VMware Fusion large source files Apr14 '08

I've been using VMware Fusion on OS X whenever I need to run Windows XP. It is great to have both environments running side-by-side.

One issue I've noticed with VMware is the very large source files. A "virtual machine" is simply a document on your hard drive. I leave my Windows XP virtual machine on my OS X hard drive, and launch it whenever I need XP.

Screenshot of OS X Finder

Notice the file size in the image above: 13.77 GB. This size increases whenever I add new things to my XP installation - new programs, etc.

Problem is - it's very hard to backup this file. I've been learning a lot about hard drive formatting (FAT32), as I scour the web for answers on how to backup my VM file.

It simply won't copy to any devices/locations I've tried:

USB external 120 GB hard drive
Network drives
External web storage sites

I've even zipped the file, which cut the size down to 7.5 GB. Still too large to copy or upload anywhere. It's basically stuck on my machine, primed to be lost if my laptop gets stolen or damaged.

What are my other options?

Future-proof resolution

It turns out, after consulting with a VMware Fusion rep, there is a new feature available in the latest version of Fusion, which allows you to split a VM into 2 GB chunks.

Some file systems, such as FAT and UFS, are unable to support very large files. If you are creating a virtual machine that will be used in a hard drive with a file system that does not support very large files, select the New Virtual Machine Assistant option Split disk into 2GB files. This option is in Advanced disk options, in the Virtual Hard Disk panel of the New Virtual Machine Assistant.

This is great, but it only seems to work for new VM installations. It does no good for my existing VM.

Categories: Rants , Storage , VMware

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i regularly copy 15GB Parallels VM disks between several locations. i copy them to/from a windows server, though the standard SFM piece of Crap MS ... Read more.

Matt: Here's a way to take your current "monolithic" disk, and make it into a split disk. Hope this helps! ~Pete VMware Fusion Pro ... Read more.

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