Gparted LiveCD ISO breaks Ubuntu 14.04.4 desktop resolution in Vmware Fusion 7.1.3

ISSUE: I'm operating Ubuntu Linux 14.04.4 in VM Fusion on my iMac and successfully used the latest Gparted LiveCD ISO to allocate more disk space to my main Linux partition. However upon subsequently rebooting into Ubuntu from the VM hard drive, I lost the ability to RESIZE my Ubuntu desktop in VM Fusion to any RESOLUTION like I was able to prior to running Gparted.

CAVEAT: I believe I solved a unique chain of annoying problems to resolve my issue and want to share immediately with a short "text only" answer. Then I'll answer again a bit later with some screenshot images illustrating the uniqueness of the problem.

System configuration

1. Hardware: iMac (27-in, Late 2012) 3.4 Ghz Intel Core i7, 24 GB DDR3, Nvidia GeForce GTX 680MX 2048 MB
2. Host OS: MacOSX El Capitan Version 10.11.3
3. VM engine: Vmware Fusion 7.1.3
4. VM OS: Linux Ubuntu 14.04.4 4.2.0-34-generic 64bit

Below is a screen shot of what my Ubuntu desktop looked like after using the Gparted LiveCD iso to expand my primary Linux partition. Notice the black space above and below the desktop. Also notice the display settings exhibiting very low resolutions to choose from.

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2 Answers

I had a similar problem too. It seems that the gParted changes "something" in the vmware image. I noticed an extra line was added to the vmware config file after the gParted image was booted. My config file is called "Ubuntu 64-bit.vmx". I removed the line 'svga.guestBackedPrimaryAware = "TRUE"'. I don't know what it is but after that my Ubuntu vmware guest worked fine again.

1. Instead of using the Gparted LiveCD iso to change my Linux partitions, I booted from the Ubuntu 14.04.4 install iso selecting the live instance which loaded the familiar Ubuntu desktop. This made the difference that resolved my Ubuntu desktop resolution issue.
2. Once I got to the Ubuntu desktop and opened the Gparted GUI app, I first turned the swap partition OFF to UNLOCK the partitions and I performed the changes I wanted to make.
3. I applied the changes I made, closed Gparted and shutdown Ubuntu.
4. In the VM settings options, I changed the startup disk back to the VM hard drive and restarted the Ubuntu VM.
5. Voila! Once I logged in to the desktop, I was able to adequately resize the resolution of the Ubuntu VM desktop by stretching the window with the mouse or by changing to a familiar high resolution in Ubuntu display settings.
6. "xrandr" command line output in a terminal window displayed the same resolution values as before making my changes with Gparted. xrandr did not if I used the Gparted Live iso.
7. NOTE: I copied the VM file and renamed it as a backup before making changes with Gparted to the original VM. I do this frequently, even when updating Ubuntu with a new Linux kernel for instance. Have run into issues even with that process in the past that would sometimes break something.

Below is a screen shot of what my Ubuntu desktop looked like after using the Ubuntu install iso to expand my primary Linux partition. The Ubuntu install iso contains the Gparted app which can be launched after the image boots to the desktop. Select "Try Ubuntu" so a live instance of Ubuntu is booted up. Notice the desktop is higher in resolution and display settings exhibit the full range of resolutions to choose from.