Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Virtual Machine in VMware Workstation Pro

After successfully downloading and installing VMware Workstation Pro for free, you’re ready to set up a virtual machine. This virtual environment will allow you to experiment with complex systems, software applications, games, and more.

Creating a New Virtual Machine in VMware Workstation on Windows

Follow these instructions to set up your virtual machine on VMware Workstation Pro.

Obtain the Windows 11 ISO

Step 1: Visit the Windows 11 Download Page. From the dropdown menu under ‘Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices’, choose Windows 11.

Step 2: Click Download Now.

Step 3: Select the Product Language and click Confirm.

Step 4: Click the link under Download – Windows 11.

Step 5: Save the ISO file to your computer.

Configuring a New VMware Workstation

Step 1: Open VMware Workstation Pro.

Step 2: Select Create a New Virtual Machine.

Step 3: Choose the Typical (recommended) setup, then click Next.

Step 4: Click on Browse to locate and select the ISO file you downloaded earlier.

Step 5: Choose the Windows 11 ISO file and click Open.

Step 6: Click Next.

Step 7: Name your virtual machine if desired. By default, it will save in the C drive, but you can click Browse to choose a different location.

Step 8: Select your desired location and click OK.

Step 9: Click Next.

Step 10: Select the default encryption type, Only the files needed to support a TPM are encrypted, then input a password and click Next.

Step 11: Set the size of the virtual disk and click Next.

Step 12: To customize RAM, select Customize Hardware.

Step 13: Use the slider to allocate the desired amount of RAM to your virtual machine, then close the customization window.

Step 14: Click Finish to complete the setup.

Installing Windows

After creating your virtual machine, it should launch automatically. In case you encounter any issues during the Windows installation, follow these steps.

Step 1: If you see a timeout screen, click the pause button at the top and select Shut Down Guest.

Step 2: Select the Power on this virtual machine option to restart it.

Step 3: When prompted with “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD,” click inside the virtual machine and press any key before the timeout occurs.

Step 4: Proceed with the installation process of Windows 11.

Modifying Virtual Machine Settings: Hiding the VMware Toolbar and Tips

Before you dive into your virtual machine, you may wish to make a few adjustments for a smoother experience.

Adjust Screen Resolution and Enable Full Screen

Initially, you might find the screen resolution lacking. To enhance it, navigate to Settings > System > Display > Display resolution.

To enter full-screen mode, simply click the full-screen icon on the VMware Workstation toolbar.

Conceal the VMware Toolbar

If the VMware toolbar is visible and you’d like to hide it, follow these steps:

Step 1: Click the pin icon on the far left to unpin it. This will hide the toolbar unless you hover at the top edge again.

Step 2: To hide the top edge of the toolbar completely, navigate to Edit > Preferences.

Step 3: Select Display and uncheck Show toolbar edge when unpinned in full screen, then click OK.

Disable VMware Hints

If the hints at the top (such as ‘To release input, press Ctrl+Alt’) become bothersome, you can remove them by installing VMware Tools:

Step 1: Access the VMware toolbar, click on VM, and select Install VMware Tools…

This action mounts the VMware tools image.

Step 2: Press Win+R to open the RUN box. Input D:\setup.exe (substituting D: for the drive where VMware Tools is mounted) and hit Enter.

Step 3: Click Next.

Step 4: Select Typical installation and click Next.

Step 5: Finally, press Install.

A prompt to restart the virtual machine will appear. After restarting, these annoying tips should be gone.

Resolve ‘Could not create anonymous paging file’ Error

If you see the error “Could not create anonymous paging file for MB: Insufficient system resources exist to complete the requested service” when loading your virtual machine, here’s how to troubleshoot it:

Step 1: Open the RUN dialog using the Win+R command.

Step 2: Enter sysdm.cpl and hit Enter.

Step 3: Navigate to the ‘Advanced’ tab and click Settings within the ‘Performance’ section.

Step 4: Go back to the ‘Advanced’ tab and click Change in the ‘Virtual memory’ area.

Step 5: Uncheck the box for Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.

Step 6: Choose the drive where your virtual machine resides.

Step 7: Select Custom size and provide ‘Initial size’ and ‘Maximum size’. Ensure that the maximum exceeds the requirement indicated by the error message, then click Set.

Step 8: Click OK.

Your VMware workstation should now operate smoothly without errors.

We hope this guide has assisted you in successfully creating a virtual machine using VMware Workstation Pro, installing Windows, and configuring its settings to optimize your user experience.