How to Change VM's Disk Hardware/Model Name in VMware Workstation Pro

Introduction

VMware Workstation Pro is a popular virtualization software that allows users to run multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical machine. Sometimes, there is a need to change the hardware configuration of a VM, such as the disk model name. In this article, we will cover the steps to change the VM's disk hardware and model name using VMware Workstation Pro.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with the steps, ensure that you have the following:

• A running VMware Workstation Pro instance
• A VM with a disk that needs to be modified

Changing VM Disk Hardware

To change the VM's disk hardware, follow these steps:

1. Open VMware Workstation Pro and select the VM you want to modify.
2. Click on the "VM" menu, then select "Settings".
3. In the left pane, click on "Hard Disk" under the "Hard Drives" section.
4. Depending on the current configuration, you may see a list of hard disks or only one. If you see a list, select the disk you want to modify. If you only see one, proceed to the next step.
5. Click on the "Edit" button.
6. In the "Hard Disk File" tab, you can change the disk type, size, and other settings. To change the model name, go to the "Advanced" tab.
7. In the "Advanced" tab, locate the "Controller" section and change the "Controller Type" to the desired model. For example, to change it to a LSI Logic SCSI controller, select "LSI Logic SAS SCSI controller".
8. Click "OK" to save the changes.

Changing VM Disk Model Name

To change the VM disk model name, you need to edit the VMX file directly. Follow these steps:

1. Open the VMware Workstation Pro application and select the VM you want to modify.
2. Click on the "VM" menu, then select "Manage" and "Open VM Directory".
3. Locate the VMX file for the VM and open it in a text editor.
4. Locate the following line: scsi0.present = "TRUE"
5. Add the following lines below the line you found:

scsi0.deviceType = "lsilogic"
 scsi0.virtualDev = "lsilogic"
 scsi0.model = "VMware Paravirtual SCSI controller"

6. Replace "VMware Paravirtual SCSI controller" with the desired model name. For example, to set it to "LSI Logic SAS 2000", use: scsi0.model = "LSI Logic SAS 2000"
7. Save and close the file.

Summary

In this article, we covered the steps to change the hardware configuration of a VM's disk and model name using VMware Workstation Pro. By following the instructions provided, you should be able to modify the VM's disk hardware and model name to suit your needs.