This article shows how to install and configure Windows 7 in a virtual machine using VMware Workstation 16 Pro in Windows 10.
Microsoft ended support for Windows 7 on January 14, 2020, but some users still need this operating system today.
For example, if users cannot use older software on Windows 10, they turn to older systems such as Windows 7.
After installing Windows 7 on older versions of VMware Pro, the VMware Tools software was running smoothly. However, VMware 16 Pro and VM Tools cause some problems. Users encounter errors such as VSock and Shared Folders during VM Tools installation.
This is because the new version of VMware Tools only supports Windows 7 with specific updates. You can access this information in the document specified by VMware: https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Tools/11.1/rn/VMware-Tools-1115-Release-Notes.html (Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) with Microsoft’s update KB4474419.)
One method I haven’t tried yet to avoid problems like this: Installing an older version of VMware Tools. However, using the latest versions of VM Tools is extremely important in terms of both performance and security.
VMware Workstation 16 Pro was released on November 19, 2020; its latest version is 16.1.0. Watch this video or follow the steps below to run Windows 7 on a new virtual machine.
Step 1: One of its requirements for installation is to install VMware Workstation 16 Pro.
Video ➦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMo77WFIZD4
Step 2: After installing VM Workstation, download the Windows 7 ISO file used in this video tutorial from the link below to your computer.
➦ https://bit.ly/Windows7UltimateX64ENG
Step 3: Run the VMware virtualization program after downloading the Microsoft Win7 ISO file to your computer.
Step 4: First, you must create a new virtual machine on VM Workstation. Click Create a New Virtual Machine on the program’s main screen.
Step 5: In the New Virtual Machine Wizard window, select Custom and click Next.
Step 6: Select the Workstation 16.x version in the Hardware Compatibility window and click the Next button.
Step 7: In the Guest Operating System window, select I will install the operating system later and click Next.
Step 8: Select “Windows 7 x64 Edition” in the Select Guest Operating System window and click Next.
Step 9: In the Name and Platform window, type a name for the virtual computer, and in the Location section, specify the HDD or Partition where you want to install the virtual computer.
Step 10: In the Firmware Type window, select the BIOS option and click Next.
Step 11: Set the processor and core to the Windows 7 VM in the Processor Configuration window. It will be sufficient to specify one processor and four core numbers here.
Step 12: In the Memory for the VM window, assign 4 GB of RAM, a value that Windows 7 can run properly and will not tire your host.
Step 13: Select Use Bridged Networking or NAT in the Network Type window and click Next.
Step 14: In the I/O Controller Types window, select LSI Logic and click Next.
Step 15: Select SATA in the Select a Disk Type window and click Next.
Step 16: You must create a new disk to install Win7 in the Select a Disk window. Select Create a New Virtual Disk and click Next.
Step 17: In the Specify Disk Capacity window, select Allocate all disk space now, select Store virtual disk as a single file, and continue.
Step 18: After creating a new virtual machine for Win7, add the ISO file you downloaded to your computer to the virtual device.
Step 19: Install your Windows operating system on the virtual machine and then restart your system. Now all you have to do is install VMware Tools.
Step 20: Before installing VMware Tools on Windows 7, download the KB4490628 and KB4474419 updates from the Microsoft Update Catalog from the links below and copy these files to the virtual machine and install both updates.
- KB4490628 : https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/search.aspx?q=4490628
- KB4474419 : https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/search.aspx?q=4474419
Step 21: After installing the necessary updates, restart your virtual computer and install VMware Tools.
Step 22: Check that VM Tools is not running by enabling the Windows 7 Aero theme and configuring Shared Folders.
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