How to Run Windows 7 64 Bit in VMware Fusion on Mac PC

What is VMware Fusion?

VMware Fusion is a software solution for virtualization. This means that you can run different operating systems on the same computer without the need to dual boot. The native operating system uses the VMware Fusion to run Windows 7 64 bit in a window like an application. All Mac computers use Intel 64 bit processor so you can only run 64 bit versions of Windows 7. There are two different approaches to running Windows 7 64 bit in VMware Fusion. The first one is to make a clean install of Windows 7 64 bit. The second one is to make an image or a copy of an existing Windows 7 64 bit installation on another computer using the Migration Assistant for Windows Tool in VMware Fusion.

Performing a Clean Install

To make a clean install of Windows 7 in VMware Fusion you first need to create a virtual hard drive. This hard drive will contain the Windows 7 64 bit installation and all of Windows applications and programs. After you’ve created the virtual hard drive the next step is to use a Windows 7 64 bit installation disc or image. In order to use the disc you first need to set up the VMware Fusion to boot the system from the Windows 7 64 bit installation disc. Then you need to run the virtual machine and the process from there is the same as installing Windows on a regular PC. The important thing to set up in VMware Fusion is the size of RAM Memory available to the virtual machine and the number of processor cores that it will use. After the installation is done you can run Windows 7 64 bit in VMware Fusion and use Windows based applications on a Mac PC.

Making a Windows 7 Image

Using the Migration Assistant Tool in VMware Fusion, you can transfer your whole Windows installation from a physical computer to your Mac. Migration Assistant for Windows is a simple migration agent for your PC that will clone your entire PC and transform it into a virtual machine. The main benefit from this is that you can, in a few easy steps, transfer and use your Windows in VMware Fusion. You will keep all of you files and programs intact and you can use them right away.

One important fact when running Windows 7 with VMware Fusion is that the virtual machine will be slower that the real thing and you can’t run some Windows applications. The bottom line is that if you need to run Windows 7 applications and programs on your Mac PC but you don’t want to dual boot then the ideal solution is to run Windows 7 in VMware Fusion.

Reference

All images and information gathered from application developers’ website.