If you search the web, you can get some good dialogue on MSDN and on googling
WPA or "Windows Product Activation" site:communities.vmware.com. There was one bizarre thread between a poster and an MSMVP which sort of went:
- Poster: I want to run my XP on the bare H/W and in VMware
MSMVP: You need two licences for two systems.
Poster: What counts as different systems?
MSMVP: Different installations on different H/W
Poster: But I'm running the same OS on the same disk on the same H/W. The only difference is that VMware in the way on one profile.
MSMVP: But VMware is a different system. Your OEM agreement ties you to one system
Poster: So where does it say in my OEM agreement that I can't put a VM between the H/W and the OS? Just point out the clause.
MSMVP: <silence>
Poster: Why do I need to reactivate when I switch?
MSMVP: This is a perfectly reasonable check, it only takes a few moments or a telephone call
Poster: but once a day? ...
Get the drift? It does appear that we two inconsistent interpretations of an agreement which underpins the use of a purchase. As far as I can see, this issue doesn't seem to be one of a breach of any criminal code, but more a grey area in which MS's interpretation seems to differ from the logic applied by most users. MS could easily test its interpretation through the courts, but AFAIK they have chosen not to do so; the commercial danger here being that any judgement could just go against them establishing clear case-law that they are wrong. The grey status quo plus intimidation is effective in maintaining their commercial agenda. As far as I can see, this is to force consumers into an either / or when it comes to MS product vs. Open Source or Mac alternatives: to prevent consumers choosing intermediate solutions which live them a soft migration path from MS to dual boot, to dual boot + VM, to Linux/ Mac boot + VM, to Linux/ Mac boot. Certainly as far as the EEC is concern I suspect that taking this stance to court would fall foul of our Restraint of Trade legislation.
Back to the technical solution one blog entry
Getting around Windows Activation when virtualizing, this uses a script attached to the group policy option for
Computer Configuration>>Windows Settings>>Scripts>>Startup>>Add to run a test based on setting an environment variable
vmware:
Code: Select all
ipconfig /all | find "VMware" > network.tmp
for /F "tokens=14" %%x in (network.tmp) do set vmware=%x
del network.tmp
and then doing
if /
then /
else logic based on whether this is defined. What the
for does is to set the variable to the 14th token on the line containing vmware if that line exists. This is the CMD botch equivalent to the backticks operator. Still it does look like we can make startup quite swish.