Arch Linux

coldo

Member

From: Mkt Dpng, UK

Registered: 2007-05-21

Posts: 9

Win XP under VMWare on Arch

I've managed to get pretty much everything I use working on a Dell Inspiron 6400 under Archlinux 0.8 but I do have a strange problem.

I've installed VmWare Server 1.0.3 (using the patch available to get it to work under ArchLinux).
I've installed WinXP Pro SP2 under VMWare, installed VM-Tools and it all works as I would expect except that when downloading Windows Updates (or some other large files) in XP it locks up. The mouse still moves around okay but nothing responds to mouse clicks of key presses.

If I start GKrellm running in Arch before I start the download in XP I can see occassional network, disk and processor activity after the lock up but nothing responds in Arch or XP.

Does anyone have any idea what might be causing the problem ?

PS I'm using wireless (ipw3945) with a good signal and have no problems in Arch when downloading.

Many Thanks

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25 years of software development and I'm still learning..  The more I learn, the less I know.

stonecrest

Member

From: Boulder

Registered: 2005-01-22

Posts: 1,190

Re: Win XP under VMWare on Arch

I've installed VmWare Server 1.0.3 (using the patch available to get it to work under ArchLinux).

Perhaps you'd be better off using the PKGBUILD? That's why it's there, after all.

I haven't had any problems running XP in vmware-workstation, -player, or -server, Windows Update works fine here.

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I am a gated community.

coldo

Member

From: Mkt Dpng, UK

Registered: 2007-05-21

Posts: 9

Re: Win XP under VMWare on Arch

What PKGBUILD ?

I download vmware-server from vmware and applied a patch I found referenced on this forum (somewhere).

Please can you give me a link and / or some more info, I'm new to Arch.

Thanks

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25 years of software development and I'm still learning..  The more I learn, the less I know.

coldo

Member

From: Mkt Dpng, UK

Registered: 2007-05-21

Posts: 9

Re: Win XP under VMWare on Arch

I've just found it in AUR for vmware-server-1.0.3.

Can I just install this over the one i have installed ?  If not how do I get rid of the one I installed ?

Sorry I'm so dumb.

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25 years of software development and I'm still learning..  The more I learn, the less I know.

mucknert

Member

From: Berlin // Germany

Registered: 2006-06-27

Posts: 510

Re: Win XP under VMWare on Arch

VMware ships with vmware-uninstall.pl AFAIK. Just call that and the old Installation will be gone.

After that, first install the vmware-server-modules Package from the AUR. Don't forget to modify vmware-server-modules.install and change 2.6.20-ARCH to 2.6.21-ARCH. Then you can install the vmware-server Package.

HTH.

Last edited by mucknert (2007-05-21 16:37:22)

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Todays mistakes are tomorrows catastrophes.

coldo

Member

From: Mkt Dpng, UK

Registered: 2007-05-21

Posts: 9

Re: Win XP under VMWare on Arch

Thanks for the pointer and info.

I did as you suggested. It installed fine using the pkgs from AUR.

All was working fine until I did a manual Windows update and it all froze up again.  BTW the automatic updates are working fine, it's freezing now when doing a manual update when its searching for upgrades - strange.

Any more suggestions would be appreciated.

PS the Virtual Machine of XP Pro was created on a Windows XP version of vmware 1.0.2.

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25 years of software development and I'm still learning..  The more I learn, the less I know.

coldo

Member

From: Mkt Dpng, UK

Registered: 2007-05-21

Posts: 9

Re: Win XP under VMWare on Arch

I've just been thinking about this. One mistake I may have made was to increase the RAM but not the pagefile size in XP.

Anyway I've just updated the vmware server on my office XP machine to 1.0.3 and I'm going to update the XP vm on it and then transfer that to my home laptop to see if it works under arch.

Some times things work, some times they dont but whichever I don't understand why !

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25 years of software development and I'm still learning..  The more I learn, the less I know.