How to Install Windows 10 on VMware Workstation 17 Pro

Suppose you want to test new software. But you fear harming your main computer. At this point, virtual machines come into play.

VMware Workstation 17 Pro lets you run more than one operating system on a single computer. By installing Windows 10 in a virtual machine, you can build a safe test space. Plus, this task is not as hard as it looks.

In this guide, we walk through the Windows 10 setup on VMware Workstation 17 step by step. After the setup, you will also learn the speed tweaks, the VMware Tools installation, and file sharing. Plus, we cover common errors and their fixes.

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned user, this article will guide you. Let’s start right now!

How to Install Windows 10 on a Virtual Machine with VMware Workstation Pro on a PC or Laptop

If you plan to build a network or a test space with the VMware Workstation virtualization app, you may need to load Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10, or a Linux distro, onto your computer.

With virtualization apps, you can install and run many operating systems on your physical (host) computer. On top of that, you have options other than VMware Pro for building a virtual computer. For example, you can also use Hyper-V or Oracle VM VirtualBox on your PC.

VMware Workstation is a paid virtualization app. Still, users choose this tool more often than the free VirtualBox. We suggest you try VMware Pro free for 30 days, then buy it.

System Needs and Prerequisites

Before you install Windows 10 with VMware, you must check the system needs. Otherwise, you may encounter performance problems.

Also, you will need a Windows 10 ISO file. You can download it from Microsoft’s official site. Once the download finishes, check the file’s integrity. A corrupted image leads to errors during setup.

NOTE: If the virtualization feature is off in BIOS or UEFI, VMware Workstation will not run. To turn it on, check your computer’s manual.

Download and Check the Windows 10 ISO File

You can get the ISO file from Microsoft’s official download page. You can also download it with the Media Creation Tool. The download can take 30–60 minutes, based on your internet speed.

After you download it, check the file’s SHA-256 hash value. Microsoft posts the official hash values for each build. This way, you can be sure the file is not corrupt.

Tip: Try a different browser when you download the ISO file. Sometimes download errors come from the browser itself.

Build a New Virtual Machine for Windows 10

First, we will set up a virtual machine (VM) with the newest build of Workstation Pro. Next, we will use that base to build a virtual computer. After that, we will load the 22H2 build onto this computer. Finally, we will add VMware Tools so the guest machine runs fast.

Before you install Windows on the virtual computer, visit this article of ours. Also, download the newest build of Win10 for your PC.

Step-by-Step Setup in the New Virtual Machine Wizard

Step 1

First, download the VMware Pro app, install it, and launch it. After that, click the Create a New Virtual Machine button to bring up the setup wizard.

First, to build an advanced VM in the wizard, check the Custom (Advanced) box. Then, continue with your task.

Step 2

First, select the Workstation 17.x build from the hardware compatibility window. Then, press Next to move on.

Step 3

In the guest machine setup, you can add the ISO image file to the VM later. So, check the “I will install the operating system later” box and click Next.

Step 4

In the guest operating system selection window, you must set the system type and build you want to load. In this step, select Microsoft Windows as the system and Windows 10 x64 in the Version field.

Step 5

You may want to install Windows, Linux, or macOS with VMware. So, set the setup path on a different disk. Also, this trick significantly boosts system speed. In fact, you can load the VM on an SSD or NVMe disk. This way, you get more speed.

Hardware and Network Configuration

Step 1

In the Firmware Type window, keep the default UEFI selection and move on. In this step, you can turn on Secure Boot, or you can do it later from the VM’s settings.

Step 2

In the Processor Configuration window, set the CPU count you want to add to the virtual PC. Also, set the Core value per processor here.

Step 3

You can give the guest machine a low or high value, based on your computer’s capacity. If your host has 32 GB of RAM, set 8 or 16 GB of RAM here. As a result, you get high performance.

Step 4

In the Network Type screen, you can use an IP block that is separate from your host’s IP range. For that, check the NAT box.

Step 5

The system offers the LSI Logic SAS disk by default in the Select I/O Controller Types window. Plus, it supports this disk type. So, you can continue with this default selection.

Set Up the Virtual Machine Disk and Hardware Settings

Step 1

One of the new features of VMware Workstation Pro is the NVMe disk type. When you do a setup with the NVMe disk type, you will gain significant speed.

Step 2

In the Select a Disk screen, you must create a new virtual disk for Win10. Alternatively, you can also add a virtual disk you created in the past. For a clean Windows setup, select “Create a new virtual disk” and move on.

Step 3

In the Specify Disk Capacity window, VMware suggests 60 GB by default for this OS. Keeping this value at the maximum can be useful at times, but it can consume a large portion of your host’s disk.

You may be loading this system in a virtual PC just for a test with VMware. So, set a disk space of 50 GB. Also, store this disk as a single file.

Step 4

In the Specify Disk File window, you can save the VMDK virtual disk to a different path. For that, you just need to change the file path.

If you change the value here, you may struggle to find the path of the virtual machines later. So, leave the value here at the default to store the disk file in the same path where you set up the VM.

Step 5

First, set the hardware settings of the guest machine. For that, click the Customize Hardware button.

Set Up the Processor, Memory, and Hardware Parts

Step 1

Click the Processors part in the hardware settings of the guest machine. In addition, check all boxes in the Virtualization Engine field on the right side.

• Virtualize Intel VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI
• Virtualize CPU Performance Counters
• Virtualize IOMMU (IO Memory Management Unit)

Step 2

Open the New CD/DVD tab in the VM hardware settings. Also, check the “Use ISO image file” box on this tab. Along with that, click the “Browse” button to find the Windows ISO file. In the window that opens, select the image file of the operating system you downloaded for your PC and click Open.

Step 3

You can move large files quickly from your host system to your virtual system. So, set the USB device’s compatibility mode to 3.1.

Step 4

Turn on the 3D Graphics / Accelerate 3D Graphics box on the Display tab. Then, set the Graphics Memory size according to your computer’s capabilities. Alternatively, give at least 3 GB of video memory to this part.

Step 5

Once you set the needed options, click the Finish button to close the hardware customization window.

Step 6

Click Power on this virtual machine, or click the green start button, to run it.

In this step, you can turn on the Secure Boot feature for UEFI boot. You can access this box from the Firmware Type settings under Options / Advanced.

Windows 10 Setup with VMware

Loading Windows systems is quite easy. Still, you can encounter some issues in virtualization apps like VMware. So, it helps to follow the Windows setup steps below.

Step 1

Once you prepare the Windows 10 machine for setup, run the VM. Also, press a key when you see the “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD” prompt.

Step 2

First, select the system language and keyboard layout you will use for the Windows operating system. Plus, set your time zone and click Next.

Step 3

Click the Install Now button to start the installation flow.

Step 4

To use a real Windows 10 license in the VM, type your key in the field. In test virtual setups, you do not need a license key. So, click the “I don’t have a product key” box.

Step 5

Select the Windows build you want to load (Pro) and click Next.

Step 6

First, you must accept the Microsoft OS terms of use. For that, check the “I accept the license terms” box and continue with the Next button.

Step 7

If you want to load a clean Windows 10 from scratch, use the Custom box. For that, click the “Custom: Install Windows only (Advanced)” title.

Step 8

Click the New box to set up the VMware virtual disk. To use the whole disk, leave the Size part at the default value and press Apply.

Continue by clicking OK in the info window where Windows will create extra partitions on the disk.

Step 9

First, select the Drive 0 Partition 3 box. Then, click the Next button to continue the setup flow.

Step 10

Wait while the files get ready for setup. This task can take some time, based on your computer’s speed and the virtual PC hardware settings.

First Use and Account Settings

Step 1

After the setup copies the needed files, the virtual system will restart on its own.

Step 2

Wait while the system sets the needed options and prepares the devices.

Step 3

When your computer restarts, select the country where you live. Then, press the Yes button to move on.

Step 4

Check the keyboard layout you prefer on your guest machine. Along with that, press the Yes box to continue.

Step 5

If you want to use a second extra keyboard layout, you can click the Add Layout button. You can also add a second keyboard layout after the system setup. For now, continue by clicking Skip.

Step 6

You must select the way you will use Windows on this screen. You can see this clearly in the image below. Also, the developers added a screen so you can select the setup type for the new build of Windows. Here, you can set your computer for Personal or Organization use.

Continue with the Set up for personal use box.

Step 7

On this screen, you can log in to your computer with your Microsoft account. If you do not have a Microsoft account, click the Offline Account box.

Step 8

On this screen, if you choose to log in with a Microsoft account, you can click Next. In this step, you can create a local or offline user account. For that, click the Limited Experience box.

Step 9

On the “Who’s going to use this PC?” screen, type a user account name and move on.

Step 10

If you do not want other people to use your computer without your permission, you can create a password.

Privacy, Cortana, and Final Setup Steps

Step 1

Set your device’s privacy choices to match your own preferences. Then, confirm to wrap up the task.

Step 2

In the new Win10 setup wizard, you can select what you will mostly use your PC for, based on your own preferences.

Microsoft offers the Fun, Creativity, Gaming, Work, School, or Family tags. Check these boxes if you want. On the other hand, you can skip this step right away.

Step 3

The system leaves the decision to use Cortana entirely up to you. Select the Accept button to turn it on now. Along with that, you can postpone this step with the Not Now button.

Step 4

At this step, your computer will be ready, so do not turn off your PC.

Step 5

To check your Windows build, first press Windows Key + R. Then, run the winver command in the Run window.

winver

VMware Tools Setup on Microsoft Windows 10

After you install this OS, you also need to load VMware Tools. If you do not load it, you will not be able to use the virtual machine in full-screen mode or at full resolution.

Step 1

To load the hardware drivers in the virtual OS, click the VM / Install VMware Tools box from the menu.

Step 2

If the VMware Tools image file does not open on its own, go to the This PC path. Then, double-click the DVD drive.

Step 3

You can continue the VMware Tools setup by pressing the Next button.

Step 4

If you select Complete as the setup type, you can use this virtual computer on other VMware platforms by importing it.

Step 5

Select the Install button to start the virtual PC tools setup.

Step 6

As you will see in the image below, the system loads the video and device drivers.

Step 7

While the setup wraps up, the screen resolution of the virtual OS will change. When the setup ends, restart your system so the changes take effect on the guest machine.

Step 8

When your VM opens, check that you can use your Windows 10 virtual system at full-screen resolution.

Step 9

First, restart the VM. Then, check that you can copy files between the host and the guest machine with the drag-and-drop feature.

Shared Folder Setup

With Workstation Pro, you can prepare Windows 10 or other virtual systems. So, to copy your large files faster, we suggest you turn on and use the Shared Folder setup.

Step 1

To turn on the Shared Folder in your Microsoft virtual computer, first open the VM settings. Then, select Shared Folders from the Options tab. Finally, check the Always Enabled box in the Sharing settings.

Then, click Add to open the wizard so you can create a shared folder at a path on your host system.

Step 2

Click Browse in the Name the Shared Folder window. Then, in the window that opens, create and select a shared folder on your host system.

Step 3

Turn on the folder you created for sharing and close the wizard.

Step 4

First, open the Network links on your guest machine. Then, turn on file sharing for the other computers on the network. As a result, you will see the shared folder at the “vmware-host / Shared Folders / Windows10SharedFolder” path.

You can check the task by creating a folder named Backup in the Windows10SharedFolder folder and then opening and viewing the folder on your host system.

USB Flash Drive Use

You can also use the USB flash drives or storage devices you use on your physical computer on your virtual system.

Step 1

First, plug the flash drive into an empty USB 3.x port on your physical computer. Plus, create a folder named Backup inside it.

Step 2

Linking your USB drive to the virtual machine is quite simple. For that, go to the VM box in the VMware tool menu. Then, follow the Removable Devices and USB Name steps and press the Connect button.

Step 3

Open the This PC area on your Windows VM. Then, look at the contents of your USB drive or copy your files with ease.

Deleting the Windows 10 Virtual Machine

With VMware Workstation, you can create guest operating systems on your computer. In time, you may not want to use these systems anymore. So, to keep your host disk from filling up, you can delete the VM from the disk for good.

Right-click the virtual machine you want to delete from the Workstation library. Then, select the Manage / Delete From Disk box. After that, click the Yes button in the window that opens to confirm the deletion.

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Windows Setup with Older Builds

You may be using an older VMware Pro build. Or your license may not come with a free upgrade. Still, you do not have to install Windows with only the new build. You can check the setup flows with older builds in the table below.

FAQ About Using Windows 10 on a Virtual Machine

Final Thoughts

In summary, loading a Windows virtual system with VMware Workstation is quite easy. Plus, it lets you build test spaces for your own use. Thanks to all the steps outlined here, you can push your VM speed to the maximum.

Now you have a working Windows 10 virtual machine in your hands. By following the same steps, you can install Windows 7 on the VM. Similarly, you can also run Windows 8 in a virtual machine. This way, you can test more than one operating system on a single computer.

On top of that, you can make your virtual machine run smoothly through fine tweaks. In terms of the ease, safety, and isolation VMware offers, it is one step ahead. Plus, since it also allows for advanced test and development work, you can get skilled at setting up other systems too.