Editing the configuration file is no longer necessary to mount an ISO, I have a new post on this topic.
Yeah, you heard me no CD/DVD burning in here. VMWare player lacks the ability to create new virtual machines by it self, this problem can be overcomed by using third party solutions or a blank virtual machine. However one small feature found on VMWare Workstation still missing which is the ability to install the operating system from ISO without having to burn in it into a CD/DVD first. Mostly it’s about reducing recordable media waste. You can download a blank virtual machine ready for installation from this link. You might also find this article interesting : How to Create a virtual machine with VMWare Player
In order to make the virtual machine boot from the ISO you need to first edit the configuration ending with .vmx in this case named virtualmachine.vmx. Add the following line to the configuration file.
ide1:0.fileName = “locationofiso.iso”
Locate and change the following line.
ide1:0.deviceType = “cdrom-raw”
To.
ide1:0.deviceType = “cdrom-image”
Close and save the configuration file. Now start the virtual machine and proceed with the regular installation. After the installation is done change the values back to.
ide1:0.fileName = “auto detect”
ide1:0.deviceType = “cdrom-raw”
Save and enjoy your virtual machine. Last revised on 02/04/2009
vmware — Dec 28, 2008