Run Windows 8 on new VMware Player 5
VMware has released a new version of VMware Player with full Windows 8 support. 
Installing Windows 8 in a VMware Player virtual machine is now straightforward and quick. This version even received a new logo. You can download the new version of VMware Player by clicking this link. 
If you have a prior version of VMware Player installed, you will need to uninstall it. The installation process for the new version will walk you through any needed steps.
Installing Windows 8 in a virtual machine is direct and fast. Of course, you need installation media. This post is written before the public release of Windows 8, so I installed the Release Preview (still available [August 2012] at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/download).
Start VMware Player and click Create a New Virtual Machine. Select the ISO image file of Windows 8. The OS may not be properly recognized, just click Next and you can select the proper operating system type.
Be sure to select Windows 8 x64 if you are installing the 64-bit version or just Windows 8 for the 32-bit system.
There are several dialogs to go through and shortly you can start the the virtual machine by clicking Play virtual machine.
The installation of Windows 8 will then proceed just like on a dedicated computer.
One final step is necessary: Be sure to install the VMware Tools. There is a warning strip at the bottom of the window with instructions.
.:.
© 2012 Ludwig Keck
