This is how to have a clean system when not running VMWare. You can easily switch between VMWare using loads of resources and none at all. After doing this, you can simply run one shortcut to shut down all VMWare services and processes and another to start them up again. It also means you can set all the VMWare services to manual startup, as well as remove the other two startup processes, so that none of them start automatically at boot time.

1. Download and unpack SysInternals' PsTools (~1MB) from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896649.aspx.

2. Create a new shortcut called "Stop VMWare Processes and Services":

   a. Set its target to: C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /c psservice stop VMAuthdService & psservice stop VMnetDHCP & psservice stop "VMware NAT Service" & psservice stop vmount2 & pskill hqtray.exe & pskill vmware-tray.exe & pause

   b. Set its 'start in' to: "C:\Program Files\Ps Tools\" (or wherever you unpacked PsTools).

3. Create a shortcut called "Start VMWare Processes and Services":

   a. Set its target to: C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /c psservice start VMAuthdService & psservice start VMnetDHCP & psservice start "VMware NAT Service" & psservice start vmount2 & psexec -d C:\PROGRA_{1\VMWare\hqtray.exe & psexec -d C:\PROGRA}1\VMWare\vmware-tray.exe & pause

   b. Set its 'start in' to: "C:\Program Files\Ps Tools\" (or wherever you unpacked PsTools).

Note: I installed VMWare to C:\Program Files\VMWare\. This is not the default. In 3a. replace C:\PROGRA~1\VMWare\ with wherever you installed VMWare.

Now just run the "Start VMWare Processes and Services" shortcut to start everything VMWare needs before launching the program itself.

Then, after exiting VMWare, run the "Stop VMWare Processes and Services" shortcut to get rid of all the junk it launched.

This works on my system:

   Windows XP

   VMWare Workstation v6.0.2 Build 59824

   PsTools v2.44

It should also work everywhere else. If it doesn't work for you, and you're using a version other than v6.0.2 Build 59824, check if they've changed the service and/or process names...