Why is this book free?Thanks to a sponsorship from VMware, this ebook is available for free! To download the ebook as a PDF, click the Download button in the left margin. Although the format is slightly experimental, the ebook is also available as a
free iPhone app.
Now that modern Macs use Intel processors, you can run Windows on your Mac without slowdowns or trade-offs, and with the benefit of configuration snapshots, multiple installations, and the capability to mix Windows and Mac applications. In this book by cross-platform expert Joe Kissell, you’ll learn how best to install and use Windows in the virtualization environment created by VMware Fusion 3.
The ebook explains new Fusion 3 features, including the redesigned Applications menu, enhanced Virtual Library window, new Preview window (which shows a live thumbnail of your entire Windows Desktop), and improved Unity view. It also discusses Windows 7 and 32-bit vs. 64-bit possibilities.
What about Parallels Desktop and other virtualization options? If you need more of an overview of how to run Windows on your Macintosh, or want directions for setting up Parallels Desktop, read Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac.
After introducing you to a few basic concepts, the ebook offers advice for mixing Fusion and Boot Camp, and notes the hardware and software you’ll need. Then you’ll find steps for installing Windows for use in Fusion in these scenarios:
- When installing a new copy of Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7
- From an already-installed copy of Windows under Boot Camp, VMware Fusion 1.x or 2.x, Parallels Desktop, Virtual PC, or an actual PC
- From a slipstream disc that contains Windows plus service packs, updates, drivers, and settings
- On the MacBook Air, which lacks an internal optical drive
- With Mac OS X Server (version 10.5 or higher) as a guest operating system
- For running a virtual appliance that encapsulates both an operating system and a ready-to-run application
Next, you’ll learn how to work with Windows in a Fusion virtual machine, with key details like how to remap mouse buttons, simulate missing keys, set keyboard shortcuts, switch display modes, and work with external devices. Other topics covered include:
- Pros and cons of different ways of using Boot Camp and Fusion
- Configuring Fusion’s Settings window to get the most out of the software
- Real-world advice for smart ways to make Windows and Mac environments simultaneously available on the same computer
- Options for sharing files between your Windows and Mac environments
- Keeping your copy of Windows secure, backed up, and updated
- The basics of working with Fusion from the command line for advanced users
Thanks to the technical reviewers at VMware who gave readily of their time, helping us to create a richly detailed and useful ebook.
Special questions you’ll find answers to include these:
- How do I keep my Windows installation in its own screen in Spaces?
- Where do I find drivers for proprietary Apple hardware like the iSight, Apple Remote, and Bluetooth transceiver?
- What are my options for right-clicking in Windows?
- What should I do if Windows refuses to shut down or restart?
- Help! My mouse pointer keeps disappearing when I’m running Windows in Fusion. What should I do?
- How do I press the all-important Control-Alt-Delete key combo in Fusion?
- How do I make the Windows Desktop disappear so my Windows apps appear to run like Mac apps?
- How do I tell Windows which Web browser to open Web URLs in?
- What’s a virtual appliance and how would I use one in Fusion?
- What are common parameters for vmrun, the command-line utility that controls Fusion?
Take Control publisher Joe Kissell has written more than 60 books about technology, including many popular Take Control books. He formerly wrote for publications such as Macworld, Wirecutter, and TidBITS. He lives in Saskatoon with his wife, his two children, and his cat.
What’s New in this Edition
This book is a major update to Take Control of VMware Fusion 2. With only a few exceptions, the changes from the previous edition reflect the changes in version 3 of VMware Fusion. (Although Fusion 3 contains tons of new features, bug fixes, and interface improvements, I don’t address all of them in this book; for a complete list of what’s new, see http://www.vmware.com/go/fusion3features.)
The major Fusion changes discussed in this book are the following:
- Expanded guest support: You can now run either the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows 7 from a Boot Camp partition (see Use a Boot Camp Partition in Fusion). In addition, you can run Windows 7 or Snow Leopard Server (either the 32-bit or 64-bit version) in a virtual machine (see Windows 7 and Install Mac OS X Server as a Guest Operating System).
- Enhanced Virtual Machine Library window: The Virtual Machine Library now shows virtual machines that were created in other programs, for easy importing. It also includes a Home view with shortcuts to common tasks such as setting up Fusion to use a Boot Camp partition; installing Windows; and migrating from a physical PC, which is now far easier than before.
- Preview window: A new Preview window (see the sidebar The Preview Window) gives you a live, resizable view of your entire Windows Desktop, even when Windows is running in Unity view.
- Full screen title bar: When in Full Screen view (see Use Full Screen View), you can now use a new floating menu bar that gives you more convenient access to frequently used Fusion commands.
- Improved Unity view: Windows applications now work better with Exposé, and you can also access system tray items while in Unity view, even if the taskbar isn’t showing. See Unity View for further details.
- Redesigned Applications menu: This system-wide menu can now give you access to any Windows application—even if you have multiple copies of Windows installed, and even when Fusion isn’t running—and is no longer restricted to Unity mode. For details, read Use the Applications Menu.
- Copy and paste or drag and drop images: You can now move images between host and guest via copy and paste or drag and drop (see Move Data between Host and Guest).
- Revamped settings: The Settings window has been reorganized, with various panes added, removed, or otherwise rejiggered. I cover all these changes throughout the section Configure Virtual Machine Settings.
- Better support for symmetric multiprocessing (SMP): Fusion now offers 4-way SMP, and automatically lets virtual machines with the necessary capabilities use multi-core CPUs. I discuss this further in Processors.
- Improved graphics acceleration: For Windows XP virtual machines, Fusion now supports DirectX 9.0c with Shader Model 3 and OpenGL 2.1. For Windows Vista and Windows 7, Fusion supports DirectX 9.0EX and OpenGL 1.4. These changes open the door to more Windows games and other graphics-intensive applications, as well as the Aero interface in Vista and later. To learn about enabling graphics acceleration, read Display Settings.
- Software update: When Fusion is updated, the software can now download and install the new version automatically. See General Preferences.
In the year or so since this book came out, there were several updates to Fusion 3. Is this book up-to-date?
The bulk of the material in the book remains accurate and current for the various versions of Fusion 3. Additional information that covers the relatively small changes in Fusion 3.1.x are covered here: What’s Changed in VMware Fusion Since the Latest Edition of the Book.
Do you have any ebooks that cover how to run Windows just in Boot Camp or with Parallels Desktop?
Yes, we do. See Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac. This ebook covers several common solutions for successfully running Windows on an Intel-based Mac.
Do you have a book about Fusion 2?
We do still sell
Take Control of VMware Fusion 2. It focuses on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, because it was published in 2008. We don't plan to update it again.
January 2012 -- At this time, it looks like we won't create a new edition of this ebook for VMware Fusion 4. We still like Fusion as a product, and it's possible that we'll publish a new edition for some future version, but we are taking a break for now. Also, to learn about Fusion 3.1.x, read What’s Changed in VMware Fusion Since the Latest Edition of the Book.
