Time Machine and VMware Fusion

Question

Level 1

30 points

Time Machine and VMware Fusion

Does Time Machine backup VMware Fusion and the Windows operating system and all the folders you created? I'm wondering if I can restore my Windows operating system and programs in case of a crash.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.4.10), MacBook 13" 2 GHz + 23" Samsung Display

Posted on Jun 23, 2009 7:15 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Jun 23, 2009 7:16 AM in response to Dan Mackey1

It will backup the drive image file that contains the windows installation. It doesn't do individual files/folders in Windows. It's all..the entire drive image...or nothing.

Reply

Answer 2

Dan Mackey1 Author

Level 1

30 points

Jun 24, 2009 3:06 PM in response to Templeton Peck

I think you answered my question.

I have a program where I save audio files and play them back. I think you are saying that the audio files are backed up, and when I restore the drive image file nothing is lost. I will still have my audio files.

Reply

Answer 3

Jun 24, 2009 3:09 PM in response to Dan Mackey1

The VMware Image is backed up as a big blob (so sometimes 5-20 GB at a time). Everything in the Windows image is backed up.

Reply

Answer 4

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,318 points

Jun 24, 2009 4:14 PM in response to Dan Mackey1

The VMWare virtual machine is a single file. Everything you see in your Windows environment is stored in a single file on the Mac. That file does get backed up, if you let it. However, since the whole environment is a single file, even if you only change 1 byte on a single file in Windows, your entire virtual machine disk image is flagged as changed and backed up fully at every TM backup.

Unless VMWare adopts a SparseBundle disk image, you will have to decide if you want to keep duplicating the same file every time you open you windows virtual machine or use another backup for your virtual machine.

Reply

Answer 5

Dan Mackey1 Author

Level 1

30 points

Jun 27, 2009 8:43 PM in response to Barney-15E

I migrated to new computer, and used Time Machine to move everything to the new computer.

The VMWare Virtual Machine folder is empty.

How do I get my old Virtual Machine to the new computer? Time Machine created the folder, but the folder is empty.

Reply

Answer 6

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,318 points

Jun 27, 2009 8:50 PM in response to Dan Mackey1

I would say just move it from the old computer to the new.

I remember there were issues with vmware and TM early on, but an update to Fusion supposedly fixed that. So, I guess it is possible that it didn't get backed up.

You could also just dig through the TM backup folders to find the vm.

Reply

Answer 7

Dan Mackey1 Author

Level 1

30 points

Jun 28, 2009 9:45 AM in response to Barney-15E

Thank you,

But here is my problem, better explained.

My computer with the hard drive that has my Fusion virtual folder is FUBARED. When I try to boot, I get the Apple logo and the spike gear, and then the machine shuts down.

I have my time machine backup, and used it to migrate the backup to a new computer. Everything made it except the Virtual Machine Folder. The VM Folder is there, but it is empty. ?????

I don't know how to get to the VM Folder on Time Machine. When I start up the new computer, and go to Time Machine, there are no backups. In other words it wants to start a new Time Machine backup for the new computer. I could go back to Utility > Migration Assistant, but that wants to bring all my folders over again. It doesn't let me get to the VM Folder on the original Time Machine backup. I think there are two possibilities:

1) Figure out how to get to the VM Folder on the original backup, and transfer the VM Folder I find there. Worries: The folder in the Time Machine backup may be empty too. 😟

2) Run Disk Warrior on the old FUBARED computer and hope I can get the computer running long enough to copy the Virtual Machine Folder. I am somewhat afraid that I will screw up the hard drive even worse, so this is a long shot.

Any ideas how to use 1) above to get to the Virtual Machine folder on Time Machine? That seems to be the safest first approach.

Reply

Answer 8

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Jun 28, 2009 9:52 AM in response to Dan Mackey1

Dan Mackey1 wrote:

I don't know how to get to the VM Folder on Time Machine. When I start up the new computer, and go to Time Machine, there are no backups.

That's correct . . . there are no backups for the new Mac. Time Machine uses each Mac's "Ethernet Address" (found in the hardware) to keep them separate.

When you start doing TM backups on the new machine, they'll be a different set, completely separated from the old ones.

To see the old set, you need the (badly named) +Browse Other Time Machine Disks+ option. To use it, either hold down the Option key while selecting the TM icon in your Menubar, or control-click (right-click) the TM icon in your Dock. This option will take you into the TM interface in a way that you should see all backups on the disk you select.

Then you should be able to locate and restore the VM folder. To do that, click on the folder to select it, then click the "gear" icon in the Finder window's toolbar and select the +Restore <item> to ..+ option. Then you'll get a prompt to select a destination for the folder.

Reply

Answer 9

Dan Mackey1 Author

Level 1

30 points

Jun 28, 2009 10:32 AM in response to Pondini

Thanks.

It worked as you said, except when I get to the backup Virtual Machines folder. It is empty 😟

Evidently Time Machine doesn't back up the contents of that folder, or there is a trick to seeing the contents that I don't know, or perhaps the backup Virtual Machine is somewhere else.

Any ideas? Thanks

Reply

Answer 10

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Jun 28, 2009 10:40 AM in response to Dan Mackey1

No, sorry, I don't do Windoze, so have no idea. 😟

Reply

Answer 11

Dan Mackey1 Author

Level 1

30 points

Jun 28, 2009 12:29 PM in response to Pondini

I found out that versions of VMWare Fusion before version 1.1.2 don't back up with Time Machine because of problems that causes. "Automatically excluded is what I got from a VMWare site. My version is 1.1.1 😟

On to the more risky approach.

Thanks for your help.

Reply

Answer 12

Dan Mackey1 Author

Level 1

30 points

Jun 30, 2009 4:40 PM in response to Pondini

Just to let you know, Disk Warrior let me recover everything.

Thanks for the help.

Reply