How to fix android-x86 install on VMware?

Question

Using android-x86-4.4-r3.iso, I created a virtual machine in VMware Workstation 11.0.0 on Mac OS X. I just clicked Create virtual machine, chose my Android ISO, and just hit Next repeatedly until finished (just like I do to create Windows VMs).

I'm not a master at VMware. What did I do wrong in there? I ran into trouble, as in this picture:

I wait, but it doesn't change. If I am supposed to enter a command, I don't know what command. Can anybody help me?

Answer 1

You need to follow the instructions. Specifically:

You have to change your virtual disk type to be IDE because the default type in VMware is SCSI, and [the] Android-x86 kernel is not configured to support SCSI. You can follow these steps:

• Create a virtual machine.

• Edit [the] virtual machine settings after the virtual machine [is] created.
• Choose the hard disk and remove it.
• Add a hard disk to create a new virtual disk, then you can choose IDE as your virtual disk type.
• When finished, you can install android-x86 normally.

Answer 2

On windows, installing the recommended iso for vmware (android-x86_64-9.0-r2-k49.iso) let you stuck at command prompt.

And if you try the debug startup, you might get stucked with a confusing message

random: 7 urandom warning(s) missed due to ratelimiting

Since the live boot vesa start mode works, the urandom error is not the problem. Rather, the required video acceleration seems to be missing from vmware.

As a result you need to configure grub to start androïd in vesa mode.

This can be accomplished following a procedure described here with some mistakes or incompletness or a little outdated.

After the standard install, you need to

• reboot,
• On grub boot choice (white text on black background), keep first choice and type 'e'

After that, you can see existing boot commands in the boot sequence. - Select the upper item and - press e once more

To edit the boot command for GRUB, Use arrows to reach the right position

• replace the word "quiet" by "nomodeset xforcevesa", you should have:

kernel /android-?.?-r?/kernel nomodeset xforcevesa root=/dev/ram0 androidboot.selinux=permissive SRC=/android-?.?-r?

presse enter to save. then b to boot.

For the grub configuration to persist upon restart, edit its configuration file:

mkdir /mnt/sda mount /dev/block/sda1 /mnt/sda vi /mnt/sda/grub/menu.lst

Press "i" to use insertion mode:

• replace the word "quiet" by "nomodeset xforcevesa", escape to go back to command mode.

Then ZZ or :wq! to save and quit

You now can restart your vm using your custom configuration.

If ever you wait too long without any action, your screen might turn black, entering the sleep mode. Use your keynoard's menu key to recover a usable screen.