Pardon the uncharacteristically nerdy post, but I thought I'd write up a handy way I'd found to run Windows 7 in a seamlessly-integrated virtual machine under Mac OS X 10.6. I started with these basic components:
If you're like a lot of geeks that I know, you have a Mac as your main machine, but often need to drop into Windows to check things like browser compatibility or to use some particular Windows applications. I happen to just really like Windows 7 (it's on par with Mac OS overall for me, with some parts being better, such as the Windows Taskbar being much better than the Mac's Dock, and of course some parts being worse.) Some of these instructions may be obvious, but I hadn't seen a writeup anywhere, so here goes.
Here's what you'll need to do:
sudo chmod 777 /dev/disk0s3VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -rawdisk /dev/disk0 -filename win7raw.vmdk -partitions 3win7raw.vmdk in your home directory to choose the virtual hard drive for the machine. Your Windows install should boot up. It'll fuss for a little while as it installs new drivers.While it's not quite as seamless as some of the paid alternatives out there, I've found it was very easy to do (under an hour total, and only 15 minutes or so if you already have Windows installed), works very well, and is speedy enough to use regularly.
As always, your mileage may vary, and comments or corrections or feedback are welcome. I was too lazy to do screenshots of the whole process, but if you want to turn this into a complete gadget blog-worthy writeup, I'll be happy to link to it. If you really liked this how-to, you can buy WIndows 7 from Amazon and I'll make a few bucks.
]]>For a little more specifics: create a new blank VM, I suggest give it 1gb of RAM if you have 4gb in your Mac.
Before starting the VM for the first time, from the 'you just created a new VM' use the settings pane on the VM; click on the CD/DVD section and tell it to use either your physical Win7 DVD or your Win7 .ISO.
And away you go!
This approach works in pretty much every VM app, for what it's worth. No terminal jiggery required.
]]>Error opening the raw disk '/dev/disk0': VERR_ACCESS_DENIED
The raw disk vmdk file was not created
Any help here?
]]>I found this issue on the VirtualBox forum:
http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19866
It appears that you need to specify the partition (disk0s3, not disk0).
sudo VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -rawdisk /dev/disk0 -filename win7raw.vmdk -partitions 3
Also, after that, I had to chown it back to my user-
sudo chown win7raw.vmdk
]]>I'll have to give the guest OS additions a try.
]]>-dreadpirate15
]]>If you have to have something that costs money, then you can't run it for free; you can't run it if you don't have it.
Sorry I'm grumpy today, but your misleading title and the time I wasted reading the article left me no choice but to leave this comment.
Seriously, you're a good enough writer that this kind of verbal wordplay is, honestly, beneath you.
Albert's solution seems to work until I get to choosing the boot disk in VirtualBox. I click Add, then navigate to the file, but I get "failed to open the hard disk," "could not open the hard disk," and "VD: error opening the image file."
Any ideas? Perhaps I chown-ed it incorrectly?
]]>Try "sudo [USERNAME] chow *.vmdk"
you need to give yourself back permission on both
win7raw.vmdk and win7raw-pt.vmdk
That's what resolved the issue for me.
]]>Might be other issues to uncover, but for now I'm in. :)
]]>http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1003426
You activate in Bootcamp, install VMware tools, reboot to OS X, launch inside of Fusion, activate again, and install VMware tools again. It will use 2 activations, but you're allowed 2.
]]>Really keen to get this going and I think your guide is great. After dismounting my Windows 7 BootCamp installation drive and copy and pasting the first command it prompts me to enter my admin password. I do this and then copy and paste the second command - It responds with the following error;
Error opening the raw disk '/dev/disk0': VERR_ACCESS_DENIED
The raw disk vmdk file was not created
Any ideas?
Kev
]]>Error opening the raw disk '/dev/disk0': VERR_ACCESS_DENIED
just open Disk Utility, right click on your Boot Camp partition, and click "Unmount" then try the command again. You'll need to leave the disk unmounted while using Windows under VirtualBox.
]]>Excuse me while I giggle uncontrollably.
:D
]]>Aside from that, I can't think of much else. Perhaps your Boot Camp disk isn't disk0s3. In Disk Utility, select the disk and press the Info button. Check to make sure the Disk Identifier is disk0s3. If not, you can change the disk/partition numbers in the terminal commands to match your disk's identifier.
]]>sudo chown [username] win7raw-pt.vmdk
and then i was able to mount the partition
]]>sudo VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -rawdisk /dev/disk0 -filename win7raw.vmdk -partitions 3
Doing so will create two files in your home directory called win7raw.vmdk and win7raw-pt.vmdk. Because the second command is run via sudo, the two files created will be owned by root user. Perform the following command to change the ownership:
sudo chown win7raw.vmdk win7raw-pt.vmdk
This will change the ownership of the two files (do not include the "" in the above command).
After that you can proceed to add this to VirtualBox.
]]>sudo chown your_login_name win7raw.vmdk win7raw-pt.vmdk
]]>Up and running!
]]>Somewhere in the back of my head, I remembered that wth ubuntu the disk were mounted in other paths.
Don't know if this happens under Mac OSX?
Has anyone else not been able to get sound to work? If anyone has a solution I'd appreciate it.
]]>Has anyone else not been able to get sound to work? If anyone has a solution I'd appreciate it.
]]>The error it gives me is that "VERR_ACCESS_DENIED." Anyone else having this issue?
]]>Error opening the raw disk '/dev/disk0': VERR_ACCESS_DENIED
I use sudo, and get:
Error while creating the raw disk VMDK: VERR_NET_OPERATION_NOT_SUPPORTED
I'm on Snow Leopard, and VirtualBox 3.0.8.
]]>http://blog.yetisoftware.com/2009/03/07/running-ie-on-your-mac-in-virtualbox/
]]>