VMware Player - Install and Setup Zorin

Well done Ethel to be honest I was rather sceptical that it could be done but now I know thanks to your efforts

Yep I reckon you passed the entrance test LOL!!

BuckSkin said:

I am a wee bit confused.
I have Windows 7 and Linux Mint Cinnamon, and also Zorin, dual-booted on some of our machines.
I previously had Windows 7 Pro and Linux Mint Cinnamon dual-boot on my main machine; but, when I switched to a SSD for the system drive, although I had successfully managed to do it before, I could not get the Linux partition to clone to the new drive --- so currently this machine is not dual-boot.
Then I stumbled upon this thread and wondered if VMware Player might be a better solution than the aggravation of having to boot back and forth.
I scanned through these pages and my answer may very well be there, but I did not catch it.

Question 1: With VMware Player, can I install programs and use them in Linux the same as I can in dual-boot configuration ?

Question 2: Lets say I am using Windows and have a few programs and need to do something in Linux; do I have to close out of my Windows programs before calling up Linux ?

Question 3: Does VMware Player/Linux simply behave as if it were another program in Windows, allowing one to simply click back and forth between the two ?

Sorry for so many questions.
Thanks for reading and all help is appreciated.

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Yes.

The only downsides to running a VM are reduced performance and you cannot easily access the virtual disks directly from Windows. You will need a reasonably powerful CPU and at least 8GB of RAM. You also need to have support in the BIOS for virtualisation.


You might also want to give VirtualBox a look. It is pretty much the same as VMware Player with a few more features.

BuckSkin said:

Thanks again.
I have downloaded VirtualBox v. 6.0.
However, I read that it works for Windows 8.1 and 10; no mention of Windows 7.
Is that simply due to Windows 7 being extinct; or, should I download an earlier version ?
6.0 was not the most recent; the information on the downloads page said something about the version after 6.0 not supporting software virtualization; I had no idea what that meant, but to be safe, I got the 6.0

I've not run VB on W7 for several years now being on W10. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't though. I guess you are just going to have to try it unless someone else can chip in with info.

7 isn't on the list of support host OS's. Chapter 1. First Steps


Maybe I'll be able to test tomorrow night. Did you download 6 or 6.1?