Product UUID difference Linux and Windows

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joanandk
Posts: 3
Joined: 27. Jan 2009, 15:55

Product UUID difference Linux and Windows

Post by joanandk »

Hi,

Has someone happen to see an oddity within the VirtualBox where the UUID gets mixed up in Windows guests?

For example, I set the extradata "DmiSystemUuid" to "01020304-0506-0708-090A-0B0C0D0E0F01". In this VM I start Linux (tried Gentoo and SysrescueCD) and this shows the parameter "/sys/devices/virtual/dmi/id/product_uuid" = "01020304-0506-0708-090A-0B0C0D0E0F01".
I then start Windows 10 and the command "wmic csproduct get uuid" returns "04030201-0604-0807-090A-0B0C0D0E0F01".

First I thought, this is the same with real machines. So I fireup Linux on my old Laptop and note the parameter "product_uuid" and then compare this value to "wmic csproduct get uuid". I was surprised to see, in a real machine, "product_uuid" outputs the same number as "wmic csproduct get uuid"!

Why is the DmiSystemUuid interpreted differently in Virtualbox than in a real enviornment? Bug? Or is this intened?

Thanks and BR
mpack
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Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
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Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Product UUID difference Linux and Windows

Post by mpack »

joanandk wrote: Why is the DmiSystemUuid interpreted differently in Virtualbox than in a real enviornment? Bug? Or is this intened?
The premise of the question is mistaken. VirtualBox is a real environment. The APIs Windows queries to get a UUID from the hardware is chosen by Windows, not by VirtualBox.

What I can't tell you is if Windows reads that UUID on every boot (if you are even doing a proper boot and not a fastboot), or if it gets stored somewhere.

What might be interesting would be to turn off the hypervisor (Hyper-v compatible) API option in VM settings and see if that makes a difference. It might, since I imagine that Windows apps running under Hyper-v still want to "see through" Hyper-v to the actual hardware signature for licensing purposes.
joanandk
Posts: 3
Joined: 27. Jan 2009, 15:55

Re: Product UUID difference Linux and Windows

Post by joanandk »

@mapck
Thank you for your post. I have seen on your profile, you are using Windows XP as guest. Just compare the xml child "Hardware uuid" in the <VM_NAME>.vbox of your XP VM and the output of Windows XP command "wmic csproduct get uuid".
You might see what I am trying to say.

BR
fth0
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Re: Product UUID difference Linux and Windows

Post by fth0 »

joanandk wrote:Has someone happen to see an oddity within the VirtualBox where the UUID gets mixed up in Windows guests?
Yes. I've analyzed this behavior in quite some detail (e.g. read my posts beginning with SMBIOS System UUID, or read the whole thread around it), and the VirtualBox developers provided a solution: 15.3 Version 6.1.0 (2019-12-10) (search for SMBIOS).
joanandk
Posts: 3
Joined: 27. Jan 2009, 15:55

Re: Product UUID difference Linux and Windows

Post by joanandk »

fth0 wrote:Yes. I've analyzed this behavior in quite some detail (e.g. read my posts beginning with SMBIOS System UUID,
THANK YOU! I did not know how to search, now you have given me the pointers.

I see you are using Dell Inc. (according to the UUID in your post). Did you happen to see that the UUID has Dell, its SN in it? If you are curious, let me know.

BR
fth0
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Re: Product UUID difference Linux and Windows

Post by fth0 »

joanandk wrote:I see you are using Dell Inc. (according to the UUID in your post). Did you happen to see that the UUID has Dell, its SN in it?
If you reread my post and the thread closely, you'll see that the OP (original poster) provided the UUID(s), and that they took great care to not disclose the serial number of the device. ;)
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