VMware Player fails to switch to full screen mode

Products

• VMware Desktop Hypervisor

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• VMware Player does not switch to full screen mode on Windows Vista hosts
• If you delete the preferences.ini file, VMware Player switches to the full screen mode once, but not later
• You are using the Windows default theme

Environment

VMware Player 4.x (Windows)
VMware Player 3.x (Windows )
VMware Player 5.x (Windows)

Resolution

To resolve this issue, switch to the classic theme on the Windows operating system or disable desktop composition for vmplayer.exe.

To disable desktop composition:

Windows Vista

1. Browse and locate the vmplayer.exe binary file. By default, it is located at C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Player\.
2. Right-click vmplayer.exe and click Compatibility.
3. Select Disable Desktop Composition.
4. Click Apply and then click OK.

Windows 7, Windows 8 and 2008 Server

1. Open Control Panel > Performance Information and Tools
2. Click Adjust visual effects.
3. Locate the Enable desktop composition box and uncheck it.
4. Click Apply and then click OK.