Pros
Older versions VMware Workstation 6 7 and 8 worked well enough to run XP and other VMs on Win Vista 64, Win 7 and 8 at the time. They were happy to call back on issue with Workstation 9 but no software solution for USB 3 issue they admit to.
Cons
Purchased upgrade to 9 and a new 9. Did not work with USB 3 well. Consider other options now. Only 30 days for refund. Too much work to determine. They will not stand behind this version or refund, only say 10 has fixed what was broken in 9. Version 9 was a rip off. Regret upgrading. Should have stuck with 8 and found another solution.
Summary
Better solutions out there. Company has gone downhill. VMware would not stand behind and fix an entire version 9 that had a lifespan of about a year.
Pros
Very easy to use.
Easy install is useful and good if you're in a hurry.
Simple interface is great for novices.
Features exclusive copy/paste/drag support and even a great function called Unity Mode, in which you can run programs from the virtual machine straight on your host's desktop.
Cons
Hefty price.
Improve some elements, such as the virtual machine settings window. Virtualbox includes all of its functions in a convenient context menu, whereas Workstation includes it in a completely separate window that is accessed through the context menus and blocks your view of the virtual machine.
Does not have an option to bypass Easy Install.
Summary
I'd recommend this very much to professionals and enthusiasts. It has very good performance and is a nice program to use to test OS's and work with. On the other hand, people new to virtualization or who do not have money should try Virtualbox. Either way, good program!
Pros
Fast, flexible and nice snapshot functionality
Cons
Compared to free or cheaper offerings, the few extra functionalities pale when considering all the bugs and problems it gives.
Really not suitable for work, it's annoying at best, unreliable at worst...
Summary
Go for cheaper or free alternatives. This is mostly a hyped product
Pros
I can't find any I am afraid, I won't lie to you it boasts all sorts of neat features but the fact is they mask that fact that this is unstable unbalanced and over priced.
Cons
*Fails to uninitialize components when told to.
*Lags drastically while another VM is active.
*Takes 3x as long to create a virtual drive.
*Wastes space and productivity by failing to be simplified for new users.
*Is misleading in installation it uses virus algorithm to steal and takeover PC.
*Fails to change window size when set to change.
-- DO I HAVE TO KEEP WRITING >_>
Summary
I recommend virtual box. It far surpassed this program and is free. This program is not just unstable but also dangerous. If you use VTIx Hardware emulation the program can and DID leech onto your/my bios in a similar fashion to the Trojan.Firebug (DO NOT BUY THIS THE COMPANY NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED FOR FRAUDULENT SOFTWARE!) -- Side note thank God I know what I am talking about.
Pros
Works great on host Win 7 Ultimate. The guest OS Linux Ubuntu works seamlessly, no lie. This is way cheaper then buying another laptop. Also, this software is very easy to configure.
Cons
None so far, but if you don't want to pay the price then there is always virtual box.
Pros
I would lke to change of OS wihtout rebooting I heard that this programme can, But I can´t download
Cons
I don´t knowIt yet
Pros
very very good
Cons
not bad at all
Summary
sometimes best and sometimes bad
Pros
-Can run any OS inside another (except Mac OS X)
-Runs very well and smooth (depends on the machine of course)
-Has addons for Visual Studio so that developers can debug directly into the virtual machine.
Cons
-Nothing that i could think of yet, maybe just that it's a bit slower than another virtualization software who's name i won't tell, but this one is worth more.
Summary
Very good and useful program, i recommend it to developers that have to test their program on other systems, or to persons that need software not available for their current platform.
Pros
- Easy to use,wizards are very clear
- No problems experienced when running virtual machines
Very usefull for people who want to test software
Cons
- Download size too big
Pros
It works pretty well and has many options.
Cons
Expensive, poor support, and slow (especially on standby). Free competitor program, Virtual Box, runs much nicer.
Summary
This summer my windows computer went down hard after a bad hit from a virus. After it turned out that my second recovery dvd was scratched and unusable, I was unable to install Windows XP regardless of what I tried - every time it claimed I didn't have a hard drive. So I decided to switch over to Suse Linux completely, as it had not trouble recovering from the crash. Moving to linux was overall an easy transition, except that I still needed to run SolidWorks extensively, and they do not make a linux version, unfortunately.
So I did some research and decided to virtualize Windows instead of installing it for real, and its been pretty cool. First I used a free program from Sun called Virtual Box, then I switched to VMWare on a campus license to see if it did better with graphics. Unfortunately, what I have found, is that Virtual Box, the free competitor, ran much nicer, and I will soon be switching back. I even called the VMWare support and said I think something must be wrong here (and possibly is) if this is running so poorly, but they refused to help me unless I paid them $50 (even after the $190 license fee had been paid).
I would strongly recommend running Virtual Box (www.virtualbox.org) rather than VMware, but go ahead and give them both a try and see how they work. Virtualizing would be a great way to test out a new operating system, such as linux, and it works great for me to be able to do everything I need to do.
One tip I haveI would be to use linux as your base system rather than windows. The add on graphics that come with Suse (Compiz) make it much more fun to use. I simply make windows full screen on one of my desktops, and keep all my linux programs on any of my 3 other desktops, and then you just move the mouse to the top left corner of your screen to instantly switch operating systems (its so nice not to dual boot anymore). Using linux as your base system also gives you increased security, and windows can run in its own little perfect world if you want (I don't have updates turned on or any antivirus in my virtual windows, and it runs really fast). It was actually funny at first to see how much faster Windows ran in Virtual Box when it had Linux holding its hand the whole time. :)
The bottom line is to just give it a try, and try something new. Depending on what you virtualize with, its free and completely safe (your new operating system stays in a virtual environment, leaving your host system completely safe).
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