If you have a need to run multiple operating systems on one computer or test software products you’re interested in trying, VMware Workstation might be the solution for you.
VMware Workstation allows you to run multiple operating systems on one computer. What does that mean? On a Windows XP computer, if you have a lot of memory (I recommend a minimum of 2GB) and hard disk space (I recommend a minimum of 250GB), you can install VMware and it will allow you to run multiple operating systems under your main operating system – Windows XP. What?
For example, let’s say your computer is running Windows XP and you want to run Windows Vista as well to see what it’s all about. But you’ve heard so many horror stories about running Vista that you decide you just want to try it out and not upgrade from XP to Vista. Well, you would download and install VMware Workstation (purchase or download the evaluation version), then create a VM for Windows Vista.
What is a VM?
VM stands for Virtual Machine. A VM acts just like an operating system and it’s installed on top of your main operating system. It is a crazy concept to visualize at first but it works. This also allows you to install many other operating systems as well. Here are some that are supported by VMware Workstation:
- Windows – Most versions of Windows
- Linux – Ubuntu, RedHat, SUSE to name just a few
- Novell Netware
- Sun Solaris
- MS-DOS and FreeBSD
Once you have VMware setup and you install, let’s say Windows Vista, you’ll be able to run both your main Windows XP and Windows Vista on the same PC. Here’s a screen shot of Windows Vista – Home Edition, running in a VM on my main Windows XP PC.
Click on image for larger view (1024 x 768)
Snapshot Manager
A really nice feature of VMware Workstation is Snapshot Manager. This feature allows you to install software that you might want to test but not commit to. For example, if you install Windows Vista in a VM, you can take a snapshot of it to preserve its state – a newly, clean install of Windows Vista.
Then, you could install some software that you want to test and play around with in the Vista VM. Once you’re done, you can use restore the VM back to the pristine install it was before you installed the software to test. This is what Snapshot Manager does. You can branch off in different directions using Snapshot Manager.
Another good example of this is when I wrote about Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition and Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition. I wanted to keep the two installs separate in a VM. So after I installed and was done testing VB 2008 EE, I reverted back to before I installed it and then I installed Visual Web Developer.
There are plenty of ways to use Snapshot Manager and I just scratched the surface on using it.
Another great feature is the ability to suspend a VM. If you suspend a VM it saves the state of your VM as is and allows you to shut VMware down. Below is a picture of Windows Vista – Home Edition, in a suspended state in VMware Workstation.
Click on image for larger view (1024 x 768)
You can download VMware here and check out all its features here.
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Very informative article, I wonder if it could also run windows 7? Is there any problems you’ve encountered with the software so far? Thanks for the tips.
I run it on Windows 7, Mac and Windows XP. All run fantastically. I use VM ware not only for virtualized workstations, but for virtual testing servers for different configurations. I highly recommend it. Plus you can get the server versions for FREE as an alternative to VMWorkstation. However, I do use workstation because it lets you create a disk image that will run off a USB stick on any computer. Very handy when travelling to client sites.
@Mike Rogers: Yes, love the USB stick capabilities. Thanks.
Will this software take up so much memory that it makes my laptop run slow?
@Soccercoop: You’ll need a really beefed up laptop. Tons of memory and processor speed.
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