{"id":468,"date":"2008-04-13T03:46:08","date_gmt":"2008-04-13T01:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.corelan.be:8800\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/"},"modified":"2008-04-13T03:46:08","modified_gmt":"2008-04-13T01:46:08","slug":"creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Having empty vmdk files allows you to
- create virtual machines even with vmware player
- create additional disks and add them to existing vmware installations <\/p>\n

The easiest way to create custom vmdk 'disks' is by using a free online tool called "EasyVMX"  (http:\/\/www.easyvmx.com<\/span>)
Use EasyVMX version 2 to create a virtual machine : http:\/\/www.easyvmx.com\/new-easyvmx.shtml<\/span>
The end result is a set of vmdk and vmx files, zipped and made available on the easyvmx website for download. Luckily, because the files are more or less empty, the total zip file size is only a couple of Kb <\/p>\n

Other vmware images can be found at http:\/\/www.clusterbuilder.com\/vmware\/vmware.html <\/p>\n

Also, you can use Qemu to create vmdk files as well : http:\/\/fabrice.bellard.free.fr\/qemu\/<\/span><\/a> <\/p>\n

This is a command line utility, but you can find a GUI on http:\/\/www.davereyn.co.uk\/qemu.htm <\/p>\n

(use http:\/\/www.consolevision.com\/members\/dcgrendel\/vmxform.html<\/span> to create a vmx file, the tool on http:\/\/petruska.stardock.net\/software\/vmware<\/span> will do this for you as well. <\/p>\n

 
Another great and easy way to create vmdk files is by using VBA code (yes, even from within Excel !)
Open Excel, create a macro. Add a TLB reference to VMWare Virtual Image Editing 2(VIE2) 1.0 type library <\/p>\n

\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n
\n

Dim vl As New VIELIB2Lib.Vie2Locator<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Sub test()
vl.CreateVirtualDisk "c:\\vm\\test.vmdk", 0, "IDE", 10
End Sub<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

   <\/p>\n

Next, make a vmx file (use a tool, or just take an existing vmx file and modify it; or just create a new file yourself) <\/p>\n

\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n
\n

 ==================
config.version = "8"
virtualHW.version = "3"
ide0:0.present = "TRUE"
ide0:0.fileName = "test.vmdk"
ide0:0.mode = "persistent"
ide0:0.deviceType = "ata-hardDisk"<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

memsize = "64"
MemAllowAutoScaleDown = "FALSE"
####### floppies ######################
floppy0.present = "TRUE"
floppy0.startConnected = "TRUE"
floppy0.fileType = "file"
floppy0.fileName = "drivers.flp"<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

usb.present = "TRUE"
sound.present = "TRUE"
sound.virtualDev = "es1371"
displayName = "Windows XP Pro"
guestOS = "winxppro"
nvram = "test.nvram"
MemTrimRate = "-1"<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

tools.syncTime = "TRUE"
ide1:0.startConnected = "TRUE"<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

uuid.action = "create"<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

checkpoint.vmState = ""<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

ide0:0.redo = ""
uuid.location = "56 4d e2 39 18 fd 8e 17-98 7c c8 46 3b 1f f2 fe"
uuid.bios = "56 4d e2 39 18 fd 8e 17-98 7c c8 46 3b 1f f2 fe"
========<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

In the example above, you've noticed that the floppy is linked to a flp file. You can create custom flp files using rawrite for Windows http:\/\/www.chrysocome.net\/rawwrite<\/span><\/a> <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

Finally, the following link contains useful information regarding the process of creating vmx files : http:\/\/www.virtualization.info\/2005\/12\/guide-to-create-vmx-files-for-vmware.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Having empty vmdk files allows you to - create virtual machines even with vmware player - create additional disks and add them to existing vmware installations The easiest way to create custom vmdk 'disks' is by using a free online tool called "EasyVMX"  (http:\/\/www.easyvmx.com) Use EasyVMX version 2 to create a virtual machine : http:\/\/www.easyvmx.com\/new-easyvmx.shtml … Continue reading \"Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[233],"tags":[1300,240],"class_list":["post-468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-virtualization","tag-powershell","tag-vmware"],"yoast_head":"\nCreating empty VMWare .vmdk files - Corelan | Exploit Development & Vulnerability Research<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files - Corelan | Exploit Development & Vulnerability Research\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Having empty vmdk files allows you to - create virtual machines even with vmware player - create additional disks and add them to existing vmware installations The easiest way to create custom vmdk 'disks' is by using a free online tool called "EasyVMX"  (http:\/\/www.easyvmx.com) Use EasyVMX version 2 to create a virtual machine : http:\/\/www.easyvmx.com\/new-easyvmx.shtml … Continue reading "Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Corelan | Exploit Development & Vulnerability Research\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/corelanconsulting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-04-13T01:46:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"corelanc0d3r\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@corelanc0d3r\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@corelanc0d3r\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"TechArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/index.php\\\/2008\\\/04\\\/13\\\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/index.php\\\/2008\\\/04\\\/13\\\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"corelanc0d3r\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3be5542b9b0a0787893db83a5ad68e8f\"},\"headline\":\"Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files\",\"datePublished\":\"2008-04-13T01:46:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/index.php\\\/2008\\\/04\\\/13\\\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":469,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"powershell\",\"vmware\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Virtualization\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/index.php\\\/2008\\\/04\\\/13\\\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/index.php\\\/2008\\\/04\\\/13\\\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\\\/\",\"name\":\"Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files - Corelan | Exploit Development & Vulnerability Research\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2008-04-13T01:46:08+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/index.php\\\/2008\\\/04\\\/13\\\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/index.php\\\/2008\\\/04\\\/13\\\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/index.php\\\/2008\\\/04\\\/13\\\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/\",\"name\":\"Corelan CyberSecurity Research\",\"description\":\"Corelan publishes in-depth tutorials on exploit development, Windows exploitation, vulnerability research, heap internals, reverse engineering and security tooling used by professionals worldwide.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Corelan CyberSecurity Research\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/corelanlogo2_small-20.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/corelanlogo2_small-20.png\",\"width\":200,\"height\":200,\"caption\":\"Corelan CyberSecurity Research\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/corelanconsulting\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/corelanc0d3r\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/corelanconsulting\",\"https:\\\/\\\/instagram.com\\\/corelanconsult\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3be5542b9b0a0787893db83a5ad68e8f\",\"name\":\"corelanc0d3r\",\"pronouns\":\"he\\\/him\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3783bed6acd72d7fa5bb2387d88acbb9a3403e7cada60b2037e1cbb74ad451f9?s=96&d=mm&r=x\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3783bed6acd72d7fa5bb2387d88acbb9a3403e7cada60b2037e1cbb74ad451f9?s=96&d=mm&r=x\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3783bed6acd72d7fa5bb2387d88acbb9a3403e7cada60b2037e1cbb74ad451f9?s=96&d=mm&r=x\",\"caption\":\"corelanc0d3r\"},\"description\":\"Peter Van Eeckhoutte is the founder of Corelan and a globally recognized expert in exploit development and vulnerability research. With over two decades in IT security, he built Corelan into a respected platform for deep technical research, hands-on training, and knowledge sharing. Known for his influential exploit development tutorials, tools, and real-world training, Peter combines a strong research mindset with a passion for education\u2014helping security professionals understand not just how exploits work, but why.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan-training.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/instagram.com\\\/corelanc0d3r\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/petervaneeckhoutte\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/corelanc0d3r\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.corelan.be\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/admin0\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files - Corelan | Exploit Development & Vulnerability Research","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files - Corelan | Exploit Development & Vulnerability Research","og_description":"Having empty vmdk files allows you to - create virtual machines even with vmware player - create additional disks and add them to existing vmware installations The easiest way to create custom vmdk 'disks' is by using a free online tool called "EasyVMX"  (http:\/\/www.easyvmx.com) Use EasyVMX version 2 to create a virtual machine : http:\/\/www.easyvmx.com\/new-easyvmx.shtml … Continue reading \"Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files\"","og_url":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/","og_site_name":"Corelan | Exploit Development & Vulnerability Research","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/corelanconsulting","article_published_time":"2008-04-13T01:46:08+00:00","author":"corelanc0d3r","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@corelanc0d3r","twitter_site":"@corelanc0d3r","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"TechArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/"},"author":{"name":"corelanc0d3r","@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/#\/schema\/person\/3be5542b9b0a0787893db83a5ad68e8f"},"headline":"Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files","datePublished":"2008-04-13T01:46:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/"},"wordCount":469,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/#organization"},"keywords":["powershell","vmware"],"articleSection":["Virtualization"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/","url":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/","name":"Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files - Corelan | Exploit Development & Vulnerability Research","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/#website"},"datePublished":"2008-04-13T01:46:08+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/2008\/04\/13\/creating-empty-vmware-vmdk-files\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Creating empty VMWare .vmdk files"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/","name":"Corelan CyberSecurity Research","description":"Corelan publishes in-depth tutorials on exploit development, Windows exploitation, vulnerability research, heap internals, reverse engineering and security tooling used by professionals worldwide.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/#organization","name":"Corelan CyberSecurity Research","url":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corelanlogo2_small-20.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corelanlogo2_small-20.png","width":200,"height":200,"caption":"Corelan CyberSecurity Research"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/corelanconsulting","https:\/\/x.com\/corelanc0d3r","https:\/\/x.com\/corelanconsulting","https:\/\/instagram.com\/corelanconsult"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/#\/schema\/person\/3be5542b9b0a0787893db83a5ad68e8f","name":"corelanc0d3r","pronouns":"he\/him","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3783bed6acd72d7fa5bb2387d88acbb9a3403e7cada60b2037e1cbb74ad451f9?s=96&d=mm&r=x","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3783bed6acd72d7fa5bb2387d88acbb9a3403e7cada60b2037e1cbb74ad451f9?s=96&d=mm&r=x","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3783bed6acd72d7fa5bb2387d88acbb9a3403e7cada60b2037e1cbb74ad451f9?s=96&d=mm&r=x","caption":"corelanc0d3r"},"description":"Peter Van Eeckhoutte is the founder of Corelan and a globally recognized expert in exploit development and vulnerability research. With over two decades in IT security, he built Corelan into a respected platform for deep technical research, hands-on training, and knowledge sharing. Known for his influential exploit development tutorials, tools, and real-world training, Peter combines a strong research mindset with a passion for education\u2014helping security professionals understand not just how exploits work, but why.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.corelan-training.com","https:\/\/instagram.com\/corelanc0d3r","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/petervaneeckhoutte\/","https:\/\/x.com\/corelanc0d3r"],"url":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/author\/admin0\/"}]}},"views":19795,"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.corelan.be\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}