Terrible bug in "Easy Install"

[Acarphinus]

What an ugly mess!

I tried out the "easy install" feature on a copy of XP pro. I entered my product key, a username and a password.

It went through the install process, but when I tried to log in with my username and password, I could not log in.

Maybe VMWare did not like my password because it had spaces and punctuation, I don't know. Whatever.

I tried rebooting from the CD, and re-installing the OS, but BEHOLD! It still used the values from"Easy Install" with the scrambled password.

I tried creating another Virtual Machine, this time with "I will install the OS later" and it STILL used the Easy Install values.

I tried making yet another VM, with no floppy, not network, no USB, install later, and a different version of XP from a different CD, but it still uses "Easy Install" with the unknown password.

How can I kill this beast? Where are the values for Easy Install kept?

Acarphinus

[Acarphinus]

Ok, so finally, a work-around.

Create another VM, turn "Easy Install" back on, and create a new user with and empty password. Then you can log in. This is only a partial solution, becase "Easy Install" is still overwriting "Unattended Install" values that have been defined in the installation .iso, and still cannot be turned off for new installs.

W.T.F

[continuum]

Delete the directory and start over.

Select Menu > New > Custom > Next > I will install later > select XP > Next > Next > and so on - then finaly do not allow direct start.

Instead assign iso-file.

Now you can start without the anoying "easy install"

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description of vmx-parameters:

VMware-liveCD:

[Acarphinus]

Thanks,!

But which directory do I delete?

My Vms live under "Q:\VirtualMachines" so I have

Q:\VirtualMachines\Munged_XP_00

Q:\VirtualMachines\Munged_XP_01

Q:\VirtualMachines\ etc...

My VMWare install lives under "H:\VirtualMachines" so I have

H:\VirtualMachines\VMware\VMware Workstation\vmware.exe

Deleting that would require a reinstall. ( No big cause I was going to try that anyway ).

Then there is the black box stuff under "%USERDIR%\Application Data\VMWare", and "%USERDIR%\Local Settings\Application Data"

Is there some other hidden directory?

[continuum]

delete those VMs that are messed up - maybe the ones in

Q:\VirtualMachines\Munged_XP_00 - don't know.

H:\VirtualMachines\VMware\VMware Workstation\vmware.exe is no VM - thats the program itself.

Then there is the black box stuff under "%USERDIR%\Application Data\VMWare", and "%USERDIR%\Local Settings\Application Data"

that is alon no VMs - that are program-settings.

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description of vmx-parameters:

VMware-liveCD:

[grossag]

Sorry to hear you're having problems. If you select "Install later" it definitely should not be using Easy Install. The way to check if a VM is using Easy Install is to open up VM > Settings before you power on the VM to do the Windows installation. Easy Install works by pointing the virtual floppy device at the autoinst.flp we created in your VM's directory for Easy Install. If the virtual floppy device is pointing at a file named autoinst.flp then we are mistakenly using Easy Install. Otherwise, the unattended install info in your iso is incorrect. Also, to check what password we are sending to Windows, you can mount the flp file using any utilities available on the internet and open up the winnt.sif file to look for your password. Although, when Tools is installed at the end of the unattended installation, we try and delete the .flp file because we are done with it.