Windows Vista documentation covers information on how to install the operating system in a virtual machine. For additional information about the operating system, refer to the instructions included in the installation media.
Windows Vista documentation includes the following topics:
- Installation Instructions
- Installing Missing Multimedia Audio Controller in a Windows Vista Guest
- Manually Configure Screen Resolution in a Windows Vista Guest
- VMware Tools in a Windows Vista Guest
- Knowledge Base Articles for Windows Vista
- VMware Compatibility Guide
Installation Instructions
You can install Windows Vista in a virtual machine using the corresponding Windows Vista distribution CD.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, verify that the following tasks are complete:
- Read General Installation Instructions for All VMware Products.
- Read the Microsoft System Requirements for the recommended storage and memory values.
- Create and configure a new virtual machine, with the appropriate virtual storage and virtual memory to support the intended workload.
Installation Steps
- Insert the Windows Vista CD in the CD-ROM drive.
- Power on the virtual machine to start installing Windows Vista.
- Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
- Install VMware Tools.
- (Optional) On VMware Fusion, install Boot Camp drivers so that the guest operating system can access hardware devices on the physical machine.
After installation, consider the following support and configuration issues for a Windows Vista guest.
Installing Missing Multimedia Audio Controller in a Windows Vista Guest
If an Internet connection is not available while installing a 32-bit Windows Vista guest, the driver for the multimedia audio controller is not installed. The Windows Device Manager indicates that the driver for the multimedia audio controller is missing. To install the required driver, configure an Internet connection, and run Windows Update on the Windows Vista virtual machine.
Manually Configure Screen Resolution in a Windows Vista Guest
After installing VMware Tools on a Windows Vista Service Pack (SP1) virtual machine, the screen resolution does not change to 1024 by 768 pixels automatically. You must manually configure the screen resolution.
VMware Tools in an Windows Vista Guest
For information on VMware Tools, see Knowledge base article 1014294, General VMware Tools installation instructions, at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1014294.
Knowledge Base Articles for Windows Vista
The following link refers to knowledge base articles on operating system specific issues. See VMware Knowledge Base for a list of known issues about the operating system.
VMware Compatibility Guide
The VMware Compatibility Guide Web site lists supported guest and host operating systems and provides related support information.