10 minutes to run every Windows app on your Ubuntu desktop

[subratabera]

*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: Note this requires Windows XP Pro. XP home won’t do.

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 System → Administration → Synaptic Package Manager. Install the vmware-server and rdesktop packages
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. Step through the wizard with all the default, 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 new 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’ 192.168.106.128 -u user -p password
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.

Source: *www.venturecake.com/10-minutes-to-run-every-windows-app-seamlessly-on-your-ubuntu-desktop/

 

[faraaz]

VirtualBox rocks your socks!! And its way better than VMWare because it be OpenSource!! And I'm not sure if VMWare supports USB access but VirtualBox DOES! And its easier to use...

As for the article, handy...

 

[rakeshishere]

VirtualBox rocks your socks!! And its way better than VMWare because it be OpenSource!! And I'm not sure if VMWare supports USB access but VirtualBox DOES! And its easier to use...

As for the article, handy...

hahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa...LMAO on that comment
Vmware is "pioneer" in Virtualization and In its Latest version It supports paravirtualization & also has support for a lot of Host and Guest OS(Way More than Virtual box/Virtual PC),In My Opinion Its seriously a fine product

 

[kalpik]

^^ But actually, VirtualBox is a LOT faster than VMWare.

 

[rakeshishere]

^^ But actually, VirtualBox is a LOT faster than VMWare.

Vmware is also faster(Check System Req @ official website) and Its got lotz of features bundled in it

 

[saurabh kakkar]

what is VMWare is is like Virtual pc which allows virtual O.S to run on existing sys ?

 

[rakeshishere]

what is VMWare is is like Virtual pc which allows virtual O.S to run on existing sys ?

Yup,But its way better than Virtual PC..Read More about Vmware over HERE

 

[kalpik]

Vmware is also faster(Check System Req @ official website) and Its got lotz of features bundled in it

??? How can two separate things be faster than one another?
Anyway, taken from *en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_virtual_machines

Performance wise,

VMWare: Up to near native, substantial performance loss on some workload (network and disk intensive especially)

VirtualBox: Near native.

 

[rakeshishere]

@kalpik
I am talkin about VMware Workstation 6.0(Build 45731)

 

[kalpik]

Well, that aint free.. Plus, it still has a performance rating of "Up to near native".
Believe me when i say it, VirtualBox is a LOT faster than VMWare I've used both extensively, even in production environments, as servers