10 minutes to run every Windows app on your Ubuntu desktop with VMware

10 minutes to run every Windows app on your Ubuntu desktop

This simple guide will bring up the Windows start menu inside GNOME and allow you to run, use and install any Windows app (that can run in a VM) inside your existing desktop. It takes about 10 minutes to setup, minus the time to install Windows, and involves one command in total.

*www.venturecake.com/images/seamless_windows_small.jpg
This simple guide will bring up the Windows start menu inside GNOME and allow you to run, use and install any Windows app (that can run in a VM) inside your existing desktop. It takes about 10 minutes to setup, minus the time to install Windows, and involves one command in total.

Update: If you’ve been having trouble getting this working, make sure the key is correct - our site layout chopped the last part of the registry key earlier. Note this requires Windows XP Pro. XP home won’t do.
Update 2: To install the vmware-server package just use the Add/Remove… program.
This is a newer version of a rather popular article I wrote a while ago. This updated version is a lot simpler and allows multiple apps to be run.

Click Applications → Add/Remove… install the vmware-server package.

Click System → Administration → Synaptic Package Manager. Install the rdesktop package.

Click Applications → System Tools → VMware Server Console
When VMware Server Console starts, click Connect to attach to your local machine. Then Create a New Virtual Machine. Use all the defaults, but pick NAT networking. Pop in your Windows CD, and install Windows

Once Windows has started:

Enable Terminal Services by clicking Start → Control Panel → System. Click the Remote tab, and enable Allow users to connect remotely to this computer

Turn off the desktop for the user you’ll use to run your Windows apps, by clicking Start → Run typing regedit and selecting HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/ CurrentVersion/Policies/Explorer. Create a DWORD called NoDesktop set to 1.

Note the IP address of Windows. Clicking Start → Connect to → Show All Connections. Select the Local Area Connection and hit the Support tab

Download SeamlessRDP, then extract it to C:\seamlessrdp

Log out of Windows, and close VMware Server Console (leave the VM running)

Back in Ubuntu, open a Terminal, and run:
rdesktop -A -s 'c:\seamlessrdp\seamlessrdpshell.exe c:\windows\explorer.exe' IPAddress -u user -p password
substituting the IP address you noted earlier.

The top of the Windows taskbar should appear above your GNOME panel on the bottom of the screen. Right click it, select Properties, and disable Lock the Taskbar. Then drag the taskbar to the left hand side of your screen.

That’s it. You can now run launch any Windows app you want from your VM (and install more if you need them). They’ll appear on the GNOME desktop, and you can switch between them from the panel.

i don't think this has been posted before. launching a search didn't return anything so posting it here.

taken from: venturecake.com

parallels + Coherence is great on OS X... ll have to check if vmware + Seamless RDP ll match up to it on ubuntu....

Seriously cool...thanks for posting this info, infra!

I've been debating how to get a Windows system running on a friend's machine in virtualization so he can enjoy Linux and at the same time keep up with the 2-3 Windows programs he requires, and this is just another option to consider (and one well worth consideration!)

Thanks again.

oh thanx !!

nice !

Official guide for ubuntu: *help.ubuntu.com/community/SeamlessVirtualization
Its called Seamless Virtualization! Heh.. i knew this from a LONG time! It never occurred to me that you guys didnt know!

hey kalpik, dun take anything granted from now on. post whatever you know

frankly, i dunno how i missed it!

I have Win Xp Pro and Ubuntu installed, do I need to install XP again.

int86 said:
I have Win Xp Pro and Ubuntu installed, do I need to install XP again.

no, if you already haf a dual boot system then try this guide: *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63773

^^ You would need to install XP again on VMware or VirtualBox (preferred).

^^Thanx
Will surely going to try it today

My post is not targeted towards gamers though i am NOT a gamer!

Why should someone use windows apps in linux? I will consider him simply a fool! Linux has its alternatives to windows programs.

MS Word: OOo writer
MS Excel: OOo calc
MS PPT: OOo impress
MS ACCESS: OOo base
MS PAINT : Much advanced GIMP
MS Imaging: Xsane
MS Outlook: Evolution
WMP: VLC or TOTEM
Winzip: file-roller (gnome), ark (kde)
Calculator: gcalctool or speedcrunch

what more a person needs? these regular apps.

Why the hell use windows apps on linux? It slows down the system.

The Unknown said:
Why the hell use windows apps on linux?

FAR manager for hacking into my sony ericsson phone! there's no linux alternative

and it doesn't run on any emulators.

Also lotus notes client.. I never managed to get the linux client installed

Also smart movie converter.

^^ how about autogk or something like that 4 xvid conversion..

I dunno.. Do you know of a good replacement which is as easy as smart movie?

There isn't a suitable replacement for Quicken (AFAIK) in Linux. Yeah, yeah, there's GnuCash...but I'd rather not "reverse engineer" the bank's security so I can write a script to auto-download my bank statements and import them into GnuCash like Quicken (already) does. I have this thing about legal issues and prison, you understand? heh.

(The friend I mentioned in my first post on this thread is a big fan of Quicken, hence this comment). If anyone knows of a auto-updating financial/ledger/checkbook suite that runs on Linux, let me know. As it stands, the solution is to manually download the statements, convert them to the appropriate format (Quicken's "proprietary format", which is a glorified csv format), and import them manually...which is a bit much for a Windows fan that isn't used to doing things in steps. (I personally don't mind doing it that way, but my friend does).

Edit - I haven't tried writing a GnuCash script (Scheme...eek) yet, but that would still involve figuring out how to automatically download the statements from the bank, which brings up tons of legal issues and concerns...

EFY News Network said:
Friday, August 31, 2007: According to a study by ABI Research, over the next five years, Linux is expected to be the fastest growing Smartphone OS with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in excess of 75 per cent. ABI Research forecasts the Linux-based OS to account for nearly 31 per cent of all smart devices in the market by 2012 — representing more than 331 million cumulative shipments over the same period.

Stuart Carlaw, director, ABI Research, said, “Serious initiatives from the likes of Intel and Access are gathering pace and momentum, while the carrier community continues to identify Linux as one of the few operating systems that it intends to support in its long-term plans.”

Carlaw adds, “Linux is benefiting from growing support in the handset OEM community, most notably Motorola, but also Nokia with less traditional types of devices aimed at mobile broadband applications.” The rise of mobile broadband and the impact that this has upon device convergence and format plays into the hands of Linux.

The vertical and horizontal fragmentation that has plagued this market continues to be a concern; however, the recent patent infringement assertion from Microsoft — that Linux, in its generic form, infringes upon 235 of its patents — is an ongoing concern. Many Linux pundits point to this as being old hat, while others indicate that there is no smoke without fire, reveals the study.

The ABI Research study, titled Mobile Linux, found that there are several challenges still facing the proliferation of Linux in this environment. The study explores these barriers, provides a frank SWOT analysis of the mobile Linux offering and supplies forecasts for Linux uptake in mobile devices for commercial OS implementations and RTOS replacement.

This is the current news, specially for @infra post #12.

yeah someone posted that in the news section i read it. but till i get a linux phone i gotta use FAR in windows.. no alternative. and i like customizing almost everything that i own and which i can. so can't fore go that atm

willl try this also very soon......... nice info.