How to get older version of Fusion to quit so I can instsll new one

[Joel Warren]

I downloaded the installer for Fusion H2 (I have 10) and want to run it to update Fusion.  But every time I run it it says :other version already running. Quit before installing.  I have tried about 6 different ways to do that, including putting the app in the trash and emptying the trash. It seems to be gone from my computer, But every time I run the installer it  revives the old version and the installer will not run.  I tried removing the installer from the computer by saving it to a flash drive, and then removing the old version, but it makes no difference. When I run the installer, it's back.

Can anyone tell me how to finally remove the old version so I csn install the update?

Thank you.

[Technogeezer]

What macOS version are you using? I'm assuming that you're using macOS 15 Sequoia or 26 Tahoe since Fusion 25H2 does not run on earlier macOS versions.

Since you say you're running Fusion 10, it's possible that remnants of the old version (i.e. files not contained in the Fusion application bundle) might be causing the installer to think the other version is still installed/running. Try completely removing Fusion using the instructions in this tech note: https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/307074/how-to-uninstall-vmware-fusion-manually.html

You can check your work to make sure you got all the components by using the script found here: https://community.broadcom.com/vmware-cloud-foundation/viewdocument/script-to-check-if-all-remnants-of?CommunityKey=0c3a2021-5113-4ad1-af9e-018f5da40bc0&tab=librarydocuments

Reboot your Mac and re-try the Fusion 25H2 installation. 

[Joel Warren]

I did everything you suggested, some of which I had done before, but no go.  Where do I go from here?

[Joel Warren]

PS I am runninig Tahoe 26.3

[Technogeezer]

Something's not quite right and we'll need to collect some more information to figure out what's going on.

Can you:

• Post the output of the script I linked to so that we can see that indeed all the old components are removed.
• Reboot the Mac so that any outstanding processes are terminated.
• Mount the disk image and attempt to install Fusion. Please document the exact steps you took.
• If you get this error message again, stop and post a screen shot of the error message.
• Then open a Terminal window and execute the following commands to collect some logging information:

• mkdir ~/DesktopFusionLogs
  cd ~/DesktopFusionLogs
  ps -ef >processes.txt
  cp /Library/Logs/VMware\ Fusion\ Services.log ./
  cp ~/Library/Logs/VMware\ Fusion/*.log ./
  cd ..
  tar cvfz FusionLogs.zip.gz FusionLogs

Thanks. 

[Joel Warren]

Thank you for your prompt responses, but before I jump though more hoops, I have a basic question and here it is: I have migrated my data from my old computer to the new one. In version 10 of Fusion on my old computer, I had a large number of Windows apps and threads. Now I've got a new computer. If I  succeed in installing the upgraded Fusion, will my data from the old version be accessible, or is it it gone?  If the latter, I'm not going to start all over again, but just say a fond farewell to Windows.

Thank you again for your generous help.

[Technogeezer]

As long as you remain on an Intel Mac, you can run those old VMs on newer Fusion versions. The first time you power on a virtual machine under a new Fusion version, you’ll be asked if you want to upgrade the virtual machine. The safest answer to that question is to decline the upgrade. The VM should work fine, and you can always upgrade the VM later.

However if you are trying to use an Apple Silicon “M-series” Mac, you can’t move VMs created on an Intel Mac and run them. They won’t run because the processor chip in Apple Silicon Macs isn’t an Intel compatible processor. Those VMs would need to be rebuilt with ARM architecture versions of the operating system (e,g. windows 11 ArM). You then migrate your data (the old VMs virtual disks can be added to the new VM as a second hard drive, and files copied from there). Then you reinstall any applications you need on the new VM. 

[Joel Warren]

OK I get what you're saying, but I'm not sure I got an answer.  Let me give you an example:  I  had a very old Windows flat-file data base program (Q&A,to be specific). I had a large amount of data and a number of different files on it. Does that data still reside somewhere accessible to an updated Fusion app, or is it gone since I cannot run the Fusion version on which it was created?  Also, I did download a Windows 11 ArM  installler.  What's up with that? Can it safely be installed on my Macbook Pro with an M5 chip and would I then be able to run the Fusion upgrade?

You may have figured out that I am not very technically sophisticated, So break it down for me, if you would.

And, again, many thanks for your generosity.

[Technogeezer]

Any application or data that you have in the virtual machine will not be touched by a Fusion version upgrade.

A virtual machine is in actuality a special kind of folder that contains (among other things) the virtual disk for the machine. Windows and all of the applications and data you wrote to rhe virtual machine are contained on that virtual disk. You can think of it a bit like a word processing document - upgrading the application you use with that document (in this case Fusion) doesn’t change the dodument (the virtual machine).

That being said, moving from a Intel Mac to a M5 MacBook introduces two complications to this.

• Virtual machines created on an Intel Mac can’t run on an new “M-series” Mac.
• virtual machines on a “M-series” Mac can’t run any windows version other than Windows 11 ARM.

See https://community.broadcom.com/vmware-cloud-foundation/viewdocument/read-this-before-buying-a-new-app?CommunityKey=0c3a2021-5113-4ad1-af9e-018f5da40bc0&tab=librarydocuments for a more detailed discussion (it needs some updating but is still valid). You have to treat this as if you bought a new PC and have to move your files and applications from the old to the new one. 

Once you have Fusion installed on that new Mac, you can use that Windows 11 ARM installer to create a new virtual machine. At that point, I’d try to install the Q&A application in that new virtual machine to make sure that it will run on the new Windows version and hardware. You might want to create a with a brand new test database as part of that check. Once you verify that Q&A will run, you can move the database from the old VM to the new one (there are several ways to do this). 

If at some point you find  that the Q&A application won’t run on Windows 11 ARM, you’ll have to rethink how to move forward. 

[Joel Warren]

"Once you have Fusion installed on that new Mac, you can use that Windows 11 ARM installer to create a new virtual machine"  Aaaah, so now we're back at square one--how to get rid of the old Fusion so the new one will install.  I guess I'll get busy with your earlier suggestions.   Thank you.  I*'ll let you know how it's going.

[Joel Warren]

To my amazement, the "is fusion installed" script ran as you directed.  Here are the results:

ecking for files in ~/Library (user Library folder)... 

[NOTE] Folder ~/Library/Application Support/VMware Fusion (full path /Users/Joel/Library/Application Support/VMware Fusion) still exists
[NOTE] Folder ~/Library/Caches/com.vmware.fusion (full path /Users/Joel/Library/Caches/com.vmware.fusion) still exists
[NOTE] Folder ~/Library/Preferences/VMware Fusion (full path /Users/Joel/Library/Preferences/VMware Fusion) still exists
[NOTE] File ~/Library/Preferences/com.vmware.fusion.plist (full path /Users/Joel/Library/Preferences/com.vmware.fusion.plist) still exists
[NOTE] File ~/Library/Preferences/com.vmware.fusionStartMenu.plist (full path /Users/Joel/Library/Preferences/com.vmware.fusionStartMenu.plist) still exists

Checking for miscellaneous temp files... 

[NOTE] Folder /var/folders/cj/sdsccswj1zgf8l1xx5qj3t440000gn/T//vmware-Joel still exists
[NOTE] Folder /var/run/vmware still exists

[NOTE] Your Mac appears to have Fusion application related files from a prior Fusion installation.
       Please delete them manually to clean your Mac of all traces of Fusion.
Joel@Mac ~ % 

[Joel Warren]

OK so I went looking for all those files and here's what I found:

NOTE 1 - Found it but only Usarb.rules  I left it because I recall from somewhere I read that that file is not a problem

NOTE 2 - In caches found \virtual machines\VM Iso Images.   Deleted it.

NOTE 3-Found and deleted

NOTE 4-Found and deleted VMWare Fusion

Unable to locate any of the temp files.  After doing that I tried to run the installer again.   Nope, still says previous version running

ecking for files in ~/Library (user Library folder)... 

[NOTE] Folder ~/Library/Application Support/VMware Fusion (full path /Users/Joel/Library/Application Support/VMware Fusion) still exists
[NOTE] Folder ~/Library/Caches/com.vmware.fusion (full path /Users/Joel/Library/Caches/com.vmware.fusion) still exists
[NOTE] Folder ~/Library/Preferences/VMware Fusion (full path /Users/Joel/Library/Preferences/VMware Fusion) still exists
[NOTE] File ~/Library/Preferences/com.vmware.fusion.plist (full path /Users/Joel/Library/Preferences/com.vmware.fusion.plist) still exists
[NOTE] File ~/Library/Preferences/com.vmware.fusionStartMenu.plist (full path /Users/Joel/Library/Preferences/com.vmware.fusionStartMenu.plist) still exists

Checking for miscellaneous temp files... 

[NOTE] Folder /var/folders/cj/sdsccswj1zgf8l1xx5qj3t440000gn/T//vmware-Joel still exists
[NOTE] Folder /var/run/vmware still exists

[NOTE] Your Mac appears to have Fusion application related files from a prior Fusion installation.
       Please delete them manually to clean your Mac of all traces of Fusion.
Joel@Mac ~ % 

 

[Joel Warren]

So I realized that the only thing I had not done was take out the trash and reboot. I did that and voila! The program seemed to install, however I got error messages which I will try to take a screenshot of it and get to you soon as I can figure out how to do that.  [Also, a third which simply said "No OS found"]

x

And a second:

[Technogeezer]

Assuming you have the Windows ARM ISO configured to the virtual CD/DVD drive and that drive is set in the VMs settings to connect at startup, then it looks like you missed a step booting the media. Windows installation media displays a prompt “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD”. You must tespond to that prompt within 5 seconds or the VM will move on to try to boot from other devices (such as the network), The 2 screen shots are indicative of when this happens  

For a Fusion VM, once you see that “press any key” prompt, you must do rhe following within that 5 second window:

• click the mouse pointer in the VM’s console window or type Command-G, then
• press any key on the keyboard

The Windows insataller should then boot. 

[Technogeezer]

Taking a second look at this, that message in your first screen shot is telling me the ISO file isn’t available where Fusion thinks it is. Use the Finder to look in the Virtual Machines folder in your home folder, then drill down and see if there’s a VMWisoimages folder. If so, drill into that and see if the ISO file is there (it should be a fairly large file - over 5GB)  

If not, see if you moved it somewhere else and adjust your VM’s CD/DVD drive settings to point to it. If you can’t find it at all, redownload it. 

[Joel Warren]

I don't see any of those folders at all And if I were to redownload it, I would then ask you: from where?

[Technogeezer]

Autocorrect strikes again. What got posted as “iPhone folder” should have been “home folder”.

take a look at the Unofficial Fusion for Apple Silicon Companion Guide. It has instructions on where to find Microsoft’s official Windows 11 ARM download link as well as instructions on how to use it. 

[Joel Warren]

I already downloaded the Windows update, so do I run that first or only after installing the new Fusion (God willing)

Lot of heavy material in that wonderful article, so I have to proceed slowly.

[Technogeezer]

I already downloaded the Windows update, so do I run that first or only after installing the new Fusion (God willing)

I’m assuming you’re asking about installing the Fusion 25H2u1 update, and if you should do that first or try to install Windows from the iSO (“Windows update”) you downloaded?

If so, it doesn’t matter which one you do first. My preference would be to do the Fusion upgrade first, then perform the installation of Windows in a new VM. But that’s me.

We’re here to help. If you have any questions that crop up as you move forward, don’t hesitate to ask. 

[Joel Warren]

So, some updates:  

Clicking on the Fusion H2 installer brings up thiw screen:  (scroll Down)

Clicking on that brings up this:

2 things:  The first screen is what I used to get whn I suspended the older Fusion, leading m to think that if I could locate the missing file and move it to where Fusion can see it, it might work.

In re the earlier question as to whether to install Windows of Fusion first, when I tried to install the Windows first, I got a message that this will delete all content and settings.  Needless to say, I quit that immediately.  But I'm thinking that maybe if that's run within Fusion, it would only apply to content and settings within Fusion.

What d'ya think?

[Technogeezer]

That "directory not empty" message typically means that the virtual machine didn't power down cleanly (for a variety of reasons) and Fusion didn't clean up a lock file that keeps you from trying to run 2 instances of the same virtual machine at once.

Can you run the following in a Terminal window:

mkdir logfiles
cp /Users/Joel/Downloads/Windows\ 11\ 64-bit\ Arm.vmwarevm/*.log ./logfiles
ls -alR /Users/Joel/Downloads/Windows\ 11\ 64-bit\ Arm.vmwarevm > ./logfiles/ls-alrR.txt
tar cvfz logfiles.tar.gz logfiles

and then attach the file logfiles.tar.gz to a reply. By examining this information we should be able to see what the directory is causing this message and how to fix it.

when I tried to install the Windows first, I got a message that this will delete all content and settings.

Performing a full Windows installation from the ISO installation media lets you know that it will erase all existing content on the "hard drive". A newly created virtual machine has an empty virtual hard drive, so this warning is not a problem. It's only if you are attempting to use the ISO to install onto a system (real or virtual) that already has something installed on it that you should decide if the full installation is really what you want to do. 

[Technogeezer]

I made a typo in my last post - file names are case sensitve and I mis-typed it. I have corrected it in the post.  

[Joel Warren]

2 things:

1. I don't understand "attach the file logfiiles.tar.gz to a reply."  and
2. Is there a way to cut and paste the request you made into a terminal window?  I try to copy it, but only get a checkmark when I try to paste it in the terminal window.  Trying to type it out will result in beaucoups of typos until I luck out and get it right (although I will continue to try.)

Continued thanks.

[Technogeezer]

To attach a file, look below the window where you're typing a reply. You'll see blue text that says "Add Attachment". Click on that and you will get a window that says "Select files to upload". You can locate the file logfiles.tar.gz in the Finder (it will be in your home folder) and you can drag it onto that "select files to upload" window.  Or you can click on the document with a + sign on it, and a file selection window will appear - that will allow you to navigate to your home folder and find the logfiles.tar.gz file to upload. 

You should be able to copy each line of the commands I've provided by highlighting each line with the mouse, right clicking, and select "Copy" (or if you like using the keyboard type Command-C). Then click back in the Terminal window and either right-click and select "Paste" or type Command-V. Then press Return to execute the command.

[Joel Warren]

Ran your script. Here's what I got:

Joel@MacBook-Pro ~ % mkdir logfiles cp /users/Joel/Downloads\/Windows\ 11\ 64-bit\ Arm.vmwarevm/*.log ./logfiles ls -alR /Users/Joel/Downloads/Windows\ 11\ 64-bit\ Arm/vmwarevm ./logfiles/ls-alrR.txt tar cvfz logfiles.tar.gz logfiles
mkdir: /users/Joel/Downloads/Windows 11 64-bit Arm.vmwarevm/mksSandbox-0.log: File exists
mkdir: /users/Joel/Downloads/Windows 11 64-bit Arm.vmwarevm/mksSandbox-1.log: File exists
mkdir: /users/Joel/Downloads/Windows 11 64-bit Arm.vmwarevm/mksSandbox-2.log: File exists
mkdir: /users/Joel/Downloads/Windows 11 64-bit Arm.vmwarevm/mksSandbox.log: File exists
mkdir: /users/Joel/Downloads/Windows 11 64-bit Arm.vmwarevm/vmware-0.log: File exists
mkdir: /users/Joel/Downloads/Windows 11 64-bit Arm.vmwarevm/vmware-1.log: File exists
mkdir: /users/Joel/Downloads/Windows 11 64-bit Arm.vmwarevm/vmware-2.log: File exists
mkdir: /users/Joel/Downloads/Windows 11 64-bit Arm.vmwarevm/vmware.log: File exists
mkdir: ./logfiles: File exists
mkdir: /Users/Joel/Downloads/Windows 11 64-bit Arm: No such file or directory
mkdir: logfiles: File exists
Joel@MacBook-Pro ~ % 

[Technogeezer]

You copied all the lines at once. Run the following command in the terminal to clean up things.

rm -rf ./logfiles

Then copy and paste each line one at a time, starting with the first one. Hit return after pasting the line and wait for it to complete. Repeat for each line of the commands I posted. 

[Joel Warren]

Told you I''m not tech savvy.  I can't tell where one command finishes and the next one starts.  Do I paste back to you the result of each command?  What answer am I looking for?

[Technogeezer]

I think I can make this easier for you. Let me put together a script you can unzip and run that will collect the information. I’ll attach it to my next reply with instructions. 

[Joel Warren]

You are seriously the best.  Thank you.

[Technogeezer]

Ok, I've attached the script. Here's how to use it.

Once you've downloaded the zip file attached to this message, move the zip file to the desktop.

Open the Terminal app.

Change working directory to the Desktop with the following command:

cd ~/Desktop

Unzip the file with the following command:

unzip collect_info.zip

You should now find a file named collect_info.sh in the Desktop folder.

Execute the data collection script as follows:

./collect_info.sh /Users/Joel/Downloads/Windows\ 11\ 64-bit\ Arm.vmwarevm

The script will collect the log files and the listing of all files in the VM and create a zip file with that information. The zip file will be located in your Desktop folder, and the script will tell you the name of that file. 

Attach that file to your next reply.

[Technogeezer]

A typo in one of the commands I just posted (didn't proof read it before htting "Post"). I've corrected it in the post.

[Joel Warren]

Am I crazy or did you neglect to attach the file collect_info.zip?  When I run unzip in the terminal window it says cannot find file--and neither could I.

[Technogeezer]

From my previous post:

[Joel Warren]

Worked perfectly.  Here it is:

fusion_data.202603041304/zip

[Technogeezer]

The zip file didn't appear to attach correctly - something thinks it's a web link.

Can you verify that the file is named correctly (should be named fusion_data.202603041304.zip or something like that-- no slashes in the file name) and re-attach that to a reply using the "Add Attachment" link found below the text window where you're replying to this? 

Thanks. 

[Joel Warren]

Here it is

[Technogeezer]

Thanks for the upload and I think I can solve the "directory not empty" message you're getting.

First, make sure the Fusion application and GUI are shut down.

Next, find the VM in the Finder - it looks to be in your Downloads folder. (more on that in a second).

Once you've located the VM, right click on it and select "Show Package Contents". A Finder window will open showing all the files that make up your virtual machine.

You should see a folder in that window named "Virtual Disk.vmdk.lck". That's the lock file that didn't get cleaned up and is preventing you from powering on the VM.  Move that file to the Trash, close the Finder window, and empty the trash.

Before powering on the VM, one comment. The Downloads folder is not the best place to store a virtual machine. A better place is the default location - a folder named "Virtual Machines" that you will find directly under your home folder. You should be able to find it by going to the FInder's menu bar, clicking "Go" and selecting "Home".  Open a second Finder window, navigate to the Downloads folder, and drag the virtual machine from the Downloads folder to the Virtual Machines folder (that will move it rather than copy it).

Once that's done, let's tell Fusion to forget about the old virtual machine. Open Fusion, right click on the old virtual machine that's in the Virtual Machine Library window, and select Delete. Don't worry, in this case it won't do anything other than forget the original virtual machine. In other cases it will ask you if you really want to remove the virtual machine's files, or simply forget about it. 

Now let's add the virtual machine back into the Virtual Machine Library. There are a couple of ways to do that, but in this case we'll select File > Scan for virtual machines... from the Fusion menu bar. You'll then  a window named "Scan for Virtual Machines", and listing directories that it should scan to find them. The default Virtual Machines folder should be in that list. If not, hit the + sign, and use the file navigation box to locate your home folder. The Virtual Machines folder should be found in that folder. Select it, click Open and the folder should now appear in the list.

Once you've verifed that the default folder location is in the "Scan for Virtual Machines" list, click the Scan button.  The virtual machine you moved should now re-appear in the Virtual Machine library. 

Now power on the virtual machine -- the "directory not empty" message should not re-appear. You should then be able to start the Windows installer (remember that "press any key to boot from cd or dvd" message is on a 5 second timer....).

[Joel Warren]

No Virtual Disk.vmdk.ick file, because, per your earlier suggestions I had deleted all files saying Virtual Machine or VMware, or so I thought. But found a VMware.fusion.app file in downloads, opened the package contents and under contents\library found this first screen shot.  Then I searched for VM in downloads and came up with the second screenshot.  Nothing close to what you had me looking for.  There's tons here that you could only know about by coming onto my machine like the good old VMware techs used to routinely do back in the day.  So, where do we go from here?

PS remember that, after doing the first round of deletions I was able to install the new Fusion without the "other version running" message.  Now the only issue is the inability to run because of missing file or files (earlier screenshot)

[Joel Warren]

Anybody got any help for me on the latest posts?  Or at least a direction I can head in?  I'm about to throw in the towel and try Boot Camp or Parallels.

[Technogeezer]

The first screen shot you posted (with title bar Library) is part of the VMware Fusion application itself. It has nothing to do with the issues you're seeing and you shouldn't do anything with therm.

The second screen shot

appears to be your Desktop folder.

The file "Windows 11 ARM 64-bit Arm.vmwarevm" is your virtual machine. (it's actually a special type of folder whose contents are hidden). Right click on the virtual machine and select "show package contents" to open a Finder window to reveal what's in it. It should contain many files, including any .lck lock folders, and .vmdk files that make up your virtual hard drive for the VM. According to the logs you posted, the folder with the .lck 

I'm a bit puzzled, though, as to why there are files with a .vmdk extension in your Downloads folder. They should not be there - they should be located within the .vmwarevm folder. 

[Technogeezer]

I'm sorry, I meant that the second screen shot is the Downloads folder, not the Desktop folder. 

[Joel Warren]

It is indeed my Downloads folder.  Can't tell you why there are vdmk files, but there is no vmwarevm folder anywhere.

[Technogeezer]

Upon second look, that's doesn't appear to be your Downloads folder. Note the header that's at the top of the column of file names. It says "Previous 7 days", which leads me to think that you're seeing a list of files that have been recently modified. (It would have been helpful if your screen shot included the whole Finder window including the top and side bars.) If the Finder is showing recently modified files, it may display them regardless of their location. That would explain some other files I see in this listing that wouldn't belong or be found in the Downloads folder. 

That listing does have the virtual machine:

If you see that file from this screen, right click on that and select "Get Info". That will tell you where the virtual machine is stored (it should be your Downloads folder).

Take another look in your Downloads folder. If you find that file name without a .vmwarevm extension, but is still listed as a VMBundle in the "Kind" column, that is your virtual machine.  It's possible that the Finder has hidden the extension. (You can confirm that with Get Info). Then right click that and select "Show Package Contents". The lock file folder I identified should be there.