5.1
Table Of Contents
- ThinApp User’s Guide
- Contents
- About This Book
- Installing ThinApp
- Capturing Applications
- Phases of the Capture Process
- Preparing to Capture Applications
- Capturing Applications with the Setup Capture Wizard
- Create a System Image Before the Application Installation
- Rescan the System with the Installed Application
- Defining Entry Points as Shortcuts into the Virtual Environment
- Set Entry Points
- Manage with VMware Horizon Application Manager
- Set User Groups
- Defining Isolation Modes for the Physical File System
- Set File System Isolation Modes
- Storing Application Changes in the Sandbox
- Customize the Sandbox Location
- Send Anonymous Statistics to VMware
- Customize ThinApp Project Settings
- Defining Package Settings
- Customize Package Settings
- Opening Project and Parameter Files
- Build Virtual Applications
- Advanced Package Configuration
- Capturing Internet Explorer 6 on Windows XP
- Capturing Multiple Application Installers with ThinApp Converter
- ThinApp Package Management
- Deploying Applications
- ThinApp Deployment Options
- Establishing File Type Associations with the thinreg.exe Utility
- Building an MSI Database
- Controlling Application Access with Active Directory
- Starting and Stopping Virtual Services
- Using ThinApp Packages Streamed from the Network
- Using Captured Applications with Other System Components
- Performing Paste Operations
- Accessing Printers
- Accessing Drivers
- Accessing the Local Disk, the Removable Disk, and Network Shares
- Accessing the System Registry
- Accessing Networking and Sockets
- Using Shared Memory and Named Pipes
- Using COM, DCOM, and Out-of-Process COM Components
- Starting Services
- Using File Type Associations
- Sample Isolation Mode Configuration Depending on Deployment Context
- Updating and Linking Applications
- Application Updates That the End User Triggers
- Application Sync Updates
- Using Application Sync in a Managed or Unmanaged Environment
- Update Firefox 2.0.0.3 to Firefox 3 with Application Sync
- Fix an Incorrect Update with Application Sync
- Application Sync Effect on Entry Point Executable Files
- Updating thinreg.exe Registrations with Application Sync
- Maintaining the Primary Data Container Name with Application Sync
- Completing the Application Sync Process When Applications Create Child Processes
- Application Link Updates
- View of the Application using Application Link
- Link a Base Application to the Microsoft .NET Framework
- Set Up Nested Links with Application Link
- Affecting Isolation Modes with Application Link
- PermittedGroups Effect on Linked Packages
- Sandbox Changes for Standalone and Linked Packages
- Import Order for Linked Packages
- File and Registry Collisions in Linked Packages
- VBScript Collisions in Linked Packages
- VBScript Function Order in Linked Packages
- Storing Multiple Versions of a Linked Application in the Same Directory
- Using Application Sync for a Base Application and Linked Packages
- Application Sync Updates
- Application Updates That the Administrator Triggers
- Automatic Application Updates
- Upgrading Running Applications on a Network Share
- Application Synchronization Using Group Policy Object
- Sandbox Considerations for Upgraded Applications
- Updating the ThinApp Version of Packages
- Application Updates That the End User Triggers
- Locating the ThinApp Sandbox
- Creating ThinApp Snapshots and Projects from the Command Line
- ThinApp File System Formats and Macros
- Creating ThinApp Scripts
- Callback Functions
- Implement Scripts in a ThinApp Environment
- API Functions
- Monitoring and Troubleshooting ThinApp
- Glossary
- Index
VMware, Inc. 11
Chapter 1 Installing ThinApp
Recommendations for Installing ThinApp
When you install ThinApp, consider the recommendations and best practices for the software.
Using a Clean Computer
VMware recommends using a clean computer to install ThinApp because the environment affects the
application capture process. A clean computer is a physical or virtual machine with only a Windows operating
system installed. In a corporate environment where you have a base desktop image, the base desktop image
is your clean computer. The desktop computer might already have some components and libraries installed.
Application installers skip files that already exist on the computer. If the installer skips files, the ThinApp
package does not include them during the application capture process. The application might fail to run on
other computers where the files do not exist. A clean computer enables the capture process to scan the
computer file system and registry quickly.
If you install ThinApp and capture an application on a computer that has Microsoft.NET 2.0 already installed,
.NET 2.0 is not included in the ThinApp package. The captured application runs only on computers that have
.NET 2.0 already installed.
Using Virtual Machines for Clean Computers
The easiest way to set up a clean computer is to create a virtual machine. You can install Windows on the
virtual machine and take a snapshot of the entire virtual machine in its clean state. After you capture an
application, you can restore the snapshot and revert it to a clean virtual machine state that is ready for the next
application capture.
You can use VMware Workstation or other VMware products to create virtual machines. For information
about VMware products, see the VMware Web site.
Using the Earliest Operating System Required for Users
Install ThinApp on a clean computer with the earliest version of the operating system you plan to support.
In most cases, the earliest platform is Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Most packages captured on Windows XP
work on Windows 2000. In some cases, Windows XP includes some DLLs that Windows 2000 lacks. ThinApp
excludes these DLLs from the captured application package if the application typically installs these DLLs.
After you create a ThinApp application package, you can overwrite files in the package with updated versions
and rebuild the application without the capture process.
Install ThinApp Software
Use the ThinApp executable file to install ThinApp.
Install ThinApp software
1 Download ThinApp to a clean physical or virtual Windows machine.
2 Double-click the ThinApp executable file.
3In the Patent Lists dialog box, click Next.
4 Accept the license, type the serial number, and type a license display name that appears when you open
applications that ThinApp captures.
5Click Install.
ThinApp is installed.