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Windows 7 - VMWare Player 3.1

I recently got Ubuntu 11.04 installed and set up nicely in a virtual machine. I have fixed resolution problems and removed the top bar from the application so it looks almost like an actual native GNOME desktop.

However, as I will be using this VM in class, I really don't want to wait for all of Windows to boot and then load VMWare and select the guest OS.

When VMWare was setting itself up, it created a user account for itself (my machine no longer automatically logs me in, I need to click on my username when Windows 7 boots). Is there any way to enable the guest OS to start from the host OS login screen? Either by creating a new account in Windows and disabling a bunch of startup processes and adding a batch file to start VMWare AND the guest (I don't want to have to choose Ubuntu, to needs to happen automatically). Obviously if I see the Windows desktop for a minute, that's life, but I really just want an easier way to boot Ubuntu.

Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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Dani AI

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Good quick fix from — have Windows start the VM automatically on sign‑in. The easiest, least‑risky path is to arrange for VMware Player to be launched with the VM’s .vmx file as an argument (so it opens that VM directly) and place that shortcut in the user’s Startup so the guest comes up as soon as the desktop session is created. (abcdocz.com)

If you want the VM to appear straight from the logon screen (no clicking), combine that with automatic sign‑in for a dedicated account. Windows’ AutoAdminLogon (or Microsoft/Sysinternals Autologon) will silently log that account in at boot; put the Player shortcut in its Startup to get the VM running immediately. Beware: AutoAdminLogon stores credentials unless you use the Sysinternals tool, and it reduces physical‑security protections — don’t enable it on a shared machine. (learn.microsoft.com)

If the goal is to run the VM before any interactive desktop exists (or to run it as a “service”), note a hard limitation: Scheduled Tasks set to “Run whether user is logged on or not” run in Session 0 and cannot display a GUI, so they won’t show the Player window on the console. For headless/server style use, use vmrun (VIX) to start the VM without a GUI, or run Workstation/Server products that support autostart/service modes — but these will not give you an interactive local desktop unless you arrange an interactive session. Example (headless): 

"C:\Path\To\vmrun.exe" -T player start "C:\path\to\your.vmx" nogui

()

Advanced kiosk option: create a dedicated, locked account that AutoAdminLogon signs in and make the VM player the user’s shell (Winlogon Shell value) so the machine effectively boots straight into the VM GUI; lock the screen immediately after startup if you need privacy. This is more intrusive and should be tested and documented before class use. If you’re open to alternatives, VirtualBox supports headless/startup modes natively (VBoxManage startvm --type headless). (virtualbox.org)

Summary: quickest = auto‑sign‑in + Startup shortcut (what suggested). If you need true pre‑logon service behavior, use vmrun/headless or upgrade to a product that supports VM autostart as a service — but expect tradeoffs (no visible GUI in Session 0). (abcdocz.com)

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Member Avatar for Member #114542

I don't know of a way to boot to VMware from the login menu of Windows, but you have VMware automatically start once you login to windows.

To do this, you need to create a shortcut to run your VM and then put the shortcut in your Startup folder.

For me, the shortcut looks like this:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Player" "M:\vms\ubuntu.vmx"

Replace those paths with the correct paths to your VMware Player and your VM.

Next, you need to put that shortcut in the Startup folder. For me (in Windows 7), this is the path:
C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Here's a reference on VMware's website:
Startup Options on a Windows Host

Edited by Member #114542 because: n/a
Member Avatar for linux

Thanks a lot! I didn't realize VMWare accepted the path to an appliance as a flag.

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