Installing and Using VMware Workstation on Ubuntu Linux (Hardy)

If you use Linux as your Operating System, then you already know the benefits of a more stable, more secure OS than Windows. But what if you still want to use Windows for those applications that are not made with the millions of Linux users in mind? That was my problem- I wanted to play Call of Duty 4 with my buddies but I did not want a dual-boot system that I would have to reboot every time I wanted to switch to Windows. Having worked at a company that provided support for UNIX machines with VMware installed, I was already familiar with Virtual Machines and their use, so I decided to try it out on my own computer.

The first mistake I made was in not doing my research first. I downloaded VMware Server, because it was free, without knowing that it does not support direct 3d rendering; or at least not very well. You need VMware Workstation for a good gaming experience. Now, VMware Workstation is NOT free, but, as with any software, it is possible to get it for free, which is what I did. I'll leave the details for you to figure out.

The first thing you will want to do is make sure you have the Gnu C Compiler (gcc) and related libraries. Just type #sudo apt-get install gcc in a terminal. When installing, VMware will use the compiler to make some scripts that it needs. You will also need build-essential and, of course, the latest linux headers. Install the headers by entering #sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r) in terminal. I use a 32 bit Intel system, but if you are using AMD x86_64 architecture, you will need to #sudo apt-get install ia32-libs.

Your VMware files most likely came tarred and gzipped, so unzip them (anywhere you choose- I used /usr/bin just because that's where all my free space is. There will now be a directory called vmware-distrib. Go into this directory and you will see a file called vmware-install.pl. Just type #./vmware-install.pl to run the installation.

NOTE

This guide WAS finished. I spent FOUR HOURS working on it. I write directly into the site's editor to save myself the trouble of copying and pasting. However, as you can see, the next FOUR FUCKING PAGES of information does not follow. Why? Because Associated Content TIMED OUT MY SESSION, causing me to lose ALL unsaved info. Thanks, AC! Fucking idiots need to stop trying to 'protect' my shit and let me stay logged into MY FUCKING ACCOUNT for as long as I FUCKING CHOOSE.

So you want to know how to do the rest of this shit? Here it is short and sweet...

1. Go to fucking Google.

2. Type, "How do I do this shit".

3. Look at one of the million fucking pages telling you how to do this shit.

Then contact AC and tell them to quit assuming that everyone is a fucking moron who doesn't know how to lock their fucking screen or something and to STOP TIMING OUT OUR SESSIONS! I'll go ahead and post the screenshots that I took just so you can see what the hell I was TRYING to say.