VMWARE or Parallels...
 
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VMWARE or Parallels...

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E5Pro
(@e5pro)
Trusted Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 69
Topic starter  

Which virtual machine SW have you had good luck, or issues with. I use FTK and the locally popular (internationally used) Keydet89 produced scripts. Also the native Mac app from macforensicslab.com.


   
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(@kovar)
Prominent Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 805
 

Greetings,

I've been running VMware on my MacBook Pro with Windows XP and Linux VMs. Everything works well and I've not had any serious issues. For grins, I tried duplicating a drive through a VM. Took awhile and had a pretty warm case when I was done….

I've been writing scripts to run natively and have it in my queue to go through keydet89's scripts in OS X.

-David


   
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mhallman
(@mhallman)
Active Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 16
 

I have used both Parallels and Fusion for some time. I have now dropped Parallels entirely. Fusion works great and I have never had any issue with it. Can't say the same for Parallels.

It is great to be able to test a Linux distro by just pointing the CD to the ISO file. Although I have Autopsy and Sleuthkit on OS X I think it is easier to just use the Helix ISO. EnCase and FTK 1.71 both run great in Fusion. Win XP and Vista also run just fine in Fusion.

I also have Boot Camp installed. FTK imager with the target drive connected via a firewire 800 write blocker and the destination drive attached via SATA express card is an extremely fast imaging option. Can't find any other combination that is faster.

Just my opinion … I could be wrong!


   
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E5Pro
(@e5pro)
Trusted Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 69
Topic starter  

Thanks guys. I was thinking the BootCamp performance would be fast. I'm currently at an iMac duo FW400 and a DP G5 FW800. Looking for an xserve later this year. I thought I might try out the Griffin ExpressCard/34 eSATA card for my MacBook Pro as I have an SATA write-blocker.

I have had Parallels and FTK running on an image and came back to find the "send this report to Apple" screen. With a Parallels thread crash. #@$#!


   
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azrael
(@azrael)
Honorable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 656
 

I've found VMWare Fusion to be generally better, and have had it running Vista, XP, Server 2003, assorted Linux distros and Intel Solaris without issue.

Parallels was ok, and I never had any problems with it crashing - just VMWare seems …. better ? quicker ? Dunno - just prefer it …


   
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jemartin
(@jemartin)
Active Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 16
 

VMWare for case work, although I've had a bit of fun lately with HELIX off a USB stick via QEMU.


   
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(@wilber999)
Eminent Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 30
 

I am about to make the jump to a 4GB Macbook pro and also use FTK and Helix as base packages for my cases. I plan to use Fusion for everything Windows but my FTK 2.0 installation. I was considering running Bootcamp assuming that direct hardware access would be faster. Does anyone have experience running FTK (not necessarily 2.0) in both Fusion and Bootcamp that can provide information on whether or not there are any performance gains in Bootcamp over Fusion?

Big thanks for this thread…


   
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FFD9
 FFD9
(@ffd9)
Active Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8
 

Ha! No problems with VM Ware, eh?
Here speaketh one who managed to fry the Windows XP partition on their v. new, shiny, expensive Mac thanks to tinkering with it.
Basically, set up Fusion to run the Windows partition via Bootcamp on the Mac desktop (smugly thinking how cool it was, not having to close in and out of the individual OSs). Got too smug, and tried upgrading to XP Pro thru the virtual machine.
Result misery. The upgrade wouldn't complete. System ended up a mess. Had to blat the Windows partition and re-partition, re-load OS etc.
Still tinkering with Fusion but not playing that game again!
* BTW. Small but significant fact - whilst running a Windows vmachine on the Mac desktop is very handy, especially if you've just transferred from all Windows systems before - you only get half the Mac whack for your money as a result. This won't do for FTK2, for instance, which ideally wants Dual Core 2 Duo + 4GB RAM.
I know. It hurts, doesn't it?!


   
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psu89
(@psu89)
Estimable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 118
 

Has anyone had trouble getting the FTK dongle to work in a VM guest?

I think the problem might be that Vista is the host.


   
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azrael
(@azrael)
Honorable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 656
 

I've had both the old and the new FTK dongle working in the VM guest, only in XP though …


   
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