VMware
VMware Workstation 3.2 Release Notes
  What's New | Requirements | Installation | Documentation | Troubleshooting

Notes on VMware Workstation 3.2

Build 2230 is the release build of VMware Workstation 3.2.1 for Windows operating systems.
Build 2242 is the release build of VMware Workstation 3.2.1 patch 1 for Linux systems.

New in This Release

Here are some highlights of the key new features in VMware Workstation 3.2:

Designed for Windows Certification
VMware Workstation 3.2 for Windows has earned Microsoft's Designed for Windows certification. This certification assures users that VMware Workstation has full functionality on Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP hosts and is designed to take advantage of new Windows XP features.

New Administrative Lockout Feature
You can require a password for access to several key administrative features -- creating new virtual machines, editing virtual machine configurations and editing network settings. See Locking Out Interface Features for details.

Signed Networking Drivers
Workstation 3.2 includes drivers signed by Microsoft for Windows XP and Windows 2000 hosts. This means you can run silent installs on these two host platforms.

Better Pentium 4 Performance
Performance on host computers with Intel Pentium 4 CPUs is significantly improved.

Support for Red Hat Linux 7.3 Kernel Update
On Red Hat Linux 7.3 hosts with the Red Hat kernel update, the Workstation installer automatically installs modules designed to work with the updated kernel.

Support for Windows 2000, Service Pack 3
Note: There is a potential problem with Windows 2000 SP3 guests running on Linux hosts. See the workaround below.

VMware Tools for NetWare 6 Included
The software needed to install VMware Tools in a NetWare 6 virtual machine is included. For details, see the instructions on installing the VMware Tools package in a NetWare 6 virtual machine.

Fixes for Reported Problems
This release fixes a number of reported problems, including

  • Installation problem when using unconventional kernel names (bug 17960)
  • Workstation aborts with an error message referring to bug 10034
  • ASSERT FAILED error message when restoring a suspended virtual machine (bug 2430)
  • Problem installing a Windows XP guest operating system when the CD drive is in raw mode (bug 18053)
  • Guest operating system receives multiple key presses when a key is pressed once (bug 13856)

Before You Install the Release

There are a few steps you should take — before you install this release — to ensure the best possible experience with the new version.

Virtual machines created with Workstation 2.0, 3.0 or 3.1 or with GSX Server 1.x can be run under Workstation 3.2. However, you should test the older virtual machines thoroughly under Workstation 3.2 before committing to production use in the new environment. Be sure to back up the virtual machines before you begin your tests.

  • Resume and shut down suspended virtual machines
    If you plan to use virtual machines created under earlier VMware products, be sure they have been shut down completely before you remove the release you used to create them.

    If the virtual machine is suspended, resume it in the VMware product you used to create it (Workstation 2.0, 3.0 or 3.1 or GSX Server 1.x), shut down the guest operating system, then power off the virtual machine.

  • Commit or discard changes to undoable disks
    If you plan to use existing virtual machines that have undoable disks, commit or discard any changes to the virtual disks before you remove the release you used to create them.

    Resume or power on the virtual machine in the earlier release, shut down the guest operating system, power off the virtual machine and either commit or discard changes to the undoable disk when prompted.

  • Back up virtual machines
    Back up all the files in your virtual machine directories — including the .vmdk or .dsk, .cfg or .vmx and nvram files — for any virtual machines you plan to use under this release.

    Virtual machines updated for full compatibility with Workstation 3.2 can only be used with Workstation 3.x, but not under earlier versions of VMware software.

  • Back up the VMware Workstation software
    If you intend to use your older Workstation software, keep the CD-ROM or ESD installation package handy, or else back up the drive on which Workstation is currently installed.

    If you need to install the software on the same computer where you now have version 3.0 or 3.1 installed, make sure you back up the current installation and the virtual machine files so you can restore them later. Note that you do not need to enter a new serial number if you install the software on the same computer where you now have version 3.0 or 3.1 installed. Your existing license is still valid, and entering a new serial number overwrites your 3.0 or 3.1 license.

  • Uninstall the current version of Workstation
    If you are on a Windows host and need to install the software on the same computer where you now have version 3.0 or 3.1 installed, you must uninstall your current version before installing this release. To uninstall the current version, go to Start > Programs > VMware > VMware Workstation Uninstallation and follow the on-screen instructions. When the uninstaller asks if you want to remove existing licenses, click No.

If You Are Upgrading from Workstation 2.0, 3.0 or 3.1 to Version 3.2

  • Leave the license for the previous version in place
    The installation steps for your host may require that you run an uninstaller to remove a previous version of VMware Workstation from your machine.

    On a Windows host, the uninstaller offers to remove licenses from your registry. Do not remove the licenses.

    On a Linux host, the license remains in place. You do not need to take any special action. Just leave it where it is.

During Installation

While you are installing this release on a Windows host, one or more dialog boxes may appear, asking you to approve installation of unsigned networking drivers. In some cases, the dialog box is displayed behind (and completely hidden by) the InstallShield Wizard screen, giving the impression that the installation is stalled. If this happens, check the Task Bar and find the button labeled Digital Signature Not Found. Click this button to bring the dialog box to the front, then click OK to approve installation of the driver.

When You Create a Virtual Machine

  • Use NAT for a wireless network adapter
    If your host computer has a wireless network adapter and you want to use it to connect to the Internet or a local network, configure your virtual machine to use network address translation (NAT). Bridged networking cannot be used with wireless network adapters.

  • To use SCSI disks in a Windows .NET Server virtual machine, you need a special SCSI driver available from the download section of the VMware Web site. Follow the instructions on the Web site to use the driver (currently marked for Windows XP) with a fresh installation of Windows .NET Server.

  • NetWare support not complete
    Support for NetWare virtual machines is not complete in this release.

Before You Run a Virtual Machine

  • Hosts using PAE options not supported
    Host operating systems that use the Physical Address Extension (PAE) processor options cannot be used to run VMware Workstation 3.2. If you boot a Windows host with the /PAE option, then attempt to start a virtual machine using Workstation 3.2, the host computer will crash.

When You Run a Virtual Machine

  • Reinstall VMware Tools
    The VMware Tools package has been updated. Be sure to reinstall VMware Tools in your guest operating system after you install VMware Workstation 3.2.

Windows 2000 SP3 Guests on a Linux Host

A Windows 2000 guest with Service Pack 3 installed may fail to boot on a Linux host. A user interface failure message appears, saying "The Logon User Interface DLL msgina.dll failed to load." For a workaround to this problem, see the VMware knowledge base: http://www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=907

For faster boot times, you may also experiment with values between 1 and 200 to find the smallest value that allows the virtual machine to boot.

Upgrading the Virtual Hardware for Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows ME Guests Created in Workstation 2.0

If you are using a Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows ME virtual machine created under Workstation 2.0 and choose to upgrade the virtual hardware as described in the manual, you need to take several steps to be sure the new virtual hardware is recognized properly by the guest operating system.

Before you upgrade the virtual hardware, make sure you have installed the latest version of VMware Tools, including the SVGA driver, then power off your virtual machine.

Take the steps listed under the name of your guest operating system.

Note: With other guest operating systems, these special steps are not needed.

Windows ME Guest

  1. Choose Settings > Upgrade Virtual Hardware.
  2. A warning message appears. It says: "This operation will cause the virtual hardware your guest operating system runs on to change..."
    Click Yes.
  3. Click Power On.
  4. Click OK to dismiss the message "A legacy SVGA driver has been detected."
  5. Several Plug and Play messages appear. You can safely ignore them.
  6. Log in to Windows ME. More Plug and Play messages are displayed. One refers to the VMware SVGA driver.
    Click Yes to restart your computer.
  7. Log in to Windows ME. The SVGA driver is not working properly.
  8. From the Windows Start menu, choose Settings > Control Panel > System > Device Manager > Display Adapters.
    Manually remove the two SVGA drivers.
  9. Restart Windows ME.
    A VMware SVGA II adapter is detected and Windows installs it.
    Windows notifies you to restart your computer.
    Click Yes.
  10. The SVGA driver should be working correctly.

Windows 98 Guest

  1. Choose Settings > Upgrade Virtual Hardware.
  2. A warning message appears. It says: "This operation will cause the virtual hardware your guest operating system runs on to change..."
    Click Yes.
  3. Click Power On.
  4. Click OK to dismiss the message "A legacy SVGA driver has been detected."
  5. Log in to Windows 98. You see a number of Plug and Play messages. You may need to insert your Windows 98 installation CD.
  6. A blue screen appears. Press any key to dismiss the blue screen.
  7. Click Reset to restart the virtual machine (because it is not responding).
  8. Click OK to dismiss the message "A legacy SVGA driver has been detected."
    You see a number of Plug and Play messages again.
    Windows notifies you to restart Windows.
    Click Yes.
  9. Log in to Windows 98. The SVGA driver is not working properly.
  10. From the Windows Start menu, choose Settings > Control Panel > System > Device Manager > Display Adapters.
    Manually remove the two conflicting SVGA drivers.
  11. Restart Windows 98.
    A VMware SVGA II adapter is detected and Windows installs it.
  12. Restart Windows 98.
  13. The SVGA driver should be working correctly.

Windows 95 Guest

  1. Choose Settings > Upgrade Virtual Hardware.
  2. A warning message appears. It says: "This operation will cause the virtual hardware your guest operating system runs on to change..."
    Click Yes.
  3. Click Power On.
  4. Click OK to dismiss the message "A legacy SVGA driver has been detected."
  5. Log in to Windows 95.
    You see a number of Plug and Play messages. Click Cancel for the following devices: Standard host CPU bridge, PCI bridge and PCI Universal bus.
  6. The SVGA driver is not working properly.
  7. From the Windows Start menu, choose Settings > Control Panel > System > Device Manager > Display Adapters.
    Manually remove the SVGA driver.
  8. Restart Windows 95.
  9. Again, you see a number of Plug and Play messages. Click Cancel for the following devices: Standard host CPU bridge, PCI bridge and PCI Universal bus.
  10. A VMware SVGA II adapter is detected and Windows installs it.
  11. Restart Windows 95.
  12. Again, you see a number of Plug and Play messages. Click Cancel for the following devices: Standard host CPU bridge, PCI bridge and PCI Universal bus.
  13. The SVGA driver should be working correctly.