4.0

Configure Display Settings for a Virtual Machine
You can specify monitor resolution settings, configure multiple monitors, and select accelerated graphics
capabilities for a virtual machine. You can use the multiple-monitor feature when the virtual machine is in full
screen mode.
To use DirectX 9 accelerated graphics, the guest operating system must be Windows XP, Windows Vista, or
Windows 7.
Only Player 3.x and later virtual machines support specifying resolution settings and setting the number of
monitors that the guest operating system can use.
Prerequisites
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Verify that the latest version of VMware Tools is installed in the guest operating system.
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Verify that the guest operating system in the virtual machine is Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7,
or Linux.
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If you plan to use DirectX 9 accelerated graphics, prepare the host system. See “Prepare the Host System
to Use DirectX 9 Accelerated Graphics,” on page 66.
Procedure
1 Select the virtual machine and select Virtual Machine > Virtual Machine Settings.
2 On the Hardware tab, select Display.
3 Specify whether host settings determine the number of monitors.
Option Description
Use host setting for monitors
When you select this setting, the SVGA driver uses two monitors, a
maximum bounding box width of 3840, and a maximum bounding box
height of 1920. The virtual machine is configured to have a minimum of two
1920x1200 monitors, in a side-by-side topology, in both normal and rotated
orientations. If the host system has more than two monitors, the virtual
machine uses the number of monitors on the host system instead. If the host
system's bounding box is wider or taller than the defaults, the virtual
machine uses the larger size. You should select this setting in most cases.
Specify monitor settings
Set the number of monitors that the virtual machine will see, regardless of
the number of monitors on the host system. This setting is useful if you use
a multimonitor host system and you need to test in a virtual machine that
has only one monitor. It is also useful if you are developing a multimonitor
application in a virtual machine and the host system has only one monitor.
After you power on the virtual machine, the guest operating system sees the
number of monitors that you specified. Select a resolution from the list or
type a setting that has the format width x height, where width and height are
the number of pixels.
4 (Optional) To run applications that use DirectX 9 accelerated graphics, select Accelerate 3D graphics.
5 Click OK to save your changes.
Use Full Screen Mode in Player
In full screen mode, the virtual machine display fills the screen, so that you cannot see the borders of the Player
window.
Prerequisites
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Power on the virtual machine.
Chapter 4 Using Virtual Machines
VMware, Inc. 57