VMware Workstation

Click on 'Edit Virtual Machine Settings.'

As there are many options listed here, we will only focus on the things that you need to change right now.  We will talk about the options that we skip over later on.

Select 'USB Controller'.  Clear the checkbox for 'Automatically connect new USB devices.' 

Now click on the 'Options' tab, and select 'Power'.  Let's change the default behavior of the power buttons for the Virtual Machine.  Change the red button to 'Shut Down Guest' instead of 'Power Off' (the difference here is a graceful shutdown of the operating system versus a hard power off).  Change the reset button to 'Restart Guest' instead of 'Restart' (a proper restart of the guest operating system versus a hardware reset).

Select 'Snapshot/Replay', and clear the checkbox for 'Enable Visual Studio debugger (experimental). 

Click OK.  We are now ready to start the installation of the Virtual Machine.

Fusion

So now let us make a quick reference.  This shot is the Virtual Machine Settings.  When you click into a topic, you will note that the 'Show All' button on the upper left will bring you back to this screen, allowing you to continue to select another setting.

Click on display.  My Macbook does not have 'good enough' video hardware to perform this function.  I clear the checkbox.

Back up (using the Show All button), and now click on Printers.  When building the template, I do not allow the printers on my Mac to be shared to the Virtual Machine.  This can be enabled very easily later on for Virtual Machines that you actually use, and wish to simplify your printing solution later on.

Back up, and now click on Hard Disks.  I change the default 40-GB hard drive to be a 25-GB hard drive.  It is OK to leave it as 40-GB, as it will not consume any more space than a 25-GB drive would.  I clear the checkbox stating 'Split into 2 GB files'.  I have heard many points of view regarding splitting up the Virtual Hard Drive into many files, or keeping it as a single file.  I always keep it as a single file, and have never had any performance problems, or issues with moving/copying the files afterwards.  (If there were issues, I am sure in 7 years I would have seen a few.)

Click 'Apply' to make these settings take.

Back up, and select 'USB Devices.'  Clear the checkbox for 'Automatically connect USB devices.'

You can close the settings window, and now we are ready to start the installation of the Virtual Machine.