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Starting a Virtual Machine
Starting a Virtual Machine
To start a virtual machine, take the steps described below for your host operating system.
Starting a Virtual Machine
1. Select the name of the virtual machine you want to use in the Favorites list at the left of the Workstation window.
If the virtual machine you want to use is not shown there, choose File > Open and browse to the configuration (.vmx) file for the virtual machine you want to use. (On a Linux host, a virtual machine created with an earlier VMware product may have a configuration file with a .cfg extension.) To add that virtual machine to the Favorites list so you can open it easily the next time you want to use it, choose File > Add to Favorites.
2. Click the Power On button to start the virtual machine.
3. Click anywhere inside the virtual machine window to give the virtual machine control of your mouse and keyboard.
4. If you need to log on, type your name and password just as you would on a physical computer.
Note: If your Windows guest operating system asks you to press Ctrl-Alt-Del before logging in, press Ctrl-Alt-Ins, instead.
Virtual Machine Location
On Windows hosts VMware Workstation stores virtual machines in the My Documents folder of the user who is logged on when the virtual machine is created.
On Windows Server 2003, Windows XP and Windows 2000, the default folder is C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Virtual Machines\<guestOSname>.
On Windows NT, the default folder is C:\WINNT\Profiles\<username>\Personal\My Virtual Machines\<guestOSname>.
On linux hosts VMware Workstation stores virtual machines in <homedir>/VMware/<guestOSname>, where <homedir> is the home directory of the user who is logged on when the virtual machine is created.