Getting started with VMware Workstation is simple. The key steps are
Before you begin, be sure you have
Caution: Do not install VMware Workstation on a Windows NT Server 4.0 system that is configured as a primary or backup domain controller.
Note: On a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 host computer, you must be logged in as a local administrator (that is, not logged in to the domain) in order to install VMware Workstation.
Note: Although you must be logged in as an administrator to install VMware Workstation, a user with normal user privileges can run the program after it is installed. Keep in mind that you need one license for each user.
If you are installing from a downloaded file, from the Start menu, choose Run, browse to the directory where you saved the downloaded installer file and run the installer. (The filename is similar to VMwareWorkstation- <xxxx>.exe, where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers.)
Click Next.
Caution: Do not install VMware Workstation on a network drive.
Note: Windows and the Microsoft Installer limit the length of a path to a folder on a local drive to 255 characters. For a path to a folder on a mapped or shared drive, the limit is 240 characters. If the path to the VMware Workstation program folder exceeds this limit, an error message appears. You must select or enter a shorter path.
If you want to change any settings or information you provided, now is the time to make those changes. Click Back until you reach the dialog box containing the information you want to change.
If you do not need to make any changes, click Install. The installer begins copying files to your computer.
This naming convention was introduced in VMware Workstation 3. If your virtual disk files already use the .vmdk extension, click No to skip this process. Click Yes if you want to search all local drives on the host computer and make this change.
The converter also renames the files that store the state of a suspended virtual machine, if it finds them. It changes the old .std file extension to .vmss. However, it is best to resume and shut down all suspended virtual machines before you upgrade from VMware Workstation 3 to VMware Workstation 4.
Besides renaming files, the converter updates the corresponding virtual machine configuration files so they identify the virtual disks using the new filenames.
If you store your virtual disk files or suspended state files on a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 host - or if you may do so in the future - it is important to convert the filenames to avoid conflicts with the System Restore feature of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
If you are installing VMware Workstation on a number of Windows host computers - in a corporate environment, for example - you may want to use the silent install features of the Microsoft Windows Installer.
Before installing VMware Workstation silently, you must ensure that the host computer has version 2.0 or higher of the MSI runtime engine. This version of the installer is available in versions of Windows beginning with Windows XP and is available separately from Microsoft for versions of Windows beginning with Windows NT 4.0.
The following steps outline the procedures for a silent install. For additional details on using the Microsoft Windows Installer, see the Microsoft Web site.
setup.exe /a /s /v"/qn TARGETDIR=<InstallTempPath>"
setup.exe is the name of the installer on the CD distribution. If you are using a downloaded installer, the filename is similar to VMwareWorkstation- <xxxx>.exe, where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers.
<InstallTempPath> is the full path to the folder where you want to store the administrative installation image.
msiexec -i "<InstallTempPath>\VMware Workstation.msi" [INSTALLDIR="<PathToProgramDirectory>"] ADDLOCAL=ALL [REMOVE=<featurename,featurename>] /qn
Enter the command on one line. If you want to install VMware Workstation in a location other than the default, change the path that follows INSTALLDIR= to specify the desired location.
You may use the optional REMOVE= property to skip installation of certain features. The REMOVE= property can take one or more of the following values:
Value
|
Description
|
---|---|
Authd
|
The VMware authorization service
|
Network
|
Networking components including the virtual bridge and the host adapters for
host only networking and NAT networking; do not remove if you want to use
NAT or DHCP
|
DHCP
|
The virtual DHCP server
|
NAT
|
The virtual NAT device
|
If you specify more than one value, use a comma to separate the values. For example, REMOVE=Authd,NAT.
Note: If you specify REMOVE=Network, the installer skips installation of certain networking components, including NAT and DHCP. There is no need to specify DHCP or NAT separately.
You may customize the installation further by adding any of the following installation properties to the command using the format PROPERTY="value". A value of 1 means true; a value of 0 means false. If you use the serial number property, enter the serial number, complete with hyphens (xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx).
Property
|
Effect of the Property
|
Default
|
---|---|---|
DESKTOP_SHORTCUT
|
Installs a shortcut on the desktop
|
1
|
DISABLE_AUTORUN
|
Disables CD autorun on the host
|
1
|
REMOVE_LICENSE
|
(Uninstall only) Removes all stored licenses at uninstall
|
0
|
SERIALNUMBER
|
Automatically enters the serial number
|
To uninstall VMware Workstation 4, use the Add/Remove Programs control panel. Select the entry for VMware Workstation, then click Remove. Follow the on-screen instructions.
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