Setting Up Virtual Machines with Free VMware Workstation Pro

VMware Workstation Pro, previously priced around $250, is now free for personal use. This powerful virtualization software offers significant advantages over VirtualBox, particularly in features, hardware support, snapshot management, virtual machine cloning, and network configuration. Its robust snapshot capabilities, coupled with advanced cloning and linked copies (a form of incremental backup), allow users to create diverse application scenarios from a single system, ideal for extensive software testing and experimentation.

Installing VMware Workstation Pro

Following Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, Workstation Pro is now available for free personal use. The approximately 680MB installer can be downloaded from Broadcom after registration. The installation process is straightforward:

1. Launch the installer.
2. Accept the license agreement.
3. Optionally install the Windows Hypervisor Platform (WHP).
4. Choose the installation directory.
5. Configure user experience settings, opting out of data collection if preferred.
6. Create desktop and Start menu shortcuts.
7. Complete the installation.

Setting Up a Virtual Windows PC

After launching VMware Workstation Pro, select “Use VMware Workstation 17 for Personal Use” to activate the free license. Creating a new virtual machine is guided by a wizard:

1. Click “Create a New Virtual Machine.”
2. Choose “Typical (recommended).”
3. Select the operating system ISO file (e.g., a Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft).
4. Name the virtual machine and choose its location.
5. Set encryption options and a password for TPM support.
6. Configure the virtual hard drive size (64GB is the default, but can be increased).

You can then customize the hardware settings:

1. Allocate RAM (generally, half of the host system’s RAM is recommended).
2. Increase processor cores if needed.
3. Set the network adapter to NAT.

Finally, complete the setup and install the operating system within the virtual machine.

Installing VMware Tools

VMware Tools provide essential enhancements for the guest operating system, such as optimized graphics drivers and network support. They are typically installed automatically during the OS installation, but can be installed manually through the “VM > Install VMware Tools” menu option. VMware Tools are necessary for seamless mouse pointer integration and shared folder access.

Creating and Managing Snapshots

VMware Workstation Pro’s snapshot feature allows saving the current state of a virtual machine for easy restoration. Multiple snapshots can be created, even nested within each other. To create a snapshot, select “VM > Snapshot > Take Snapshot.” For automated backups, use the Snapshot Manager (Ctrl-M) and enable AutoProtect.

Cloning Virtual Machines

Cloning creates a duplicate of a virtual machine. Right-click the powered-off virtual machine and select “Manage > Clone.” Choose whether to clone the current state or a specific snapshot. “Create a full clone” generates a complete independent copy, while a “linked clone” saves space but depends on the original virtual machine.

Setting Up a Shared Folder

To share files between the host and guest systems, create a shared folder:

1. Open the virtual machine settings.
2. Go to the “Options” tab and select “Shared Folders.”
3. Enable “Always enabled.”
4. Add the desired host folder.

The shared folder will then be accessible within the guest operating system.