Can I run a 64-bit VMware image on a 32-bit machine?

Can I run a 64-bit VMware image on a 32-bit machine?

I've googled this, but there doesn't seem to be a conclusive answer.

I know that it would have to be completely emulated and would run like a dog - but slow performance isn't necessarily an issue as I'm just interested in testing some of my background services code on 64-bit platforms.

Solution 1:

The easiest way to check your workstation is to download the VMware Processor Check for 64-Bit Compatibility tool from the VMware website.

You can't run a 64-bit VM session on a 32-bit processor. However, you can run a 64-bit VM session if you have a 64-bit processor but have installed a 32-bit host OS and your processor supports the right extensions. The tool linked above will tell you if yours does.

Solution 2:

If you have 32-bit hardware, no, you cannot run a 64-bit guest OS. "VMware software does not emulate an instruction set for different hardware not physically present".

However, QEMU can emulate a 64-bit processor, so you could convert the VMWare machine and run it with this

From this 2008-era blog post (mirrored by archive.org):

$ cd /path/to/vmware/guestos
$ for i in \`ls *[0-9].vmdk\`; do qemu-img convert -f vmdk $i -O raw {i/vmdk/raw};done
$ cat *.raw >> guestos.img

To run it,

qemu -m 256 -hda guestos.img

The downside? Most of us runs VMware without preallocation space for the virtual disk. So, when we make a conversion from VMware to QEMU, the raw file will be the total space WITH preallocation. I am still testing with -f qcow format will it solve the problem or not. Such as:

for i in `ls *[0-9].vmdk`; do qemu-img convert -f vmdk $i -O qcow ${i/vmdk/qcow}; done && cat *.qcow >> debian.img

Solution 3:

Yes, running a 64-bit OS in VMWare is possible from a 32-bit OS if you have a 64 bit processor.

I have an old Intel Core 2 Duo with Windows XP Professional 2002 running on it, and I got it to work.

First of all, see if your CPU is capable of running a 64-bit OS. Search for 'Processor check for 64-bit compatibility' on the VMware site. Run the program.

If it says your processor is capable, restart your computer and go into the BIOS and see if you have 'Virtualization' and are able to enable it. I was able to and got Windows Server 2008 R2 running under VMware on this old laptop.

I hope it works for you!

Solution 4:

If your hardware is 32-bit only, then no. If you have 64 bit hardware and a 32-bit operating system, then maybe. See Hardware and Firmware Requirements for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems for details. It has nothing to do with one vs. multiple processors.