WPWin on VMWare on Core2Duo

OK, as promised, I'm reporting back.  I got my Dell Vostro Core2Duo 2.4 
GHz machine with 2 GB RAM.  This time, I chose to install Fedora 8 on 
the machine.  I'm happy to report that ALL hardware except the lid 
webcam was detected and came up running correctly on the first install. 
  Even the video driver came up DURING THE INSTALL in the correct 1920 x 
1200 resolution, and the wireless worked after the fist boot.  Linux has 
come a long way, baby.

I bought a copy of VMWare Workstation 6 for $189 and installed that.  As 
usual, you need the kernel source and GCC already installed.  The VMWare 
install script is completely automatic requiring only a few answers from 
you during the process, and it compiles VMWare to match the particular 
kernel you have (2.6.23 in this case).  Once installation is complete, 
and your guest OS is installed, you then install the VMWare tools, which 
speed operation of the guest OS that much more.

I'm happy to report that VMWare is fast enough on its own to run Win2K 
and WPWin 8 adequately.  Once the tools are installed, however, it 
really flies.  It is as fast as native Windows on other machines I have. 
   There is no cursor 'stutter' like I had with Parallels, and windows 
drag smoothly across the screen.  Scrolling is also smooth.

By the way, Parallels 2.2 (the latest version for Linux) would not 
install on this machine.  I don't know why, as the error messages were 
cryptic.  It may be that Parallels will not compile on this very new 
kernel.  The Mac version of Parallels is up to 3.x something now, so it 
is obvious where their attentions are being turned.

VMWare allows cut and paste between OS's, and this feature works VERY 
well.  The paste is unformatted text only, but it works.  It is also 
interesting to note that it works from ALL applications in Windows to 
Linux that I tested.  With Parallels and Win4Lin, I had to first paste 
from one ornery Windows application into another more cooperative 
Windows application, then cut and paste that into Linux.  I have no idea 
why, and I am not sure if the one-step cut and paste that I now get with 
VMWare is a result of a newer version of Linux as the host OS, or if 
this is a product of VMWare.

In any case, this is the most viable combination I have found yet. 
Hardware improvements, and Linux improvements now make it entirely 
viable to run Windows software on Linux using VMWare.  VMWare is slick, 
polished, and very professional.  Overkill?  I don't think so.  While it 
will do much more than I need, what I do need it does with incredible 
dexterity, and is well worth every cent of the price.  While there are 
free alternatives available, my time is worth something.

Another plus is the availability of the FREE VMWare player.  This is a 
separate product that does not ship with VMWare Workstation.  VMWare 
Workstation is required to create guest OS 'bottles' or 'Virtual 
Machines'.  Once that is done, however, you can use those 'bottles' on 
any other machine by means of the VMWare player, effectively cloning 
your guest OS and all its installed applications to another machine. 
VMWare Player is every bit as fast as the full VMWare Workstation 6.

To be legal, you do need additional licenses for the hosted OS and its 
applications.  Those can often be had from used machines that one can 
purchase (of which I have many).  You do NOT need additional copies of 
VMWare, as the VMWare Player is free.  This is different from Win4Lin 
where you had to have an additional copy for every machine that you used 
it on.  At $100/copy for Win4Lin 5/9, I quickly exceeded the purchase 
price of VMWare Workstation on just a few machines - money that is now 
completely lost because Win4Lin stopped producing kernel patches for its 
product.

VMWare Workstation 6 and Win2K on this machine is every bit as fast as 
Win4Lin 5/9 running Win98 was on my older hardware (Dell P4M 1.8 GHZ 
with 1 GB RAM), and that is absolutely amazing.  Win2K boots as fast as 
Win98 did as well, which is MUCH faster than if it was directly on the 
hardware.  VMWare Workstation 6 also comes up quickly.

All in all, this is much better than trying to run older versions of WP 
for Linux natively and putting up with the limitations of a now defunct 
product, and is MUCH more compatible than trying to work with CrossOver 
Office.

Can you tell that I am thoroughly impressed?  :)

By the way, I wrote this in WPWin 8 on Win2K in VMWare, and then cut and 
pasted it into the newsgroup. :)

Frank.

Frank B wrote:
> 
> OK, as promised, I'm reporting back.  I got my Dell Vostro Core2Duo 2.4 
> GHz machine with 2 GB RAM.  This time, I chose to install Fedora 8 on 
> the machine.  I'm happy to report that ALL hardware except the lid 
> webcam was detected and came up running correctly on the first install. 
>  Even the video driver came up DURING THE INSTALL in the correct 1920 x 
> 1200 resolution, and the wireless worked after the fist boot.  Linux has 
> come a long way, baby.
> 
> I bought a copy of VMWare Workstation 6 for $189 and installed that.  As 
> usual, you need the kernel source and GCC already installed.  The VMWare 
> install script is completely automatic requiring only a few answers from 
> you during the process, and it compiles VMWare to match the particular 
> kernel you have (2.6.23 in this case).  Once installation is complete, 
> and your guest OS is installed, you then install the VMWare tools, which 
> speed operation of the guest OS that much more.
> 
> I'm happy to report that VMWare is fast enough on its own to run Win2K 
> and WPWin 8 adequately.  Once the tools are installed, however, it 
> really flies.  It is as fast as native Windows on other machines I have. 
>   There is no cursor 'stutter' like I had with Parallels, and windows 
> drag smoothly across the screen.  Scrolling is also smooth.
> 
> By the way, Parallels 2.2 (the latest version for Linux) would not 
> install on this machine.  I don't know why, as the error messages were 
> cryptic.  It may be that Parallels will not compile on this very new 
> kernel.  The Mac version of Parallels is up to 3.x something now, so it 
> is obvious where their attentions are being turned.
> 
> VMWare allows cut and paste between OS's, and this feature works VERY 
> well.  The paste is unformatted text only, but it works.  It is also 
> interesting to note that it works from ALL applications in Windows to 
> Linux that I tested.  With Parallels and Win4Lin, I had to first paste 
> from one ornery Windows application into another more cooperative 
> Windows application, then cut and paste that into Linux.  I have no idea 
> why, and I am not sure if the one-step cut and paste that I now get with 
> VMWare is a result of a newer version of Linux as the host OS, or if 
> this is a product of VMWare.
> 
> In any case, this is the most viable combination I have found yet. 
> Hardware improvements, and Linux improvements now make it entirely 
> viable to run Windows software on Linux using VMWare.  VMWare is slick, 
> polished, and very professional.  Overkill?  I don't think so.  While it 
> will do much more than I need, what I do need it does with incredible 
> dexterity, and is well worth every cent of the price.  While there are 
> free alternatives available, my time is worth something.
> 
> Another plus is the availability of the FREE VMWare player.  This is a 
> separate product that does not ship with VMWare Workstation.  VMWare 
> Workstation is required to create guest OS 'bottles' or 'Virtual 
> Machines'.  Once that is done, however, you can use those 'bottles' on 
> any other machine by means of the VMWare player, effectively cloning 
> your guest OS and all its installed applications to another machine. 
> VMWare Player is every bit as fast as the full VMWare Workstation 6.
> 
> To be legal, you do need additional licenses for the hosted OS and its 
> applications.  Those can often be had from used machines that one can 
> purchase (of which I have many).  You do NOT need additional copies of 
> VMWare, as the VMWare Player is free.  This is different from Win4Lin 
> where you had to have an additional copy for every machine that you used 
> it on.  At $100/copy for Win4Lin 5/9, I quickly exceeded the purchase 
> price of VMWare Workstation on just a few machines - money that is now 
> completely lost because Win4Lin stopped producing kernel patches for its 
> product.
> 
> VMWare Workstation 6 and Win2K on this machine is every bit as fast as 
> Win4Lin 5/9 running Win98 was on my older hardware (Dell P4M 1.8 GHZ 
> with 1 GB RAM), and that is absolutely amazing.  Win2K boots as fast as 
> Win98 did as well, which is MUCH faster than if it was directly on the 
> hardware.  VMWare Workstation 6 also comes up quickly.
> 
> All in all, this is much better than trying to run older versions of WP 
> for Linux natively and putting up with the limitations of a now defunct 
> product, and is MUCH more compatible than trying to work with CrossOver 
> Office.
> 
> Can you tell that I am thoroughly impressed?  :)
> 
> By the way, I wrote this in WPWin 8 on Win2K in VMWare, and then cut and 
> pasted it into the newsgroup. :)
> 
> Frank.
> 
Frank: thanks for the report.

Are you still using WP8 for macro support?  I vaguely recall a much 
earlier post from you or someone else reporting unsuccessful macro 
import into a more recent WP version.  Please correct me if this is only 
my poor memory and not fact.

It would appear that VMWare is exploiting your dual-proc capability.

I am still more inclined to CrossOver, mainly because I detest 
installing Windows.  I had a recent opportunity to remind myself what a 
PITA Windows installation is when I had to replace a motherboard.  The 
Linuces on my drive all accepted the new mobo, requiring nothing more 
than reconfiguring sound in some cases, but Win XP gagged and required 
an installation repair that did not quite succeed.  I had to install 
from scratch, and go through the interminable install driver, reboot drill.

-- 
Leon A. Goldstein

Powered by Libranet 2.8.1 Debian Linux
System G2

Leon:

 >Are you still using WP8 for macro support?  I vaguely recall a much 
earlier post from you or someone else reporting unsuccessful macro 
import into a more recent WP version.  Please correct me if this is only 
my poor memory and not fact.<

I am using WP only for legacy support.  Yes, I still use the macros I 
created some time ago for the odd thing, but not a lot anymore.  Those 
WP8 macros did not import into WPWin 2000, which  I bought, but do not use.

 >It would appear that VMWare is exploiting your dual-proc capability.<

That is going to be my next experiment.  I am going to move my Win2K 
bottle to my Xandros 4 testbed box (AMD 2800+ 2 GB RAM) on VMWare Player 
and see how well it performs.  I already have QEMU and Parallels 
installed on that machine as well, so I can do a true side-by-side 
comparison.

 >I am still more inclined to CrossOver, mainly because I detest 
installing Windows.<

Which is why I use Win2K Pro and avoid all those hassles.  :)

By the way, if you install Windows on VMWare Workstation 6, the reboot 
process is VERY fast.  It reboots Win2K at almost the same speed that 
Win4Lin 5/9 rebooted Windows 98, which always amazed me.  Reboot times 
are only a few seconds.

Frank.

Frank B wrote:
> 
> By the way, if you install Windows on VMWare Workstation 6, the reboot 
> process is VERY fast.  It reboots Win2K at almost the same speed that 
> Win4Lin 5/9 rebooted Windows 98, which always amazed me.  Reboot times 
> are only a few seconds.
> 
> Frank.
> 


FWIW, I am still using Win98/Win4Lin under Xandros 3. Works best for me. 
Installing had to be done from teh command line,  but it works fine now.

The Xandros kernel was "Win4Lin enabled." Does anyone know if the 4 
kernel is also?

Don:

 >The Xandros kernel was "Win4Lin enabled." Does anyone know if the
4 
kernel is also? <

No, and this is the problem.  I had stuck with my X3 install until now 
as well for the same reason.  Win4Lin stopped producing kernel patches 
for Win4Lin 5/9 after 2.6.14.  X4 uses 2.6.18.  The problem is with 
Win4Lin who abandoned their product - some few months after selling me 
my sixth copy at $100 each, and with no warning.  I was NOT happy.

I can now confirm, by the way, that VMWare player with the bottle that I 
created in VMWare Workstation is VERY fast on my older hardware.  Not as 
fast as Win4Lin 5/9, but MUCH faster than either QEMU or Parallels. 
Entirely usable even on my 1.8GHz laptop with 1 GB of RAM.  No  cursor 
'jitter' and no choppy window movement or delayed scrolling like in 
Parallels.  Very impressive.

To install either VMWare Workstation 6 or VMWare Player, you have to 
have the kernel headers installed, and you have to have GCC installed, 
but after that is done, the script is fully automatic.

Xandros makes a version of VMWare Player available on XN, but it is an 
old version, and will not use the virtual machine that I created with 
VMWare Workstation 6.  However, you CAN download the kernel headers from 
XN.  Do a search under "vmware" and the header files will show up. 
Install those, and GCC.  Then you can download the latest VMWare Player 
from the VMWare site (I used the RPM) and install that with Xandros 
Networks.  XN will install the rpm just fine, but it is SLOW doing it, 
so go have a beer while it is working.  :)

If you buy VMWare WorkStation, install it according to the instructions. 
  I think you can get it as a .deb or an .rpm.

With either product, once installed, you open a root console and issue:

vmware-config.pl

and the script will ask you a few questions, and proceed to build you a 
shiny new VMWare WorkStation 6 or VMWare Player for X4.

This install is MUCH easier than Win4Lin 5/9 ever was, even with the 
graphical installer.

It really is a super product, guys.

Frank.