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Installing VMware Workstation 5 on a Windows Host
Installing VMware Workstation 5 on a Windows Host
Getting started with VMware Workstation is simple. The key steps are
1. Install the VMware Workstation software as described in this section.
2. Start VMware Workstation and enter your serial number.
You need to do this only once -- during the installation process when prompted or through Help > Enter Serial Number.
If you don't already have a serial number from a previous installation, the installer prompts you for the serial number during installation. If you choose not to enter the serial number during install, you can later enter it by going to Help > Enter Serial Number.
6. Start using your virtual machine.
Before you begin, be sure you have
A computer and host operating system that meet the system requirements for running VMware Workstation. See Host System Requirements.
The VMware Workstation installation software. If you bought the packaged distribution of VMware Workstation, the installation software is on the CD in your package. If you bought the electronic distribution, the installation software is in the file you downloaded.
Your VMware Workstation serial number. The serial number is included in the VMware Workstation package or in the email message confirming your electronic distribution order.
The installation CD or disks for your guest operating system.
Installing the VMware Workstation Software
1. Log on to your Microsoft Windows host as the Administrator user or as a user who is a member of the Windows Administrators group.
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.
2. If you are installing from a CD, from the Start menu, choose Run and enter D:\setup.exe, where D: is the drive letter for your CD-ROM drive.
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.)
3. The Welcome dialog box appears.
Click Next.
4. Acknowledge the end user license agreement (EULA). Select the Yes, I accept the terms in the license agreement option, then click Next.
5. Choose the directory in which to install VMware Workstation. To install it in a directory other than the default, click Change and browse to your directory of choice. If the directory does not exist, the installer creates it for you. 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.
6. (Windows only) Select the shortcuts that you want the installer to create.
Choices include Desktop, Start menu and Quick Launch toolbar.
7. The installer has gathered the necessary information and is ready to begin installing the software.
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.
8. If the installer detects that the CD-ROM autorun feature is enabled, you see a message that gives you the option to disable this feature. Disabling it prevents undesirable interactions with the virtual machines you install on this system.
9. (Windows only) You may see one or more Digital Signature Not Found dialog boxes when the installer begins to install the VMware Virtual Ethernet Adapters.
VMware Workstation drivers are tested but possibly have not yet passed Microsoft WHQL certification. You can safely ignore these warnings and click Continue to approve installation of the drivers.
10. If you wish, enter your name, company name and serial number, then click Next. The serial number is on the registration card in your package. The user and company information you enter here is then made available in the About box (Help > About VMware Workstation). If you skip this step, you are prompted to enter your serial number the first time you run VMware Workstation.
11. Click Finish. The VMware Workstation software is installed.
12. Some installations may require that you reboot your PC. Reboot now to allow VMware Workstation to complete the installation correctly.