VMware THINAPP 4.6 - Using the Earliest Operating System Required for Users; Install Thinapp Software; Checking Thinapp Installation Files

VMware, Inc. 13
Chapter 1 Installing ThinApp
Applicationinstallersskipfilesthatalreadyexistonthecomputer.Iftheinstallerskipsfiles,theThinApp
packagedoesnotincludethemduringtheapplicationcaptureprocess.Theapplicationmightfailtorunon
othercomputerswherethefilesdonotexist.Acleancomputerenablesthecaptureprocesstoscan
the
computerfilesystemandregistryquickly.
Ifyouinst al lThinAppandcaptureanapplicationonacompu te r thathasMicrosoft.NET2.0alreadyinstalled,
.NET2.0isnotincludedintheThinApppackage.Thecapturedapplicationrunsonlyoncomputersthathave
.NET2.0alreadyinstalled.
Using Virtual Machines for Clean Computers
Theeasiestwaytosetupacleancomputeristocreateavirtualmachine.YoucaninstallWindowsonthe
virtualmachineandtakeasnapshotoftheentirevirtualmachineinitscleanstate.Afteryoucapturean
application,youcanrestorethesnapshotandrevertittoa
cleanvirtualmachinestatethatisreadyforthenext
applicationcapture.
YoucanuseVMwareWorkstationorotherVMwareproductstocreatevirtualmachines.Forinformation
aboutVMwareproducts,seetheVMwareWebsite.
Using the Earliest Operating System Required for Users
InstallThinApponacleancomputerwiththeearliestversionoftheoperatingsystemyouplantosupport.
In mostcases,theearliestplatformisWindows 2000orWindows XP.MostpackagescapturedonWindowsXP
workonWindows2000.In somecases,WindowsXPincludessomeDLLsthatWindows2000lacks.ThinApp
excludesthese
DLLSfromthecapturedapplicationpackageiftheapplicationtypicallyinstallstheseDLLs.
AfteryoucreateaThinAppapplicationpackage,youcanoverwritefilesinthepackagewithupdatedversions
andrebuildtheapplicationwithoutthecaptureprocess.
Install ThinApp Software
UsetheThinAppexecutablefiletoinstallThinApp.
Install ThinApp software
1 DownloadThinApptoacleanphysicalorvirtualWindowsmachine.
2Double‐clicktheThinAppexecutablefile.
3InthePatentListsdialogbox,clickNext.
4Acceptthelicense,typetheserialnumber,andtypealicensedisplaynamethatappearswhenyouopen
applicationsthat
ThinAppcaptures.
5ClickInstall.
ThinAppisinstalled.
Checking ThinApp Installation Files
TheThinAppinstallationgeneratestheVMwareThinAppdirectoryinC:\Program Files\VMware. Youmight
checkthefilesinthisdirectorytoperformoperationssuchasstartingtheLogMonitorutilitytoviewrecent
activity.
ThefollowingkeyfilesintheVMwareThinAppdirectoryaffectThinAppoperations:
 AppSync.exe–Keepscapturedapplicationsuptodatewiththelatestavailableversion.
 logging.dll–Generates.tracefiles.
 dll_dump.exe–Listsallcapturedapplicationsthatarecurrentlyrunningonasystem.
 log_monitor.exe–Displaystheexecutionhistoryanderrorsofanapplication.
 relink.exe–UpdatesexistingpackagestothelatestThinAppversioninstalledonthesystem.