Accepted Solutions
How can I use workstation / player to create a sandbox? What I would like to do is create a OS in workstation but when it comes to using it in player, I always want it to start in the same state as it was created.
Is this possible?
</div>Yes it is possible. First build out your VM completely to the point that you want it to always be like and then shutdown, not suspend the VM and close Workstation and then make a copy of the VM as a backup.
Next load Workstation but do not start the VM and then select the virtual machine then choose VM > Settings and then on the Hardware tab, select the drive and click Advanced and select Independent and then select Nonpersistent.
You can now run this VM in Player and all changes made are discarded when you power off the VM.
Also just so you know you can do this if you build out in Player by manually editing the VM's .vmx configuration file adding the appropriate line for the virtual hard drive type and node using the following as examples:
ide0:0.mode = "independent-nonpersistent"
or
scsi0:0.mode = "independent-nonpersistent"
JSYK The only difference between the backup you made and then the change to the virtual hard drive is a single line in the .vmx file as shown in the above examples. A temporary virtual hard drive is created and changes written to it when the VM is run with that setting in play and is discarded at power off.
This should give you what your are asking for. 
How can I use workstation / player to create a sandbox? What I would like to do is create a OS in workstation but when it comes to using it in player, I always want it to start in the same state as it was created.
Is this possible?
</div>Yes it is possible. First build out your VM completely to the point that you want it to always be like and then shutdown, not suspend the VM and close Workstation and then make a copy of the VM as a backup.
Next load Workstation but do not start the VM and then select the virtual machine then choose VM > Settings and then on the Hardware tab, select the drive and click Advanced and select Independent and then select Nonpersistent.
You can now run this VM in Player and all changes made are discarded when you power off the VM.
Also just so you know you can do this if you build out in Player by manually editing the VM's .vmx configuration file adding the appropriate line for the virtual hard drive type and node using the following as examples:
ide0:0.mode = "independent-nonpersistent"
or
scsi0:0.mode = "independent-nonpersistent"
JSYK The only difference between the backup you made and then the change to the virtual hard drive is a single line in the .vmx file as shown in the above examples. A temporary virtual hard drive is created and changes written to it when the VM is run with that setting in play and is discarded at power off.
This should give you what your are asking for.
You can start trying to create some sort of scripting in order to have, in the end of the day, your disks back on the "good" state again...
</div>
No scripting is necessary and all that's needed to be done is make the disk "independent-nonpersistent" and as a VMware Certified Professional and Virtualization Tech Master (whatever that is) I would think you should know this!