You cannot access the contents of a virtual CD-ROM drive in a Windows Vista virtual machine in VMware Workstation 5.0

In VMware Workstation 5.0, you cannot access the contents of a virtual CD-ROM drive in a Windows Vista virtual machine. Additionally, you cannot use the Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) ISO file to start the virtual machine.

This problem occurs because version 5.0 of the VMware Workstation is incompatible Windows Vista.

The information and the solution in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on these issues as of the date of publication. This solution is available through Microsoft or through a third-party provider. Microsoft does not specifically recommend any third-party provider or third-party solution that this article might describe. There might also be other third-party providers or third-party solutions that this article does not describe. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, this information should not be interpreted to be a commitment by Microsoft. Microsoft cannot guarantee or endorse the accuracy of any information or of any solution that is presented by Microsoft or by any mentioned third-party provider.

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To resolve this problem, use a physical CD-ROM drive. Or, use a later version of VMware Workstation. For more information, visit the following Web site:

For more information about the bugs that are fixed in VMware Workstation 5.x, visit the following Web site: