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Use a Legacy Virtual Machine and Upgrade the Virtual Hardware
If you use an existing virtual machine from Workstation 4.x, GSX Server 3.x or ESX Server 2.x, and upgrade the virtual hardware, you gain access to new features, and enjoy the performance benefits of the new virtual hardware, including:
  • Multiple snapshots.
  • Streaming USB input devices.
  • (Workstation 3 only) Add sound to the virtual machine and upgrade virtual disks to the new format.
  • Increased network bandwidth, optimized disk and memory cache, and much more.
  • Notes on Upgrading Virtual Hardware
  • if you previously installed Workstation 5 Tools, you must re-install after the hardware upgrade, and choose the "Repair" option.If you are upgrading a virtual machine that runs from a physical disk, rather than a virtual disk, you may see the following error message while VMware Workstation is upgrading the virtual hardware: "Unable to upgrade <drivename>. One of the supplied parameters is invalid." You may safely click OK to continue the upgrade process.
  • When you update the virtual hardware in a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 virtual machine, the Microsoft product activation feature requires you to reactivate the guest operating system.
  • The virtual hardware upgrade is irreversible: Disks upgraded to Workstation 5 virtual hardware are incompatible with VMware Workstation 3, Workstation 4.x, GSX Server 3.x and ESX Server 2.x. Make backup copies of your virtual disks before starting the upgrade.

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