Install Question:VMware Fusion w/Windows XP WITHOUT SuperDrive??

[BaronvdB]

I posted this question in an old thread but didn't really get a full on answer.

I do NOT have the superdrive and would like to install windows XP pro on my MBA with VMware Fusion. I've tried making .dmg, .iso, & .cdr images of the windows XP disc but i'm having NO luck with Fusion recognizing the disc image. When I create the new Virtual Machine I select "use disc image" and point to the appropriate disc image file. I keep getting a "no bootable device" error from fusion.

Can somebody who has successfully installed windows on an MBA without using a superdrive give me the step by step instructions you used...I'm getting pretty annoyed at this point.

Thanks a lot!

 

[DoFoT9]

hhmm maybe could you install the VMWare on another mac, then get that harddrive image and put it on your computer???

 

[italiano40]

can't you use the app that apple created to share ur imac drive with your MBA

 

[BaronvdB]

can't you use the app that apple created to share ur imac drive with your MBA

yeah i tried using remote disc and even though the disc shows up on my mba VMware doesn't see it and just keeps prompting me to insert the disc....i'm guessing it has something to do with it being a windows disc but i dont' know for sure.

 

[BaronvdB]

hhmm maybe could you install the VMWare on another mac, then get that harddrive image and put it on your computer???

I do have fusion installed and running fine on my imac and I think i tried moving over the Virtual Machine folder to my MBA from my imac awhile back but if i remember correctly that didn't work either...i might try that again tomorrow though (i'm not at home right now to try)

 

[DaveOZ]

I installed VM Vision via download then successfully copied my XP Virtual Machine from my MBP to my MBA.

 

[saisrujan]

I had installed XP using a .cdr image. Fusion 1.1 never recognized the MBA Superdrive. So, I popped my XP CD into my super-drive, and used disk utilities to create a .cdr image, and then pointed the image file to Fusion to create the VM.

Apparently, you're doing it the right way. The problem could either be with the CD you're having, or with the way you're creating the .cdr image. There's an option in the disk utilities that you need to choose called "CD/DVD Master with no encruption" or something to that effect. Did you choose that correctly when creating your .cdr image?

Also, you can try popping in the CD into a Windows machine just to see if the CD is intact or not.

 

[saisrujan]

Oh sorry... you don't have a superdrive. Then, pop your CD into another mac and extract the .cdr the right way, and copy it over.

 

[BaronvdB]

I had installed XP using a .cdr image. Fusion 1.1 never recognized the MBA Superdrive. So, I popped my XP CD into my super-drive, and used disk utilities to create a .cdr image, and then pointed the image file to Fusion to create the VM.

Apparently, you're doing it the right way. The problem could either be with the CD you're having, or with the way you're creating the .cdr image. There's an option in the disk utilities that you need to choose called "CD/DVD Master with no encruption" or something to that effect. Did you choose that correctly when creating your .cdr image?

Also, you can try popping in the CD into a Windows machine just to see if the CD is intact or not.

Yes, i created the .cdr image just as you described above...i'll check the disc on windows machine later on to make sure that's not the issue.

 

[BaronvdB]

I installed VM Vision via download then successfully copied my XP Virtual Machine from my MBP to my MBA.

I'll try this method again...this would obviously be the easiest way to do it if i can get it to work...thanks for letting me know it worked for you.

 

[BaronvdB]

I'll try this method again...this would obviously be the easiest way to do it if i can get it to work...thanks for letting me know it worked for you.

Alright...i tried this on my lunch break today and it looks like it worked this time...i'm wondering if i thought it didn't work last time i tried b/c of the CD/DVD issue that the previous version of Fusion had was causing the VM to crash as soon as it started to open...anyway, thanks for the help, but I guess people that don't have another machine that already has a virtual machine that they can copy over are still kind of screwed if they don't have a superdrive.

 

[Philflow]

Well the install could also work from 3rd party DVD drives.

I bought a Samsung 20x DVD drive for half the price of a mac superdrive and it works fine for installing Win XP for example.

It's not USB powered though.

I can use the Samsung drive on my other computers too, so that's another bonus.

 

[neven]

This may not help your specific case, but here's how I did it:

- Downloaded Fusion and installed it
- Downloaded the XP disc image from MSDN (I have a subscription)
- Mounted that in Fusion, no problems there

Voila. By the way, I'm amazed at how smoothly it runs on this allegedly "underpowered" laptop.

 

[nobackup]

I posted this question in an old thread but didn't really get a full on answer.

I do NOT have the superdrive and would like to install windows XP pro on my MBA with VMware Fusion. I've tried making .dmg, .iso, & .cdr images of the windows XP disc but i'm having NO luck with Fusion recognizing the disc image. When I create the new Virtual Machine I select "use disc image" and point to the appropriate disc image file. I keep getting a "no bootable device" error from fusion.

Can somebody who has successfully installed windows on an MBA without using a superdrive give me the step by step instructions you used...I'm getting pretty annoyed at this point.

Thanks a lot!

I just created an .iso image of Xp (Disk Util) or via nlite (windoz) then told fusion to connect the iso as a drive and ....... booted installed ... I keep the iso file on my Timecapsule (used to keep it on my imac share)

 

[BigYellow]

I couldn't get Fusion to recognize the .iso image I made from my XP disc after creating a virtual machine, so I created a new one, and on the last page of the setup, you can click an options button (advanced I think), that lets you select an install image. I chose my .iso from this screen and it installed flawlessly.

 

[BaronvdB]

I couldn't get Fusion to recognize the .iso image I made from my XP disc after creating a virtual machine, so I created a new one, and on the last page of the setup, you can click an options button (advanced I think), that lets you select an install image. I chose my .iso from this screen and it installed flawlessly.

yeah i did try that but it didn't work for me...i'm just glad i already had a Virtual machine set up on my imac so all i had to do was move it over..that also saved me the trouble of reinstalling all the windows programs i have installed.