How to run Macos 10.7 lion, as VMware on 2019 iMac

I hear there's a free version of VmWare Fusion for personal use...

http://www.vmware.com/mac

VirtualBox is free...

http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Those all come with directions I believe, or simple step by step procedures for adding a guest OS.

Hi DB Aqua,

Apologies for slow response. Life intervened! Virtual Box is for Macos Sierra and above: does not accept osx Lion - too old.

I downloaded VMware Fusion 13 as it has a basic version which is, as you say, free. My objective was to run osx Lion as a guest in Fusion 13 and I could not figure out how to get the Lion installer to be accepted by VM ware. The application asked me to drag and drop an .iso or .dmg onto a window which MVware opened to import the disk image. Messing with the options cost several days before I finally hit the wall.

Turning to the VMware forum, a VMware Guru, Technogeezer, explained I need to download a super tool from github: https://github.com/ninxsoft/Mist. This tool runs on Monterey and later. It provides a GUI interface to download Mac installers as far back as 10.7.5. - which is also the earliest osx which VWware recognises. Once Lion .dmg is downloaded via Mist, VMware Fusion 13 recognises and installs it perfectly.

I go through the usual Macosx registration/set-up process and os works fast and reliably. Image resolution is only 1024 x 768 and while I can increase that size to full screen depth (330mm), finder text is large and coarse but perfectly readable on the 5K screen.

I have yet to figure out how to import osx Lion settings apps and account files from my old Lion hdd. Migration Assistant cannot read the old hdd in my external dock attached by USB3. Network sharing and CCC cloning also will not cross the VMware barrier. I have yet to try linking an older iMac to this 2019 iMac to see if that helps Migration Assistant.

So this venture is still a work in progress. I shall keep you posted. Appreciate your interest.

Good deal, do keep us posted please.:)