Using Run Once in Guest Customization

[khughes]

My background isn't with scripting but have been able to get by reading examples etc... So my question comes, I would like to change a registry setting from a customized template setup using the run once area. I think I found what I needed but wanted to double check my work and see if there was any better ways of doing this.

I want to change the registery so that the vmtools does not show up in the toolbar. If I used this command would it work?

regchg "software\VMware, Inc.\VMware Tools" ShowTray 0

Thoughts? While I was writing this I realized I could probably just do this reg change on the template and be done with it but figured it would still be a good thing to learn or know I was doing it right. Thanks!

[Troy_Clavell]

if you create your template with the VMware Tools icon hidden, any VM's you deploy off that template will be the same, there should be no need to place a "run once" command into your customization settings.

[khughes]

I realized that I could do that while I was writing that post, but I'm more interested if that was a legit run once command?

[polysulfide]

I like to create a batchfile on each template and assign it to the run once.

I can then put any items I want in it with little additional effort. Sometimes there are items you need to run after sysprep so this is the perfect place. For example sysprep overwrites my path to my windows setup file. My templates point to the local repository but sysprep overwrites so I have a command in there to import the appropriate reg keys. Sysprep sets my cd drive back to the lowest available drive letter too instead of my server standard of Z: There are a lot of items you can customize on a template that don't persist sysprep so its good to be familiar with your options since they aren't all the best candidates for group policies.

http://communities.vmware.com/blogs/polysulfide

VI From Concept to Implementation