# open-vm-tools host to guest drag and drop not allowed

## urcindalo

Hi!

I keep a virtual Gentoo i686 installation as part of a science teaching project. Currently my virtual Gentoo is running kernel 2.6.26-gentoo-r2 and open-vm-tools-0.0.20080808.109361-r1, both from the portage tree.

The thing is drag and drop from guest to host (virtual Gentoo to Windows) works like a charm, but host to guest (Windows to virtual Gentoo) does not. I use VMware Player 2.5 for Windows to run the virtual Gentoo.

I've already checked my /tmp/VMwareDnd folder:

```
# ls -la /tmp/VMwareDnD

drwxrwxrwt 3 root   vmware  72 nov  6 14:06 VMwareDnD
```

and the scripts from /usr/bin/vmware-toolbox to suspend, resume, shut down and power on are activated and running without error messages.

What can I do? In the past, with a 2.6.24 kernel, the 0.0.20080414.87182 version of open-vm-tools and no scripts at all (becasue they always failed), drag and drop was working OK in both directions.

Thanks in advance.

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## urcindalo

I update the info.

Under Windows is it not allowed. However, if my host is my beloved Gentoo AMD64, then whenever I drag and drop from my KDE host user Desktop folder to the virtual Gentoo user Desktop folder, the files are copied, but not to the virtual Gentoo user Desktop folder, but to a cryptic folder inside /tmp/VMwareDnD, for instance 4966a52d. What's more, a second cryptic folder is also created with an empty content.

Any help is appreciated.

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## urcindalo

Nobody else having this problem??   :Shocked:   :Confused: 

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## Kvetch

4yrs later.....

I am having this problem with Workstation 7 and 8.  Currently running vanilla 3.2.12.

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## urcindalo

 *Kvetch wrote:*   

> 4yrs later.....
> 
> I am having this problem with Workstation 7 and 8.  Currently running vanilla 3.2.12.

 

Oops! A long time ago. I remember I had to change my kernel config so that drag & drop would work by deselecting some previously activated options.

I followed one of the (vmware) Gentoo guides for that, but I don't recall which one. I've tried to find it to no avail.

All I can do is post my kernel .config file here when I get a chance, which won't happen until this evening or so.

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## Suicidal

 *Kvetch wrote:*   

> 4yrs later.....
> 
> I am having this problem with Workstation 7 and 8.  Currently running vanilla 3.2.12.

 

You may want to check the parameters of the individual vm's.

On my esxi vms to get clipboard copy/paste I had to set:

```
 isolation.tools.copy.disable = false

Isolation.tools.paste.disable =false 
```

See if workstation has a hardening guide, you may find the parameters you need to change documented there.

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