VMware Fusion on Mac Pro M1 can't run windows 10 machine created on Install or preform new install

[paulj2000]

Hello,

Thrilled to have M1 support, but not having much luck getting it running.

My old Windows 10 machine when I try to run it says: the virtual machine cannot be powered on because it requires the X86 machine architecture which is incompatible with this ARM machine host

Then if I try a fresh install with ISO: Easy Install Preparation Install failed. Could not create virtual floppy image.

Any suggestions HUGELY appreciated.

Thanks

paul

[Scott Vessey]

It is true that VMs built on an Intel-based processor cannot run on the M1 (or M2) processor.

You should read section 12 of this document: https://communities.vmware.com/t5/VMware-Fusion-Documents/The-Unofficial-Fusion-13-for-Apple-Silicon-Companion/ta-p/2939907

 

[Technogeezer]

Also take a look at this document: 

https://communities.vmware.com/t5/VMware-Fusion-Documents/Running-Fusion-on-an-Intel-Mac-and-upgrading-to-an-M1-M2-Mac/ta-p/2888565

[paulj2000]

Thanks.

That's actually good news as it confirms my initial thought that my old VM wouldn't run on an M1 event with VMware 13, because it had been created on an Intel.

Now I just need to figure out why I can't create a new VM.

Any ideas?

Many thanks

Paul

[VMware Community Member]

Same issue to me as well. It's 2024 now and thought this won't be a issue but still.

[ColoradoMarmot]

If you’re talking about the OP, you’ll never be able to run an Intel VM on an ARM processor with decent performance.  Emulating a CPU has massive overhead, and the performance will, well, suck.  UTM can do it, but because the performance is so bad, there’s no commercial market that justifies Fusion (or the competition) from making a product.

[paulj2000]

Thanks.

That's actually good news as it confirms my initial thought that my old VM wouldn't run on an M1 event with VMware 13, because it had been created on an Intel.

Now I just need to figure out why I can't create a new VM.

Any ideas?

Many thanks

Paul

[paulj2000]

Many Many Thanks for the unofficial Fusion document.....That's really bad news.

I wonder if VMware will give a refund since this information wasn't provided.

[ColoradoMarmot]

Both parallels and Fusion really don't make it explicit, which is causing problems.  They bury it in the release notes.

The good news is that Windows 11 ARM can run most intel apps, and can be activated with your windows 10 license key.  Support today is rudimentary, but unless you need shared folders or accelerated graphics it works fine.  We expect better support sometime this year (hopefully soon).

[Technogeezer]

I found recently that VMware has included the following in the FAQ for Fusion on their product page https://www.vmware.com/products/fusion.html

What programs can I run with VMware Fusion?

 

On Intel Macs, VMware Fusion lets you run macOS, Windows, Linux and other x86-based operating systems as virtual machines. On Apple Silicon Macs, Fusion supports the Arm editions of the most popular operating systems including Windows 11.

 

I don’t think this is explicit enough language as it does not explicitly say that x86-based operating systems are NOT supported on Apple Silicon Macs, but it does say something about the topic in question. 
This also assumes that people take the time to read the FAQs, which is not a given. 

[ColoradoMarmot]

I think we have a lot of evidence that people aren't reading FAQs

The issue here, especially for Fusion, is that it's the only consumer product in an enterprise product company, so the marketing department probably doesn't really understand their customer base. 

[paulj2000]

I'm trying the Windows 11 Arm install as per the unofficial document instructions. Many thanks again for that. My Product Key for Windows 10 does work (so far).

But...

When I start the install I run into this message: 

The upgrade option isn't available when you start your computer using the installation media. Please remove the installation media and restart your computer, insert the media and run Setup.

Seems like I might be stuck? Any suggestions?

[Technogeezer]

You are encountering a "Windows-ism", nothing to do with Fusion.

You need to perform a fresh installation of Windows if you are installing a Windows 11 ARM VM. To do that, choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)" in the "Which type of installation do you want" dialog:

Upgrade installations of Windows (say from Windows 10 to Windows 11) are done from within the running system using the setup.exe found on mounted Windows installation (ISO) media, Upgrades can't be done via the standalone installer which is what your error message is telling you.

[paulj2000]

Sweet!

That worked. Windows 11 up and running.

Now hopefully my last question. I'm trying to enable sharing so I can pull a file from Mac to Windows. When I go to the Library, select settings there is NO Sharing option under System Settings.

How can I get that to appear?

Again. Many Thanks.

[Technogeezer]

Fusion folder sharing is not implemented for Windows 11 ARM VMs; that’s why you can’t find it. 

The Unofficial Companion guide describes what your alternatives are. 

You may want to investigate configuration of Windows file sharing on your Mac as an alternative. For help on setting this up, from the Finder menu bar, select Help -> Mac Help, then search for the topics on sharing folder.

Once that’s done, the Internet is full of help on how to connect to network shares in Windows. 

See also this forum post https://communities.vmware.com/t5/VMware-Fusion-Discussions/Fusion-Player-13-Windows-11-ARM-file-and-print-sharing/m-p/2939330#M180269

[Scott Vessey]

Below is the first FAQ on the Fusion product page: https://www.vmware.com/products/fusion.html

The Release Notes give the same information: https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Fusion/13.0/rn/vmware-fusion-130-release-notes/index.html