How to hide "VMware Tools Services" from Startup?

General Question
1

Can anyone tell me how to hide this? I took care of the rest but not this one… I read someone recommended to uninstall the tools but I wanna exchange files in between my host and the VM…
thanks

vmware tools service startup

2

I found a workaround in the meantime

Masking VMware Tools in Task Manager

You can use Resource Hacker to modify the name of VMware Tools (vmtoolsd.exe) to mask it in the Task Manager. Below are the steps:

Notes:

  • Run Resource Hacker as admin.
  • Maximize the Resource Hacker window to avoid a bug where text editing is obstructed by unnecessary line breaks (at least that happened on my end).

Modify VMware Tools (vmtoolsd.exe):

  1. Locate the File:

    • Go to:
      C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\vmtoolsd.exe

  2. Modify Metadata:

    • Open vmtoolsd.exe in Resource Hacker.
    • Navigate to Version Info > 1:1033 and make the following changes:
      • Company Name: Change from VMware, Inc. to ABCDE.
      • FileDescription: Change from VMware Tools Core Service to XXYYZZ.
      • ProductName: Change from VMware Tools to XXYYZZ.

  3. Modify Manifest:

    • Navigate to Manifest > 1:1033 and update:
      • Description: Change from VMware Tools Core Service to XXYYZZ.

  4. (Attempt to) Remove/Replace Icon:

    • Navigate to Icon > 1:0.
    • Right-click on 1:0 and select Delete Resource to remove the VMware logo.
      Alternatively, replace it with a generic system icon:
      • Right-click on 1:0 > Replace Resource > Choose a new icon file.
    • Note: The icon change worked for the .exe but did not reflect in Task Manager during my tests, even after clearing the icon cache. Anyone has a clue why??

  5. Save and Test:

    • Save the modified vmtoolsd.exe, overwriting the original file.
    • Restart the VM itself to apply changes.