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Full user review
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"Excellent software that can be indispensable!"
Pros
Used it on Windows 7 to install Windows XP, and Ubuntu. Needed XP to continue to use HP Precision Scanjet Scanner for which there are no drivers that run Windows 7.
This was very easy to install & use, and works perfectly.Cons
Ubuntu installed very easily, and almost perfectly, but failed to file share with the host platform. This problem has been observed by others, but at present I don't know the solution, and need to research it further.
Summary
If VMplayer (version 3.1.3) hadn't existed, I would have probably been forced to throw away my HP scanner, which still functions very well, but cannot run directly on Windows 7.
VMplayer is extremely well documented, and has an excellent user interface.
I also like the ability to install another operating system like Ubuntu, knowing that it cannot possibly interfere with the host Windows 7. The player is useful in other ways too. For example, I can test my Windows 7 backup disc by trying to install it within the VMware environment.
The proper use of the guest operating system depends on the ability to share files with the host environment. Hence, I am surprised about the failure of my Ubuntu installation to share files, even though this problem had already been observed by others.
