I think I know why you didn't need the VM. You are probably running a Linux system and the tool runs native in Linux. I'm trying to install on a Windows 10 system, but there is probably not a native UWP or similar ISE for Windows so part of the installation is to load a VM for Linux and then the ...

OK, has anyone else tried to install the Xillinx ISE? This is a total mess! The virtual machine installation is a real mystery so far. I'm looking at the Xilinx help and community forums and will eventually figure it out, but it isn't an easy project just to be able to recompile the current FPGA ...