Here's a method that I use when setting up lab machines that you might find handy. The problem I always have when switching between VMs is keeping track of which VM I am currently logged on to. The resolution to that problem is displaying computer configuration information on the desktop using the old backinfo.exe power toy. This .exe is available as part of the WSSRA Virtual Environments for Development and Test .zip download here and allows you to display computer configuration information on the local desktop automatically at startup.
Here's how to get/use it:
- Download the WSSRA-VE.zip file from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=50490
- Extract the files from the .zip and run WSSRA-VE_Deployment_Kit.msi to run the WSSRA-Virtual Enterprise Deployment Kit Setup Wizard
- After installation, navigate to <drive letter>:\Program Files\WSSRA-VE_Deployment_Kit_2.1.342.0\BLD\Utils
- Grab the BackInfo.exe and BackInfo.ini files.
- Go to a test computer and tweak the .ini file until you see what you want when bginfo.exe is running.
- Copy the .exe and the .ini files to a location on every computer that you want to display settings on the desktop.
- Create a shortcut to the .exe in the computer's startup folder or add an entry to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion|Run registry key to autostart bginfo.exe.
Here's a snippet of what a part of one of my MMS 2008 lab machine's desktop looked like with bginfo.exe running:
Hopefully you find that as handy as I do.
~Jeff