Running Windows 2000 in VM

[The Stealthinator]

I have setup Windows 2000 in VMware Player. But when I am running the OS, I cannot change the resolution above 640x480 nor the colour above 16-bit. I have all required components downloaded and installed. Any help appreciated!

 

[Ijack]

Have you installed the Additions (or whatever they are called on VMWare)? 2000 certainly works in VirtualBox without this limitation.

 

[The Stealthinator]

Yes I did say I downloaded all necessary components.

 

[Ijack]

I can only say that I have just tried a Windows 2000 installation on VMWare Player. Until I installed VMWare Tools in the VM I got exactly the behaviour you report. After installing VMWare Tools (which I had to jump through a few hoops to do), I get a variety of resoultions, including the infinitely variable VMWare mode, with colours up to 32-bit.

Are you sure the tools installed correctly? Do you get the VMWare Tools icon in the task bar?

The only other suggestion that I can make is that you experiment with the "Enable 3D acceleration" setting in the VM settings.

 

[The Stealthinator]

All right, I will double check the tools are installed properly.

Will report back with results

 

[The Stealthinator]

The tools seem to be installed as it doesn't say there are any downloads pending, but it still doesn't allow me to change the colour to 32 and the res higher than 640x480

 

[Ijack]

If you don't know 100% for sure that you have installed VMWare Tools then you almost certainly haven't. This is particularly true for Windows 2000 as you need to install SP2 or higher and then an additional fix before they will install. Without the tools installed you get exactly the symptoms you describe.

Downloading the tools isn't enough. You then have to install the tools from within the guest OS on every VM. Instructions for doing that at: http://www.vmware.com/support/ws55/doc/ws_newguest_tools_windows.html . But first read this note from VMWare: http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2007120 . As the fix requires SP2 or greater, you may as well install SP4 before starting. You need to use the standalone installer to do this; the normal selective installer doesn't work.

I have been unable to get Window Update to work. I suspect this may be because Windows 2000 is beyond it's support date, although it did work a year or two back when I last did a 2000 installation. Also you are very limited in which versions of IE you can run, so would probably want to use some other browser.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

I have been unable to get Window Update to work. I suspect this may be because Windows 2000 is beyond it's support date, although it did work a year or two back when I last did a 2000 installation.

Microsoft has turned off the older v4 update servers that handled Windows 9x/ME/2000. We're on our own for updates on those older OS's.

 

[Ijack]

Ah. I suspected someting of the sort. I suspect that you can still find most of the updates, but it will be hard work. Luckily I have a fully updated Windows 2000 VM on VirtualBox.

 

[The Stealthinator]

I did try to run the installation of the tools from inside the guest OS as you said, but for some reason it just didn't run.

 

[The Stealthinator]

2000 certainly works in VirtualBox without this limitation.

Don't just copy paste what someone else has said. If you can't be of any help, don't post.