Virtualize a Physical Machine

You can create a virtual machine from a Windows physical machine in Workstation Pro. When you virtualize a physical machine, you capture all of the applications, documents, and settings on the physical machine in a new virtual machine. Workstation Pro must be running on a Windows host system to use this feature.

Prerequisites

• Verify that the physical machine that you want to virtualize is running Windows. You cannot create a virtual machine from a non-Windows physical machine in Workstation Pro.
  Note: You can create a virtual machine from a Linux physical machine using vCenter Converter Standalone. For more information, see the vCenter Converter Standalone documentation.
• Verify that you have administrative access on the physical machine that you want to virtualize and on the Workstation Pro host system.
• Verify that the Workstation Pro host system has network access to the physical machine that you want to virtualize.
• Verify that on the Workstation Pro host system you have disabled User Account Control (UAC). For instructions, see Prepare a Windows Physical Machine for Virtualization.
• Turn off firewall applications running on the physical machine that you want to virtualize.
• Prepare the physical machine for virtualization. See Prepare a Windows Physical Machine for Virtualization.

Procedure

1. Power on the physical machine that you want to virtualize.
2. On the Windows host system, in Workstation Pro, select File > Virtualize a Physical Machine.
   If you have never virtualized a physical machine in Workstation Pro, you need to download and install VMware vCenter Converter Standalone. After the VMware vCenter Converter Standalone installation is finished, you must restart the virtualization wizard.
3. Type the hostname or IP address, user name, and password for the physical machine that you want to virtualize.
   You must use the Administrator account or a user account that is a member of the local Administrators group.
4. Type a name for the new virtual machine and specify a location on the host system in which to store the virtual machine files.
5. Type the user name and password for your user account on the host system.
6. Click Finish to create a virtual machine from the physical machine.
   The amount of time required to create the virtual machine depends on the size of the hard disk on the physical machine.

Results

VMware Tools installation begins the first time you power on the new virtual machine.