Note: Don’t worry if the application you are installing requires a reboot, ThinApp is clever enough to cope with that.Ħ. Run the ThinApp Setup Capture > Next > Prescan > This will take a few minutes > When finished simply minimise the window you are finished with it for now. Once your reference machine is setup, take a snapshot of it, so you can roll back to this point to create further ThinApps on this clean machine (VM > Snapshot > Take Snapshot).ĥ. Installing ThinApp is pretty straightforward, simply run the executable and follow the on screen prompts the only thing to note is when you enter your licence key, be aware the name you enter will display on the “splash screen” as your ThinApp loads (as shown).Ĥ. When built remove any hardware that will not be needed, like the floppy drive, and the USB Controller (Edit > Settings).ģ. It’s recommended that you create your ThinApp on the oldest operating system that it might be deployed on, so here I’m creating a virtual machine in VMware workstation that’s running Windows XP.Ģ. In the example below I’m going to create a stand alone version of Google Chrome, that is pre configured, and has Java already installed, and finally deploy that as a single executable file. The software then works out the ‘difference’ and uses that information to build a software package. If you’ve ever used sysdiff in the past or Novell Zenworks for Desktops, you will be familiar with the process, take a ‘scan’ of a clean machine, then install application(s), then carry out another ‘scan’. (Not because it needs a copy, but VMware recommends you use a clean virtual machine to create your ThinApps on). And it ships with a copy of VMware workstation.

ThinApp was a product called Thinstall that VMware purchased and “re-badged”, you get a free copy with VMware View 5 (Premier Edition).

It’s a product that turns applications into “Stand alone” thin applications, that can be sent to a user and ran without the need for that user to have administrative access, or the need to install anything. ThinApp is an “Odd” VMware product, insofar as it’s got nothing to do with virtual machines or virtual technology.

Vmware thinapp setup