VMware provides separate packages for linux and windows host OS. For windows host, you'd have to download the right package and install it on windows. I don't know if you could use the same virtual machines from both hosts (like if you had dual boot windows/linux and had vmware installed on both with the vms on a separate partition for use by both.)
XFCE is a good choice. Even lighter choices are LXDE, Fluxbox, or IceWM. When you go to run the management console, I think you should be doing it as the user who has permission to manage vmware, rather than as root.
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