How to turn an existing Windows Virtual Machine into a Mac Os package

17 Dec

How to turn an existing VMWare Virtual Machine created on a Windows environment into a nicer single-filed Mac Os package

Requisites:
A Virtual Machine (VM) made in windows (usually you will have a whole directory, but only the hard disk file *.vmdk is needed). A MAC computer with VMWare installed on it (VMWare Fusion v3.1.2 used for this documentation).

Open VMWare.
Click on File and then New.
Next VMWare will ask you to insert the installation disc of the desired operating system. Of course we do not need it. Click on Continue without disc.
You will be asked for the operating system again, choose Use an existing virtual disk and search for the *.vmdk of the VM you want to modify.
At this point, you can choose what it is best for you:
- Make a separate copy of the virtual disk: This can be the safer option, but you will need extra disk space and time.
- Share this virtual disk with the virtual machine that created it: Choose this option only if you want to run the same VM in both Operating system on a not concurrent but synchronized way.
- Take this disk away from the virtual machine currently using it: Usually the normal option, as you will not need any more the Windows VM.
On the next step it will ask you again for the Operating System of the VM: DO NOT change the default, as you could crash the disk. Just click on Continue.
On the last step you can customize the settings of your Mac OS VM file (usually a good idea if the computers are quite different) or you can tell VMWare to open this VM as default (not recommended).
Click on finish and it will prompt you for the name and location of the new VM. Choose the one you want and you are done!