Unexpected New User Account Created with VM Player Installation

[Kiki_Lavier]

When I installed VM Player (latest version as of last week) on a Windows 7 beta PC, after I rebooted the PC, a new user account was created called "_vmplayer_" .

This was annoying, to say the least. In all my installations of VM Player over the past few years that has never happened before.

Does anyone know why this occurred? Is it OK to delete "_vmplayer_" ?

(NOTE: I tried to type underscore character precedes and follows vmplayer as the user name, but this forum added underscores to my attempt to show what the exact user name is.)

[continuum]

Normally this new accounts are created:

 __vmware__

 __vmware_user__

You should not delete them

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description of vmx-parameters:

VMware-liveCD:

[Kiki_Lavier]

Thanks, that's interesting. Those accounts never showed up on Vista or XP installations before.

Those new accounts create a major annoyance for me because now that one Windows 7 PC stops and waits for me to select which user account to use. Before then, that PC would just boot up and without stopping. ?:|

Why are that new account present? This morning I selected it, but it prompted me for a password, which I did not have.

[continuum]

This accounts are usually hidden - you should not even see them when loggin in. Just ignore them.

Seems to be a problem with the installer in Windows 7 that this accounts become visable.

Anyway -do not use them as regualr accounts - and do not think about setting passwords

___________________________________

description of vmx-parameters:

VMware-liveCD:

[Kiki_Lavier]

OK, thank you. That's very helpful...as well as a juicy little bug. :smileyblush:

But you say I should not think about using passwords--not even for my own login? I was about to set up a biometric login to my system.

No login at all for my own account???

[RDPetruska]

No, he means do not assign passwords for those VMware accounts which the installer created.

[Kiki_Lavier]

Thank you.

Is there any simple way to hide those "outed" accounts?

[continuum]

You normally do not see them in management > local users and groups

That maybe something new in Windows 7 - I guess it will be fixed once it is out of beta and Workstations has been tested on it.

___________________________________

description of vmx-parameters:

VMware-liveCD:

[borj730]

click start.

in the search box, type: netplwiz

you can remove the vmware user account

it will not affect the vmware program.

[Beardo]

I see this an old thread but I have a question about this.  I've have vmware worksattion installed on my Win 7 machine and had noticed this user account but it wasn't causing me an issue.

I've recently tried to install Becrypt to encrypt my hard disk and it fails due to a user account being present that has a blank password.  I can't find any logs to tell me which user account it doesn't like but as I'm using a domain account and this is only one of two local accounts on the machine I'm guessing that it's the__vmware__user__ account that is the issue.  The other account is a corporate account on my laptop image that definitely has a password.

You mention that passwords should not be assigned...  Is there not somehwere in the vmware wstation config that I can update this?  I don't see this account being used by any of the services so any advice would be appreciated.

[WoodyZ]

Beardo wrote: I've recently tried to install Becrypt to encrypt my hard disk and it fails due to a user account being present that has a blank password.

AFAIK The VMware Accounts are absolutely necessary, are used and cannot have passwords assigned to them!

Your choices are...

1. Do not use Becrypt.

Or...

2. Uninstall the VMware Product (this does not remove the Virtual Machines), encrypt the drive and the reinstall the VMware Product.  Note that there may still be an issue if Becrypt monitors the Accounts.  If that be the case then do not use Becrypt.

Or...

3. (I wouldn't do it, I'd do 2 instead.)  Temporarily assign password to the VMware Accounts, encrypt the drive and then remove the passwords. Note that there may still be an issue if Becrypt monitors the Accounts.  If that be the case then do not use Becrypt.

Or...

4. Find a encryption product that will allow the VMware Accounts (without passwords) to coexist.

[continuum]

Hi
you can export the registry key that establishes the vmware-user account

- then delete the account

- install your encryption software

- and restore the account from the registry patch if necessary

for full instructions I need to know which Windows you use

[Beardo]

Thanks WoodyZ, I came to a similar conclusion so am in the process of uninstalling vmware and reinstalling becrypt.  Unfortunately I don't have a choice in the encryption software that I have to use.

Prior to this I had the two apps happily co-existing on my XP machine so hopefully it's just the order in which I installed them and not a Windows 7 issue.

I'll let you know the outcome.

[Beardo]

Hi Continuum

Thanks for the speedy reply.

I'm using Windows 7 and would be interested to know which registry key to export in case the reinstallation that I'm going through doesn't work.

Cheers

[continuum]

I am not sitting in front of a Windows 7 with VMplayer right now
on 2003 it is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SAM\SAM\Domains\Account\Aliases\Names\__vmware__

[Beardo]

I removed vmware and becrypt.  Installed becrypt again and it still complains about a user account.

I've contacted becrypt for support so I'll see what happens.

Thanks for the support.

[Beardo]

Just as an update to the issue:-

Becrypt eventually completed the installation.  The support team couldn't really assist but were pretty responsive nontheless. 

After performing a clean install I still received the error but I then left it alone for about a week to make sure that it wasn't a false positive.  It obviously needs time to encrypt the disk too.

So, eventually it finished under its own steam and registered with Becrypt successfully but I still don't know what the answer is.

[VM_FerchogtX]

Maybe you can disable that extra account... which is it? _wmware_user_ by any chance?

[Beardo]

That was the account but even after removing it and vmware, Becrypt still complained.

[VM_FerchogtX]

What is the exact error that program gives to you? something about autologin?