Q: How do I increase the RAM in my virtual machine?

The generalize Windows 7 virtual machines that IS&T releases have been configured with 1GB of memory to accommodate use by the broadest possible audience. If you have 4GB or more of RAM and wish to improve performance, you should increase the amount of RAM assigned to the VM.

Answer

To increase the memory (RAM) assigned to a virtual machine, edit the VM's setting to increase the memory while the VM is shutdown. You cannot edit the VM's memory configuration while the VM is suspended or powered on.

On the Mac in VMware Fusion

1. Open the VM, but do not turn on the power.
2. Go to the Virtual Machine menu and select Settings
3. Select Processors & Memory
4. Adjust the slider or enter the amount of memory to assign to the virtual machine.
5. Click Close

On Windows or Linux in VMware Workstation

1. Open the VM, but do not turn on the power.
2. Go to the VM menu and select Settings
3. Select Memory on the Hardware tab
4. Adjust the slider or enter the amount of memory to assign to the virtual machine.
5. Click OK

If your machine is multi-cored or multi-processor, you can assign additional processors to the VM to also increase performance of your virtual environment.