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Title: Question concerning sharing programs across different user accounts in Ubuntu
Source: [None]
URL Source: [None]
Published: Aug 28, 2011
Author: me
Post Date: 2011-08-28 17:52:39 by F.A. Hayek Fan
Keywords: None
Views: 279
Comments: 28

I recently began running Ubuntu Linux via dual boot on my computer system. It's pretty cool but there are some things I am having problems with. I eventually want to get rid of the dual boot and just run Linux. At the same time I want to run Windows 7 in a virtual machine using VMware Player. I have created four separate users, one for each member of the family.

I have successfully installed VMware Player and I have successfully created a virtual window that runs Windows 7. However, the Windows 7 virtual window can only be seen under my user name. What do I have to do for all four users to be able to see the Windows 7 virtual window? It takes 40 GB to install Windows 7 on a virtual window. It makes no sense that I would have to load it three other times and waste 120GB of disk space on the same thing. There has to be a way that I can set it up so everyone can see the virtual window under their user name.

Any ideas?

Post Comment   Private Reply   Ignore Thread  

#1. To: F.A. Hayek Fan (#0)

Sorry, zero help here.

G'luck with it.

Break the Conventions - Keep the Commandments - G.K.Chesterson

Lod  posted on  2011-08-28   18:54:44 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

However, the Windows 7 virtual window can only be seen under my user name.

Can you explain exactly what you mean by the above? Unless you installed vmware player as a regular user instead of root (superuser), any user should be able to run vmware player. Mine is installed at /usr/bin/vmplayer. Opening a terminal and typing "/usr/bin/vmplayer" would probably start it up for any user. If not, then you can open a terminal in your session and type "which vmplayer" and that should tell you where it's installed. If it *is* installed in someplace beginning with "/home/[youruserid/..." then it will only be accessable to you and not the other users.

I use ubuntu with vmplayer running windows so I should be able to assist.

Pinguinite  posted on  2011-08-28   19:38:03 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

Can you explain exactly what you mean by the above? Unless you installed vmware player as a regular user instead of root (superuser), any user should be able to run vmware player. Mine is installed at /usr/bin/vmplayer. Opening a terminal and typing "/usr/bin/vmplayer" would probably start it up for any user. If not, then you can open a terminal in your session and type "which vmplayer" and that should tell you where it's installed. If it *is* installed in someplace beginning with "/home/[youruserid/..." then it will only be accessable to you and not the other users.

I see where the problem might be. I installed the WMware Player as a superuser, so the VMware Player itself can be seen by everyone. However, the Windows 7 virtual machine that I created can only be seen by my user name. However, I think you just gave me the reason why. When I created the Windows 7 virtual Window, I was logged in under my normal user name instead of as a superuser (duh).

Ok, so I guess I remove the Windows 7 virtual Window and reinstall it under my SU account? If so, is there a specific way to do it? I don't see a delete or remove command in any of the drop down menus.

Thank you for your help.

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-08-28   20:06:12 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

I don't see a delete or remove command in any of the drop down menus.

OK. I found it. I deleted it and will now reinstall under SU. Keep your fingers crossed! :)

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-08-28   20:33:13 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

You're a braver man than I.

Best of luck with the new install.

Break the Conventions - Keep the Commandments - G.K.Chesterson

Lod  posted on  2011-08-28   20:37:28 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

OK. I found it. I deleted it and will now reinstall under SU. Keep your fingers crossed! :)

Well, you didn't need to do that, actually. You can transfer the existing windows files so that all users can access them. I expect that you'll find that no one can use the windows files after they are installed and owned by root (superuser). If so, you'll need to make them accessable to all users by using the "chmod" command. Let me know.

Pinguinite  posted on  2011-08-28   20:47:34 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

I expect that you'll find that no one can use the windows files after they are installed and owned by root (superuser). If so, you'll need to make them accessable to all users by using the "chmod" command. Let me know.

Here is how the Windows 7 file is set up by default. What do I have to change to all users to be able to use Windows 7?

drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4096 2011-08-28 19:58 Windows 7
root@home-computer:~/vmware#

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-08-28   21:14:27 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

When I want to add Windows programs to Windows 7 such as Office Suite 2010, do I just do within Windows 7 as I would if it were a real machine? Also, do I need to install anti-virus software as I would if it were a real machine?

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-08-28   21:17:26 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

From that directory, as root, type:

chmod -R 777 Windows*

Pinguinite  posted on  2011-08-28   21:17:55 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

You're a braver man than I.

Best of luck with the new install.

Actually it was a bad idea to begin this now as it's taking me much longer to do than I thought it would. I still have to drive to St. Louis tonight (3 hrs away) and be in class at 0800 tomorrow. Oh well.

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-08-28   21:20:37 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

When I want to add Windows programs to Windows 7 such as Office Suite 2010, do I just do within Windows 7 as I would if it were a real machine? Also, do I need to install anti-virus software as I would if it were a real machine?

Yes and yes.

The vmplayer windows is for net purposes it's own standalone PC. If you intend to use it as frequently as before, with email lots of web browsing and other things that are equally dangerous on a windows PC, then you should add the anti-virus software just as you would a normal windows PC.

Pinguinite  posted on  2011-08-28   21:20:39 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

The vmplayer windows is for net purposes it's own standalone PC. If you intend to use it as frequently as before, with email lots of web browsing and other things that are equally dangerous on a windows PC, then you should add the anti-virus software just as you would a normal windows PC.

Ok thanks. I can get by with Linux and Libre Office but my wife has been traumatized by her loss of MS Word. I will do my best to talk her into not Windows 7 for any Internet access. At least not until next week when I can hopefully find the time to install AVG.

Thank you very much for your help.

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-08-28   21:26:16 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

From that directory, as root, type:

chmod -R 777 Windows*

Done. Thanks again.

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-08-28   21:26:40 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

At least not until next week when I can hopefully find the time to install AVG.

Well, one of the super great things about vmplayer is that if Windows does get infected, you now have the choice of cleaning it with anti virus software OR just deleting the entire windows files and reinstalling them as you did just now. The latter may well be easier. You can also just copy the windows files in linux after all your windows software is installed, and restore that anytime you have any doubts about it's integrity. No more do you have to format the hard disk and (for the most part) figure out how to salvage your stuff. Vmplayer makes it very easy and fast to backup and restore your entire windows system.

Openoffice is a perfectly fine replacement for Word. It does everything word does, as far as I know anyway, including reading and writing word files.

Pinguinite  posted on  2011-08-28   21:38:47 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

Openoffice is a perfectly fine replacement for Word. It does everything word does, as far as I know anyway, including reading and writing word files.

It is virtually identical in every important respect and the price is right too - free.

Original_Intent  posted on  2011-08-28   22:41:06 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

I hate to bother you with this again but I am unable to see the Windows 7 virtual window from any username except for root. Any ideas?

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-09-04   10:39:29 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

Openoffice is a perfectly fine replacement for Word. It does everything word does, as far as I know anyway, including reading and writing word files.

It is virtually identical in every important respect and the price is right too - free.

While it is true that Libre Office does pretty much the same exact thing as Word, it doesn't do it in the same way which, for some reason, completely blows my wife's mind. She's a creature of habit who fights tooth and nail against change - at least when it comes to computer technology. Anyway, since I now live 5 days of the week in St. Louis and only come home on the weekends, I am not there to help her figure out how to do things. Nor do I have the time to try and walk her through it over the phone. Therefore it is much easier for me to create a Windows 7 virtual window and add MS Office to it. Then everyone is happy.

That is IF I can get it to work properly. Right now the virtual window can only be seen when logged in as root. Hopefully Pinguinite will have some advice on how to fix this.

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-09-04   10:47:17 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

I hate to bother you with this again but I am unable to see the Windows 7 virtual window from any username except for root. Any ideas?

No problem for me.

What happens when you try to run Windows as any ordinary user? Are you getting a permission denied error or any other clue as to what's wrong?

Pinguinite  posted on  2011-09-04   11:13:14 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

What happens when you try to run Windows as any ordinary user? Are you getting a permission denied error or any other clue as to what's wrong?

No,nothing happens. I can't see it at all. What I mean is this: When I am root user and I open VMware Player, the Windows 7 icon is visible under "Home." All I have to do is double-click on it and it shows up.

When I am logged in as a regular user, nothing is there and I click on "open a virtual machine," a window pops up with my user name directory and all of the files found in that directory. There is also a Desktop directory, a filesystem directory, a floppy drive directory (which I don't know why shows up because I do not have a floppy drive. It has the same exact info as my user name directory has), and the directory to my other hard drive.

I'm guessing that I have to somehow associate the VMware Player program with the Windows 7 directory in found in root. The problem is that I do not know how to do this.

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-09-04   11:34:20 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

Okay, sign in as root and open up vmplayer. Right click on the virtual machine you're about to open and select "Virtual Machine Settings". On the next window, choose "Options" and you'll see the working directory at the bottom. Note/copy that, then sign in as you and start vmplayer, then say you want open a new machine, then go to that same location. That should do it.

Lemme know.

Pinguinite  posted on  2011-09-04   11:42:35 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

I get the following error message:

unable to open /root/vmware/Windows 7 as a virtual machine: Cannot open file "/root/vmware/Windows 7": Permission denied.

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-09-04   12:01:21 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

I get the following error message:

unable to open /root/vmware/Windows 7 as a virtual machine: Cannot open file "/root/vmware/Windows 7": Permission denied.

I changed the permissions of both the vmware and Windows 7 directories per your directions last week. I guess that I have to change the permissions of the root directory. However, from my understanding, that is not a good idea.

I guess I shouldn't have created the Windows 7 virtual window in root. I did it because I was worried that the other users wouldn't be able to see it if I created it under my user name.

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-09-04   12:28:43 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

Okay, no problem. Yes it shouldn't be in the /root directory. Just copy it to some place where all users can access it without problems. On my PC, I made a /vmware folder (as in "mkdir /vmware"). Do that as root, then move the entire vmware windows folder/directory into that location. Then do the chmod command as per last week and you should be golden.

Pinguinite  posted on  2011-09-04   12:35:44 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

On my PC, I made a /vmware folder (as in "mkdir /vmware"). Do that as root, then move the entire vmware windows folder/directory into that location. Then do the chmod command as per last week and you should be golden.

but I already have a /wmware folder under the root directly. The path to the Windows 7 virtual window is: /root/vmware/Windows 7 (there's a backslash between Windows and 7 but it doesn't show up when I post my remarks).

If I use the mkdir command to create a vmware directory under the root user, won't it just make it in the root directory?

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-09-04   12:44:58 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

There is a parameter under options in the virtual machine settings called shared folders. The options are disabled or always enabled. From my readings, this should remain disabled, but I want to make sure that is correct.

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-09-04   12:56:13 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

Shared folders refers to sharing of folders between linux and windows, whenever windows is running. It has nothing to do with sharing between different linux users when they are logged in. With shared folders, you can go into linux and copy a file in that folder, then pop over to windows and read it from there.

It's disabled for security reasons related to viruses and such. Unless you have a need for using this feature, just leave it disabled.

You can still use a flash drive doing much the same thing, but only windows or linux can access it at any one time.

Pinguinite  posted on  2011-09-04   13:01:19 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

Shared folders refers to sharing of folders between linux and windows, whenever windows is running. It has nothing to do with sharing between different linux users when they are logged in. With shared folders, you can go into linux and copy a file in that folder, then pop over to windows and read it from there.

It's disabled for security reasons related to viruses and such. Unless you have a need for using this feature, just leave it disabled.

Yeah, I figured it was something like that.

I give up. I'm going to have to chalk this up to a failed experiment. I have neither the time nor inclination to start over from scratch. Maybe I'll try it again once this semester is over. I'll just keep the dual boot and my wife can stay on Windows while I am away. Thanks for your help.

I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. - Benjamin Franklin

F.A. Hayek Fan  posted on  2011-09-04   13:23:30 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

Oh.... sorry about that. I know things can be frustrating sometimes but it sounded like you were very close. There should be no need to start over from scratch, but let me know if I can help in the future.

Pinguinite  posted on  2011-09-04   13:45:40 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

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