The VMware Knowledge Base provides support solutions, error messages and troubleshooting guides
Search the VMware Knowledge Base (KB)
View by Article ID
Using Safe Boot
Symptoms
A Mac OS X operating system:
has failed
has stopped responding
keeps rebooting for no apparent reason
has performance problems
is slow
has an application that is not working properly
is experiencing network problems
has problems accessing data on disk
Purpose
This article describes how to use Safe Boot on a Mac OS X operating system. Using Safe Boot is useful in troubleshooting problems where it is suspected that there is a kernel extension, font, or startup item that may be causing unexpected operating system behavior. Additionally, using Safe Boot performs a disk check to verify the integrity of data on the boot disk.
Resolution
To use Safe Boot:
Note: If Safe Boot is being used to troubleshoot a problem with the operating system or an application, it may result in not being able to reproduce the environment required for testing.
Shut down and then power on the computer.
After hearing the startup tone, press and hold the Shift key.
Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple and progress indicator.
Note: A Safe Boot takes longer than a regular boot. For more information, see Apple's article TS1884.
Note: The preceding link was correct as of May 28, 2011. If you find the link is broken, provide feedback and a VMware employee will update the link.
Safe Boot disables all non-Apple startup extensions and utilities, so it can be a useful troubleshooting tool.
To start a Fusion virtual machine after starting in Safe Boot:
Fusion 4.x
All kernel extensions are loaded when Fusion is started. Fusion 4.x can be run in Safe Boot normally.
Enter the administrator password when prompted, then press Enter. Note : For security reasons, the typed password is not displayed. You do not need to enter your password again, for the next five minutes.
This command starts the services Fusions needs to run.
When the command completes, quit Terminal and start your virtual machine as you normally would.
Note: Fusion should be run in a Safe Boot for diagnostic purposes only. Not all features are guaranteed to work properly or as expected.
Additional Information
For more information about Safe Boot, please see Apple's article HT1564.
Note: The preceding link was correct as of May 28, 2011. If you find the link is broken, provide feedback and a VMware employee will update the link.
Update History
05/13/2010 - Added links to Apple articles.
09/13/2010 - Added instructions for running Fusion in a Safe Boot.
09/16/2011 - Added Fusion 4 information.
Request a Product Feature
To request a new product feature or to provide feedback on a VMware product, please visit the Request a Product Feature page.
