12-02-2009, 11:49 AM
A few notes for those of you who are considering running Fusion 3 with a pre-existing Windows 7 Boot Camp volume...
Boot Camp = fast.
VMware = slow.
I've only got 2GB RAM in my MBP and that's probably a factor. I tried disabling 3D effects, reducing the memory to 768MB (so the Mac OS doesn't have to use so much VM) and setting it to use 2 CPUs and that did speed it up a bit so it's usable. 'Still pretty slow.
I also had a bit of a headache with Windows 7 activation after installing Fusion. The instructions at this link were invaluable:
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsi...uage=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1004917
It seems that the statement oft repeated in VMware guides that Windows must be activated twice is a bit misleading. In my experience, it must be activated twice after installing VMware and setting the Boot Camp volume to be the virtual disk.
In my case, Windows was already activated once from my original install. Since regular customers only get two activations with the original activation code, this left me one activation short. Luckily, Win7 has a "web activation" feature that lets you request an additional activation without having to work things out via telephone to India. Of course, this only works if you've configured Windows for your local network (as I did).
It's something that should be doable in a half hour. It took me all night. Plan accordingly.
Boot Camp = fast.
VMware = slow.
I've only got 2GB RAM in my MBP and that's probably a factor. I tried disabling 3D effects, reducing the memory to 768MB (so the Mac OS doesn't have to use so much VM) and setting it to use 2 CPUs and that did speed it up a bit so it's usable. 'Still pretty slow.
I also had a bit of a headache with Windows 7 activation after installing Fusion. The instructions at this link were invaluable:
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsi...uage=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1004917
It seems that the statement oft repeated in VMware guides that Windows must be activated twice is a bit misleading. In my experience, it must be activated twice after installing VMware and setting the Boot Camp volume to be the virtual disk.
In my case, Windows was already activated once from my original install. Since regular customers only get two activations with the original activation code, this left me one activation short. Luckily, Win7 has a "web activation" feature that lets you request an additional activation without having to work things out via telephone to India. Of course, this only works if you've configured Windows for your local network (as I did).
It's something that should be doable in a half hour. It took me all night. Plan accordingly.