## Summary

Omarchy 4.0.1 installed from the official ISO **boots into a randomly hard-hanging system** in VMware Workstation on Windows. The hang points vary between boots — sometimes it freezes mid-boot (graphical session never starts), sometimes it reaches the hyprlock lock screen and freezes right after unlocking (or even while the lock screen is still rendering). The **live ISO environment itself works perfectly** (the whole installation ran fine, progress bar, prompts, everything), so this only affects the installed system.

The installed system runs kernel `7.1.8-arch1-Watanare-T2-3-t2` — i.e. the ISO appears to install the **Apple T2 patched kernel by default**. The host is an ordinary Intel laptop (not a Mac), and I suspect the T2 kernel's patched drivers are the root cause of the instability under VMware's virtual hardware. Any confirmation (is the T2 kernel intentional on the 4.0.1 ISO? how should VMware users get a standard kernel?) would be appreciated.

## Host

- Windows 10 Pro 22H2 (build 19045), UEFI host
- Intel i7-7700HQ (4C/8T), 24 GB RAM, discrete-free test VM
- VMware Workstation Pro **17.6.4** (build 24832109)
- Hyper-V/VBS disabled for this test

## VM configuration

- Firmware: UEFI (guest OS type "AlmaLinux 64-bit" — Omarchy ISO boots fine with it)
- 4 vCPU, 8192 MB RAM
- 40 GB NVMe virtual disk (split, thin)
- Network: VMXNET3, NAT
- 3D acceleration tested both ON and OFF
- `svga.graphicsMemoryKB` tested at 8388608 and 1048576
- ISO: `omarchy-4.0.1.iso`, SHA256 verified against the official value

## What works

- **Live ISO environment**: everything normal — installer ran start to finish, no freezes
- Occasionally the installed system boots to the hyprlock lock screen and renders it fine

## What breaks (4+ reproductions, varying hang points)

1. **3D acceleration ON (8 GB and 1 GB graphics memory)**:
   - Sometimes freezes mid-boot — graphical session never starts
   - When it reaches the lock screen, unlocking causes a hard hang: `vmware.log` shows repeated `Guest: Mesa: SVGA3D; build: RELEASE; LLVM; 26.2.1-arch1.1` banners across all 4 vCPUs, then `Tools: Tools heartbeat timeout`, after which the log goes **completely silent** (whole guest frozen, even VT switch does nothing)
2. **3D acceleration OFF (software rendering)**:
   - Reached the lock screen, accepted the password, then black screen — but the guest stays **alive** (log keeps writing, NIC activated, devices polled). Looks like the Hyprland session dies while the system survives. Lock screen did not come back and no desktop ever appeared.
3. **Random mid-boot freezes** happened on 2 more boots of the installed system (never reached graphical target), with several minutes of complete log silence.

`open-vm-tools` services (`vmtoolsd`) never report running after boot (`vmrun checkToolsState` → `installed` but heartbeat fails). Not sure whether they are simply not enabled by the installer, or die with the session.

## Already tried

- 3D acceleration on/off
- Graphics memory 8 GB → 1 GB
- Fresh hard resets (hang point is random between boots)
- Booting the ISO again (works every time — only the installed system is broken)

## Questions

1. Is installing the **T2 kernel** (`7.1.8-arch1-Watanare-T2-3-t2`) the intended default for the 4.0.1 ISO on *any* hardware? If not, is there a supported way to install with the standard `linux` kernel?
2. Is there a known incompatibility between this kernel / Mesa 26.2.1 and VMware's SVGA3D virtual GPU?
3. Recommended VMware-specific post-install steps for 4.0.1 (open-vm-tools enablement, `LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE`, seamless-login handling, etc.)?

Happy to provide `vmware.log` excerpts or test any suggested builds/workarounds. Thanks!