If you’ve ever wanted to create a virtual machine but didn’t know where to start, you’re in the right place. VMware Workstation 12 is an excellent tool for creating virtual machines on your computer or laptop, and we’ll show you just how easy it is.
In this blog post, we’ll guide you step-by-step through creating a virtual machine using VMware Workstation 12; even if you’re new to virtual machines, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered!
Whether for testing purposes or running applications incompatible with your operating system, learning how to create a virtual machine can be a valuable skill for any tech enthusiast or IT professional. So let’s get started!
Contents
What is a Virtual Machine?
A Virtual Machine (VM) is a software implementation of a machine (i.e., computer) that enables one physical machine to run multiple guest operating systems simultaneously.
Each guest OS appears to have its own dedicated hardware, consisting of a virtual CPU, memory, storage, and networking resources.
VMs are commonly used to run different versions of the same OS side-by-side for testing and development purposes or to run legacy applications incompatible with the host machine’s OS.
Virtual machines are created using a “hypervisor” – a VM hosting software providing the necessary abstraction layer between the guest operating system and the underlying physical hardware.
The most popular hypervisors include VMware Workstation, Oracle VM VirtualBox, and Microsoft Hyper-V.
Why use VMware Workstation 12?
There are many benefits of using VMware Workstation 12 to create virtual machines, including:
1) Workstation 12 is an industry-leading desktop virtualization software that allows you to run multiple operating systems on a single computer. This can benefit developers or power users who must simultaneously work with multiple operating systems.
2) VMware Workstation 12 provides full support for the latest version of Windows 10 and other popular operating systems such as Linux and FreeBSD.
3) With Workstation 12, you can easily create and manage complex network topologies for testing and development. The software also includes powerful networking features such as port forwarding and NAT networking.
4) VMware Workstation 12 makes sharing virtual machines with others easy. You can export a VM as an OVA (open virtual appliance) file and send it to another person, who can then import it into their own copy of Workstation 12.
5) Workstation 12 includes a wide range of powerful features that make it easy to customize your virtual machines according to your needs. For example, you can install third-party drivers and software in a VM or change network settings.
How to install VMware Workstation 12
Assuming you have downloaded and installed VMware Workstation 12 on your computer, you can launch it and create a virtual machine.
Click on “Create a new virtual machine” to get started. You will be prompted to choose whether to create a typical or custom virtual machine. Choose “custom” since we will install Windows 10 on this VM.
Next, you will need to select the version of Windows that you want to install. In this case, choose “Microsoft Windows” and “Windows 10.”
Now, you will be asked to choose the location of your virtual machine’s files. Keeping these files in a safe and reliable location is essential so they are not lost or corrupted. Choose a location on your hard drive and then click “Next.”
The next screen asks you to name your virtual machine and set the maximum amount of RAM it can use. Give your VM a name, then set the RAM limit to 4096 MB. This should be plenty for running Windows 10 smoothly. Click “Next” when you are finished.
Now, you need to select the method that you will use to install Windows 10 on your VM. The recommended method is to use an ISO file, so go ahead and select that option.
Click “Browse” and navigate to the folder where you have stored the Windows 10 ISO file. Select the file and click “Open.” Click “Next” when you are ready to continue.
You are now ready to begin the installation process. Click “Finish” and sit back while your virtual machine is created and Windows 10 is installed.
Once the installation has finished, you can launch your new VM and use Windows 10 as if installed on a separate computer. Enjoy!
Overview of the VMware Workstation user interface
Launch the program if you have VMware Workstation installed and running on your Windows computer. A Welcome’ll greet you to the VMware Workstation screen that looks like this:
Click Create a New Virtual Machine. The New Virtual Machine Wizard appears.
On the wizard’s first page, you have a choice of Typical or Custom configuration. Select Typically if you want to take the easy route and accept all of VMware’s default settings.
Choose Custom for more control over your virtual machine’s (VM) settings. We’ll select Custom here so we can show you some of the options. Click Next.
Now you must select what operating system will be installed in your new VM. The OS types are divided into Microsoft Windows, Other Operating Systems, and Legacy Software.
If you want to create a VM that can run just about any PC app or game, choose Microsoft Windows and then click the appropriate version from the list provided (e.g., Windows XP).
Other popular choices for guest OSes include Ubuntu Linux and FreeBSD—expand the Other Operating Systems group and click the one you want to use. When you’re done making your selection, click Next.
Suppose you selected Windows as your guest OS on the wizard’s next page. In that case, you must enter your product key or an ISO image of a bootable CD or DVD containing your operating system installation files.
If you use an ISO image, click the Browse button and navigate to the right one on your system. Click Next when you’re done entering your product key or selecting an ISO image.
On the wizard’s next page, enter a name and location for your VM (by default, it will be saved in My Documents\My Virtual Machines) and tell VMware how much disk space you want to be allocated for your virtual disk. You can also choose to encrypt your virtual disk.
When you’re finished setting up these options, click Next. The last step before creating your VM is to configure its settings and resources.
This page has several tabs that allow you to specify everything from what type of network adapter should be used in the VM to how much RAM it should have.
Set all these options according to your needs, and click Finish when you’re done. VMware will now create your new VM and display its configuration screen.
This screen contains a traditional menu bar at the top with File, Edit, View, etc., menus plus several panes for managing devices attached to the VM, setting virtual machine preferences, and customizing the appearance of the guest OS environment:
The pane on the top left (Logs & Reports) contains log messages generated by the VM and links to various VMware diagnostic tools. The top right pane (Powered On VMs) lists all the virtual machines currently running on your system.
The pane on the bottom left (Virtual Machine Details) shows basic information about the selected guest OS and allows you to add or remove hardware devices. Lastly, the pane on the bottom right (Virtual Machine Console) is where you interact with your newly-created VM.
A step-by-step guide to creating a virtual machine using VMware Workstation 12
If you want to create a virtual machine using VMware Workstation 12, this step-by-step guide will have you up and running quickly.
Before we get started, it’s important to note that you’ll need a valid VMware Workstation 12 license key to create a virtual machine. You can purchase one from the VMware website if you don’t have a license key.
Once you have your license key, launch VMware Workstation 12 and click “Create a New Virtual Machine.”
On the following screen, select “Typical” and click “Next.”
Select the operating system you want to install on your virtual machine. For this example, we’ll be choosing Windows 10. Once you’ve made your selection, click “Next.”
Give your virtual machine a name on the next screen and select its location. Then, allocate how much memory (RAM) you want to give your virtual machine. For this example, we’ll be allocating 2GB of RAM. Once you’re finished making your selections, click “Next.”
Note: It’s generally recommended to allocate at least 1GB of RAM for 32-bit operating systems and 2GB of RAM for 64-bit operating systems.
Now, select the type of networking you want for your virtual machine. For this example, we’ll be selecting “Bridged Networking.” Bridged networking allows your virtual machine to communicate with the network it’s bridged to. Once you’ve made your selection, click “Next.”
Select how much hard drive space you want to allocate on the following screen for your virtual machine. For this example, we’ll be selecting 40GB. Once you’ve made your selection, click “Next.”
Next, you’ll need to enter a valid license key for your operating system of choice. You can purchase one from Microsoft or another authorized retailer if you don’t have a valid license key. Once you’ve entered the required information, click “Finish” and allow VMware Workstation 12 to do its magic.
Once your virtual machine has been created successfully, select it on the next screen and click “Edit Virtual Machine Settings.”
This will take you to the configuration settings for your newly created virtual machine, where you can adjust various parameters such as RAM allocation and hard drive space.
After making the necessary changes, select “OK” and launch your virtual machine by clicking on its name from the main VMware Workstation 12 window.
Congratulations – You’ve now created a virtual machine using VMware Workstation 12!
Resources and tips for optimizing your VM installation experience
Assuming you have VMware Workstation installed, you can create a new virtual machine by clicking the “Create a New Virtual Machine” button in the main window.
You’ll be prompted to select an operating system, and then you can choose between convenience features like automatically installing VMware Tools or manually configuring networking settings.
Next, you’ll allocate CPU, memory, and storage resources to your VM. Depending on your virtualization needs, you might consider allocating more or fewer resources than recommended.
Once you’ve configured these basic settings, it’s time to install your operating system of choice. We recommend installing Linux-based distributions such as Ubuntu if you plan to use this VM for development purposes.
If you need Windows for testing purposes, install that as well. Once your OS is up and running, don’t forget to install VMware Tools before doing anything else. This will give you better performance and enable certain features inside the guest OS that are unavailable otherwise.
Now that everything is installed and configured, it’s time to use your new VM! One way to do this is to launch applications directly from within the guest OS.
Another option is to use remote desktop protocol (RDP) to connect to the VM from another computer on your network.
This allows you to use all of your host machine’s processing power and resources while still being able to access the VM’s applications and data.
Finally, don’t forget to periodically check for software updates and security patches for your guest OS. This will help keep it running smoothly and securely as possible.
Conclusion
We hope this guide has given you all the information you need to get started creating virtual machines on VMware Workstation 12.
With its detailed instructions and helpful screenshots, we are sure that most readers can now understand how to create a virtual machine step by step.
The process is relatively simple and could be helpful in many professional or personal situations. So why wait? Download VMware Workstation 12 today and start creating virtual machines right away!
