Computing: Computer Administration

CD switching not recognized in (some) virtual machines.

Two preliminary remarks to this help text:

  1. I encountered this problem on OS/2 Warp 4.52. It might, or might not, be an issue on other operating systems.
  2. The CDs were ISO images, mounted in an ImDisk virtual CD-drive (that appears as a physical CD-drive in VMware). Not sure if the issue also occurs, or may occur, with a "real" physical drive, or with ISOs directly mounted in VMware.

What happened was that at the beginning of the installation of OS/2, when the installer asked to insert the Product CD (after having booted from the Install CD), and I simply ejected the CD in Windows File Explorer and then loaded the other one in ImDisk, the installation hung with a repetitive alternation of the messages "Insert the OS/2 Warp CDROM" and "Locating requested files". Files that it never found. I suppose that either it still "saw" the data of the Install CD, or it considered the drive being empty.

The solution of this problem is simple: In VMware player, disconnect the CD-drive from the virtual machine, then, in File Explorer, eject the CD and load the other ISO in ImDisk...


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