4.7.3

Table Of Contents
VMware, Inc. 11
Chapter 1 Installing ThinApp
Applicationinstallersskipfilesthatalreadyexistonthecomputer.Iftheinstallerskipsfiles,theThinApp
packagedoesnotincludethemduringtheapplicationcaptureprocess.Theapplicationmightfailtorunon
othercomputerswherethefilesdonotexist.Acleancomputerenablesthecaptureprocesstoscan
the
computerfilesystemandregistryquickly.
Ifyouin stal lThinAppandcaptureanapplicationonacomp ut er thathasMicrosoft.NET2.0already
installed,.NET2.0isnotincludedintheThinApppackage.Thecapturedapplicationrunsonlyoncomputers
thathave.NET2.0alreadyinstalled.
Using Virtual Machines for Clean Computers
Theeasiestwaytosetupacleancomputeristocreateavirtualmachine.YoucaninstallWindowsonthe
virtualmachineandtakeasnapshotoftheentirevirtualmachineinitscleanstate.Afteryoucapturean
application,youcanrestorethesnapshotandrevertittoa
cleanvirtualmachinestatethatisreadyforthenext
applicationcapture.
YoucanuseVMwareWorkstationorotherVMwareproductstocreatevirtualmachines.Forinformation
aboutVMwareproducts,seetheVMwareWebsite.
Using the Earliest Operating System Required for Users
InstallThinApponacleancomputerwiththeearliestversionoftheoperatingsystemyouplantosupport.
In mostcases,theearliestplatformisWindows 2000orWindows XP.MostpackagescapturedonWindowsXP
workonWindows2000.In somecases,WindowsXPincludessomeDLLsthatWindows2000lacks.ThinApp
excludesthese
DLLsfromthecapturedapplicationpackageiftheapplicationtypicallyinstallstheseDLLs.
AfteryoucreateaThinAppapplicationpackage,youcanoverwritefilesinthepackagewithupdatedversions
andrebuildtheapplicationwithoutthecaptureprocess.
Install ThinApp Software
UsetheThinAppexecutablefiletoinstallThinApp.
Install ThinApp software
1 DownloadThinApptoacleanphysicalorvirtualWindowsmachine.
2DoubleclicktheThinAppexecutablefile.
3InthePatentListsdialogbox,clickNext.
4Acceptthelicense,typetheserialnumber,andtypealicensedisplaynamethatappearswhenyouopen
applicationsthat
ThinAppcaptures.
5ClickInstall.
ThinAppisinstalled.
Checking ThinApp Installation Files
TheThinAppinstallationgeneratestheVMwareThinAppdirectoryinC:\Program Files\VMware. Youmight
checkthefilesinthisdirectorytoperformoperationssuchasstartingtheLogMonitorutilitytoviewrecent
activity.
ThefollowingkeyfilesintheVMwareThinAppdirectoryaffectThinAppoperations:
AppSync.exeKeepscapturedapplicationsuptodatewiththelatestavailableversion.
logging.dllGenerates.tracefiles.
dll_dump.exeListsallcapturedapplicationsthatarecurrentlyrunningonasystem.
log_monitor.exeDisplaystheexecutionhistoryanderrorsofanapplication.
relink.exeUpdatesexistingpackagestothelatestThinAppversioninstalledonthesystem.