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Cannot install macOS or OSX in VMware Fusion!

Thor774

Thor774

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 14, 2007
227
30
I have several Windows VMs in Fusion 8.5.8 working without any problems. I am needing to create a new VM with macOS or at least with OSX El Capitan. I have tried many times now and VMware is always giving me the same fail when starting the image for the first time before the installation. If I use the .app file from the Apple Store dropping it into the Create a New Virtual Image window I just get this error message: "Unable to create the installation medium". If I use the InstallESD.dmg from inside the package contents the VM simply cannot boot from it. I have tried with both macOS Sierra and El Capitan and the same is happening.
I have googled this problem and found that it was present on the Fusion 8 beta but it supposed to be fixed long time ago via updates on Fusion.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
I am trying to do what you say, mount it as an image, but am not getting anything. I am trying with "Install OS X El Capitan.app" for example:
  1. I don't find any way to mount this as an image directly so what I am doing is this:
  2. Show package contents and get the InstallESD.dmg file from inside the Shared Support folder.
  3. Mount the InstallESD.dmg file as an image on Sierra (my main OS) with Finder. It mounts fine.
  4. How do you now use this from inside Fusion to install it on new a guest VM?
I have previously tried using the InstallESD.dmg file as the install source DVD on a newly created VM and it just doesn't boot.

Thank you.
 
Thor774 said:
I am trying to do what you say, mount it as an image, but am not getting anything. I am trying with "Install OS X El Capitan.app" for example:
  1. I don't find any way to mount this as an image directly so what I am doing is this:
  2. Show package contents and get the InstallESD.dmg file from inside the Shared Support folder.
  3. Mount the InstallESD.dmg file as an image on Sierra (my main OS) with Finder. It mounts fine.
  4. How do you now use this from inside Fusion to install it on new a guest VM?
I have previously tried using the InstallESD.dmg file as the install source DVD on a newly created VM and it just doesn't boot.

Thank you.
Click to expand...
You can't use the disk image embedded in the OS X installer app directly in Fusion. The instructions here may work for you: https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2...on-and-esxi-with-create_macos_vm_install_dmg/
 
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chrfr said:
You can't use the disk image embedded in the OS X installer app directly in Fusion. The instructions here may work for you: https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2...on-and-esxi-with-create_macos_vm_install_dmg/
Click to expand...

You have done it. This article was amazing. I could modify the 10.12.6 Sierra .app and turn it into a DMG for installing into a VM.
What strikes me is that after reading all the help files and support articles for VMware Fusion this should not be necessary, the plain .app file should work fine. I do not understand why this complex script is needed when the software should support the installation without any of this hassle.

Thank you very much for your help!
 
Thor774 said:
You have done it. This article was amazing. I could modify the 10.12.6 Sierra .app and turn it into a DMG for installing into a VM.
What strikes me is that after reading all the help files and support articles for VMware Fusion this should not be necessary, the plain .app file should work fine. I do not understand why this complex script is needed when the software should support the installation without any of this hassle.

Thank you very much for your help!
Click to expand...
The script isn’t necessary. When I make a new Mac virtual machine, I just use the installer app and it’s worked fine for me every time. If you’re making a lot of virtual machines, you’d save some time by starting with a disk image but in general it’s not necessary at all.
 
chrfr said:
The script isn’t necessary. When I make a new Mac virtual machine, I just use the installer app and it’s worked fine for me every time. If you’re making a lot of virtual machines, you’d save some time by starting with a disk image but in general it’s not necessary at all.
Click to expand...

Well, it was necessary for me. I could not install any macOS or OSX without modifying the .app file first with this script. It looks like there are many users affected by this fail, but not everyone.
 
Thor774 said:
Well, it was necessary for me. I could not install any macOS or OSX without modifying the .app file first with this script. It looks like there are many users affected by this fail, but not everyone.
Click to expand...
It is so COMICAL that this amazing script was the ONLY way to install every macOS Version from 10.5 to 11.3.1. onto a new 2020 Intel iMac ... Until Mountain Lion the script was NOT necessary. But Mavericks started to create nightmares... Amazing that someone took the time to create this amazing script... also after the Certificate expiration that happened somewhere in 2019 there was a BUG (Which is still unsolved) from apple with the macos Sierra 10.12.6 and there was NO WAY to create a bootable drive. So I could not use this script and had to ACTUALLY do a hack with the terminal. I changed the time to macOS Sierra Release date and even the old expired installer worked. Unbelievable how much complexity you can face in macOS these days for such simple things. Yet some things are so much better in macOS.
 
chrfr said:
The script is not the only way to install macOS in Fusion.
Click to expand...
Your saying does not prove anything. Can you ellaborate please ? Most of the users at the internet they get boot failures when trying to install from . app. I bet you only tried a couple of OS X Versions and because it worked you got a conclusion. Too bad.. You need to try EVERYTHING first.
 
Generic_bug said:
Your saying does not prove anything. Can you ellaborate please ? Most of the users at the internet they get boot failures when trying to install from . app. I bet you only tried a couple of OS X Versions and because it worked you got a conclusion. Too bad.. You need to try EVERYTHING first.
Click to expand...
I have had repeatable success by just dragging the app into the new virtual machine window with all sorts of macOS installers and versions of Fusion. I do this regularly as part of my job.
 
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