This is a bit of a long shot

I keep getting this:

I have started getting an error message on boot up into XP Pro. The machine loads until the splash/sign on screen when I get the following error message.

Operation on file "/Users/JGcomputer/Documents/Virtual Machines.localized/JG.vmware.vm/JG-000006-s005.vmdk" failed.

If the file resides on a remote file system, please make sure your network connection and the server where this disk resides are functioning properly. If the file resides on removable media, reattach the media.
Choose Retry to attempt the operation again.
Choose Abort to terminate this session.
Choose Continue to forward the error to the guest operating system.

Whichever option I choose ends up with the same general problem… it either doesn't boot up or hangs.

Does anyone know enough about troubleshooting Fusion to help?

Sounds like an issue reading the vmdk (virtual disk) file. Possibly corrupted somewhere along the line they are big files. Couple of ideas..

Move the folder containing whole vm (/Users/JGcomputer/Documents/Virtual Machines.localized/JG.vmware.vm)somewhere else and try re adding it to the Fusion console (sorry, the Macs at home but I do similar things on ESX/VMWare server.. just can't remember exactly what you'd have to click but itshouldn't be hard to work out)

Check your hdd with disk utility – this may come up with an issue. Backup first before you let it do owt.

Thanks… I'll have a go!

Just a thought tho'. If it is corrupt would simply restoring to an earlier state via Time Machine sort it out?

Should do, as long as you go back far enough to get an uncorrupted version. I've knackered my Windows install in VMware before; restored the backup from that morning using time machine and tada, windows was working again in no time at all.

Windows in a VM is by far the best way of running it… 🙂

Yup agreed, if you've time machine you should be fine – just take a copy of that folder then try rolling back a few hours.

I'd still run disk utility checks in case it's a bad block or something, jus t in case something else ends up on there.

Another option would be to move the files out of the way, uninstall/reinstall fusion, build a new vm (install XP etc on a small disk) and add the vmdk to it as a secondary disk – might let you get data off it if it is totally fubar'd.

Time machine worked a treat. I ran the Disk Utility but it didn't really fix anything so I just rolled back to a time when I knew it worked. 🙂