1.1 Before you BeginIndex

1. You must have your Linux system installed and running (Powered On) before you can install the VMware Tools, and you must be logged in to the GUI with a visible Desktop.

2. Arrange your windows so that you can read these instructions and see your Linux Desktop at the same time. You may find it easier to open these instructions in a web browser in your Windows host O/S, so that you can have your VMware window separate from these instructions, and so you can reboot your Linux virtual machine without losing the ability to read these instructions.

1.2 Begin InstallationIndex

1. Start by going to the VMware “Virtual Machines” (“VM”) menu and select “Install VMWare Tools”. A dialog Question may appear, giving you instructions similar to what you read here (but with less detail). Click “Install”. A CD/DVD volume named “VMWare Tools” should appear on your Linux Desktop.

2. Do not proceed until you see the “VMWare Tools” volume icon on your Linux Desktop.

3. A file browser dialog box should open automatically with the title “VMware Tools”. If the file browser does not open, double click on the “VMware Tools” CD/DVD icon on the Desktop to open it.

4. Do not proceed until you have a file browser dialog open with the title “VMware Tools”.

5. Two icons are visible inside the file browser dialog box: a manifest.txt file and a compressed VMwareTools file ending in “.tar.gz”. Do not proceed until you see these icons inside the file browser dialog.

6. When you can see the compressed VMwareTools .tar.gz file, click-and-drag that icon to your Linux Desktop to copy the file. Close the file browser dialog box when you are done. The VMwareTools compressed tar.gz file should now be a file visible on your Linux Desktop.

7. Do not proceed until you see the .tar.gz file on your Linux Desktop.

8. Go to the Linux menu "Applications" -> "System Tools" and open "Terminal" (usually at the bottom of the menu). A command terminal will open, with a shell command-line prompt.

9. If necessary, arrange your windows so you can read these instructions and type into the terminal command window at the same time.

1.3 Answer Installation QuestionsIndex

Read this entire section before typing any of the shell commands below:

Arrange your windows so you can read these instructions and type into the command terminal window at the same time. The list of commands below will as you a lot of questions. The answers to those questions are in these notes below. Read the notes before you start typing shell commands!

1. There is a list of shell command lines below. At a terminal shell prompt, you will type each of those commands, one at a time and wait for each command to finish and the shell prompt to return.
2. Some commands take minutes to finish. Wait until the shell command prompt returns before typing the next command in the list.
3. Watch for errors after each command! None of the commands should give serious errors. (The installation script may have some error messages toward the end that you can ignore.)
4. Note where the blanks are in each of the command lines below. Everything is case-sensitive; type exactly what is given.
5. Take careful note of the use of the shell GLOB/wildcard character “*” in some file names and don’t insert any blanks before it.
6. The command “su” below will require you to type in your Linux root password to start a shell running as the root user. (If you have forgotten your root password, you will have to follow directions in the FAQ page to boot Single-User Mode to set a new root password. After setting the new root password, start over again at the top of the list of shell commands, below.)
7. The command “./vm*/vm*” runs an installation script (as the root user) that will ask you many questions. Wherever the running script asks you to enter or confirm something, push the ENTER key and accept the default value - do not type or change anything, except for the following questions (if asked):
   • Searching for GCC … Would you like to change it? - answer no
   • Searching for a valid kernel header path … Would you like to change it? - answer no
8. Once the install script completes, the root shell prompt will re-appear. Wait for the root shell prompt to reappear before typing the next command.
9. The command “rm” will produce no visible output. It removes all the files you don’t need after installing VMware Tools.
10. The first “exit” command below leaves the root shell. The second (last) “exit” below will close the terminal window.

Now, having read all the above numbered instructions carefully, type each of the command lines below into your Linux Terminal window, one at a time, and wait for each command to finish before typing the next one. (Wait for the shell prompt to return after each command.) If you have questions or encounter problems, go back and read the numbered notes, above, for help. Type these shell command lines:

   cd  Desktop
   tar  -zxvf  VM*
   su
   ./vm*/vm*
   exit
   rm  -rf  VM*  vm*
   exit

Read the entire numbered comment section, above, before typing any of the above shell commands. Note that you cannot type most of the commands above more than once. Be precise. Letter case matters!

1.4 Configure window fittingIndex

After the installation is finished and the terminal window closes, above, go to your VMware application, under the “View” menu, un-check (turn off) “Autofit Window” and check (turn on) “Autofit Guest”. (On some versions of VMware, these options are under the sub-menu Autosize in the View menu.)

1.5 Shut Down and Restart LinuxIndex

The simplest way to get VMware Tools working is to shut down and restart your Linux virtual machine using the usual Fedora System | Shut Down and then Restart menu. Do this now to enable VMware Tools.

1.6 Benefits of VMware ToolsIndex

1. When you next log in to Linux, you should find that your Linux Desktop is expanded to the full size of the VMware window containing it (no more black border). If you still see a black border or scroll bars, you have not successfully installed the Tools. Start over again.

2. Changing the size of the VMware window will change the size of your Linux Desktop to match. (Sometimes, you may see a pop-up error message saying that the monitor size cannot be changed. Ignore this.) If you still see a black border or scroll bars, you have not successfully installed the Tools.

3. Your mouse will now flow seamlessly between the virtual machine and the host machine, without having to push any escape keys to unlock it from the VMware window.

4. Cut-and-paste will now work between this virtual machine and the Windows host O/S. Note that cut and paste work differently under Linux (X-Windows) than under Windows.