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littlef00t
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Can VM Snapshots be used to created a ThinApp Package?

I have an application that I would like to create a ThinApp Package for.  My application also requires a few prerequisite applications to be installed that I would also like to include in the ThinApp package.

Currently my process to build the ThinApp package is as follows:

     1. Revert/Go To a "clean" virtual machine with VMware ThinApp installed

     2. Perform a prescan using ThinApp

     3. Install my application's prerequisite applications

     4. Install my application

     5. Perform a postscan using ThinApp

     6. Build the ThinApp package that includes my application and its required applications

I have a snapshot of my "clean" VM that was created using VMware Workstation so that I can revert back to my "clean" machine each time I want to build a new ThinApp package, however I would like to be able to utilize a snapshot of my VM that includes just the prerequisite applications so that I do not have to reinstall them each time I create a new ThinApp package for my application.

My ideal process would be as follows:

     1. Revert/Go To a "clean" virtual machine with VMware ThinApp installed

     2. Perform a prescan using ThinApp

     3. Go To a VM snapshot of a VM with the prerequisite applications installed

     4. Install my application

     5. Perform a postscan using ThinApp

     6. Build the ThinApp package that includes my application and its required applications

Basically for Step 3 above, I want to be able to go to a snapshot of my VM that already has the prequiste applications installed instead of having to physically install them each time.

Is there anyway to keep the ThinApp Setup Capture process alive while jumping to different snapshots of a VM?

Any advice or suggestions on how to accomplish this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

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eeg3
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I'd do the following:

  1. Go to a clean snapshot
  2. Launch Thinapp and perform a prescan
  3. Install your pre-req applications
  4. Snapshot this point in time (with memory) and name it your application

With that, you can revert to the snapshot in step 4 and install your application each time then do a postscan, etc.

Blog: http://blog.eeg3.net

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eeg3
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I'd do the following:

  1. Go to a clean snapshot
  2. Launch Thinapp and perform a prescan
  3. Install your pre-req applications
  4. Snapshot this point in time (with memory) and name it your application

With that, you can revert to the snapshot in step 4 and install your application each time then do a postscan, etc.

Blog: http://blog.eeg3.net
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pbjork
VMware Employee
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Run snapshot.exe without any arguments and you'll get the help file. Here can you learn how to tweak snapshot.exe.

You can perform a pre installation snapshot and copy the snapshot file somewhere and reuse the same pre install snapshot over and over again.

littlef00t
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Thanks for the quick response.  Your solution accomplishes exactly what I wanted.  I did not account for the fact that the VM snapshot also includes the memory state as well.  Taking a snapshot during the installation stage of the ThinApp process allows me to revert to that stage the next time I just need to update my main application.

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