left that blank. After about fifteen tries to get my passwords to match, it told me where it was going to build the new machine. I clicked Next.
I specified an 80Gb hard drive in a single file and clicked Next.
It said it was ready but it only listed 1024Mb RAM. There’s a Customize Hardware button so I clicked it and inflated the RAM to 2048 Mb. I clicked OK and then Finish.
It explained that removable devices can be connected to the guest machine. It was informational so I clicked OK.
Then it wants to download VMWare Tools. At this point it’s a little confusing but I click OK.
Windows appears to be installing in the VMWare window while VMWare tools are downloading on my host. Then, the VMWare tools wanted to run so I clicked OK and it ran and went away. In the VMWare window, it says it’s expanding files and it’s at 1%. This looks good.
The virtual machine reboots and says it’s loading Windows and then that it’s completing the installation.
It’s all done and Windows asks me to select a network so I select the work network even though the VMWare Player license is strictly for non-commericial uses.
The VM installs the VMWare tools previously installed on the host and reboots itself. It comes up saying Welcome. Then it chimes using my host’s audio. I’m looking at the Win7EE desktop. Internet Explorer works so it seems like I’m good to go.
I select my desktop icons and the landscapes theme to help me distinguish it from the host.
Now to add it to the domain…
It’s connected to the internet using the host as a proxy. I go into the network properties and edit the IPv4 properties to agree with my local domain. Then, in Computer Management I try to add it to the domain.
No luck.
At the top of my VM window, there’s a Virtual Machine pull down with a Virtual Machine Settings option. There, we find a Network Adapter option that exposes a set of Network Connection options. I change it to Bridged and check the Replicate Physical Connection option. When I try to add it to my domain, it promts me for user name and password. I enter the domain admin credentials and I’m in.
Reboot.
I log in as domain admin, put my domain acccount in the local adminstrators group and the remote desktop users group and log off. Then I log in as me and I get the new desktop.
Windows 7 x64 EE running as a VM on my Win7 host.
Not a bad day for a robot.
-robot
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