VMware Player for Linux has just been updated to version 5.0.2 and this brief tutorial is going to show you how to install it in Ubuntu 12.10 / 13.04 Raring Ringtail if you haven’t already done so. This is a minor release version which includes bug fixes for Windows 7 host, VMware Tools for Linux virtual machines, automatic bridging setting now refreshes without needing to restart VMware player and many more.

For a complete changelog about this release, please check VMware changelog page.

Below are some of the changes that were applied to this minor version.

  • When installing VMware Tools in Linux virtual machines, the The default screen resolution options have been standardized to 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, or 1280×800 for the initial login. After login, resolution can be set to any value the user desires or Autofit can be used.
  • The list of available NICs in the Automatic Bridging Settings dialog window is now refreshed without restarting Player.
  • When running in a Linux distribution using the GNOME 3 desktop environment, Desktop folders now open as expected.
  • VMware Tools no longer crashes on Windows 2008 Server Core x64 SP2 operating system, with the following error:
    VMware Tools unrecoverable error: (vthread-3)
    Exception 0xc0000005 (access violation) has occurred.

    However, Windows 2008 Server Core x64 SP2 is not a supported operating system for VMware Workstation.
  • Scrolling with a Lenovo ThinkPad UltraNav scroll button no longer requires excessive force.

To get started, press Ctrl – Alt – T on your keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run the commands below to install required packages for VMware Player to work in Ubuntu.

sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r`

 

 

Next, go to VMware Player download’s page and get a copy for your Ubuntu machine. You’ll find the 32-bit and 64-bit versions there. After downloading, run the commands below to change to your Downloads folder. Firefox by default downloads and saves all content in your Downloads folder.

cd ~/Downloads

 

Next, run the commands below to make the downloaded file executable.

chmod +x VMware-Player-5.0.2-1031769.i386.bundle

 

vmware_player_ubuntu1302

 

Finally, run the commands below to install VMware Player.

sudo ./VMware-Player-5.0.2-1031769.i386.bundle

 

vmware_player_ubuntu1302_1

 

Follow the wizard until the installation is complete. When it’s done, launch if from Ubuntu Dash.

 

vmware_player_ubuntu1302_2

 

If you wish to uninstall VMware Player from Ubuntu, run the commands below to completely remove it.

sudo vmware-installer -u vmware-player

 

Enjoy!