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→Installing VMware Tools on Windows
== Installing VMware Tools on Windows ==
Amongst the files installed during the VMware Server installation process is a collection of CD-ROM ISO image files, one for each supported guest operating system type. When the VMware Tools installation process is initiated, VMware Server mounts the appropriate ISO image in place of the selected virtual machine's CD/DVD drive from which, depending the guest operating system, the installation will either autorun, or may be manually invoked. In order for this mechanism to work, the virtual machine must have at least one CD/DVD device configured. If a DVD or CD is currently in the physical drive of the host, eject it before proceeding with the VMware Tools installation.
VMware Tools are installed into a guest operating system by logging into the VI Web Access interface, selecting the virtual machine hosting the target guest operating system and clicking on the ''Install VMware Tools'' link located in the Status panel of the ''Summary'' workspace as illustrated in the following figure. VMware Tools can only be installed into a running virtual machine, so if the machine is currently powered off, the installation link will not be displayed.
[[Image:vmware_install_vmware_tools.jpg|Installing a virtual machine into a VMware Server guest]]
If VMware Tools is already installed, a newer version is available, and the option to have the tools updated automatically was not selected during installation, the link displayed will read ''Upgrade VMware Tools'', otherwise the status will be listed as ''VMware Tools Running''.
Clicking on the link to Install VMware Tools within VI Web Access will display the following confirmation dialog. If the tools are to be updated automatically when new versions become available, leave the check box selected. To manually install updates, unset this option before clicking on the ''Install'' button:
[[Image:vmware_tools_configure_auto_update.jpg|Configuring VMware Tools to automatically update]]
If ''AutoPlay'' is configured in the Windows guest operating system the VMware installer will automatically run as soon as the VMware Tools ISO image is mounted as the virtual CD/DVD drive. If, on the other hand, AutoPlay has been disabled, navigate to ''My Computer'' or, in the case of Windows Server 2008, ''Computer'', double click on the CD/DVD drive and launch the ''Setup.exe'' executable.
