xp product id in vm

[yournamehere]

I don't really know what to call this number but I use a couple xp apps that require registration based on something those apps call "product id"; my understanding is it's a number that's generated (somehow/somewhere) when you do the xp install (you open the app's help/about dialog and on the dialog it will say "product id: 1aff-96b1" - these apps are things I've paid for and when I tell them my product id they send me a registration number that unlocks the apps' features).

my problem is (vmware or virtualbox), anytime I create a new vm I understandably get a new product id which means I need to email the authors again, get new reg nums, etc.

so what I'm wondering is, how does virtualbox generate that number and/or is it possible for me to edit something somewhere outside the vm such that I can set it to what I want? (so I can re-use an old product id for a reg num I already have)

I loaded the vdi into a hex editor and searched for the string but aren't finding it (doesn't mean it's not in there obv, but I don't know what else to look for)

[TerryE]

Windows and some products which want to anchor use to a single machine create a fingerprint for that machine; this is based on such things as the BIOS name and version, machine ID, etc. -- stuff that is in the DMI, and other H/W characteristics such as the UUID of the system image. These are then hashed (by MD5 or some other algo) to form this fingerprint.

The VBox VM is a different machine and it will have a different fingerprint, just the same as taking your HDD and moving it to a different PC. If you move your app to a VM then you are moving your app. If your app suppliers needs you to revalidate your app licence then that's an issue between you and the vendor sorry.

[Erik_FL]

The product ID is created from a number of things, but the one that is probably causing you trouble is the MAC address of the first detected Ethernet adapter.

If you make an exact copy of a virtual disk it will have the same product ID as long as you also set the MAC address of the Ethernet adapter (in virtualbox) to the same as before.

Since you may not be able to use multiple copies of virtualbox on a network when they have identical MAC addresses you can assign the same MAC address to the first network interface on every VM but don't allow that network interface on the network (use NAT). The second Ethernet adapter can be on the network (bridged) and have a different address. Windows only pays attention to the first network adapter found.

The disk serial number, amount of memory and other hardware configuration data are used to create the product ID. Make sure that the virtual machines have an identical configuration and you should be able to use the same virtual disk image on multiple machines.

[yournamehere]

thanks guys.

the reason I'm asking if I can change the current product id of an existing vm in order to use the product id of a deleted vm (hexedit the vdi or change something in environ to force it, etc.) is because the software author of the main tool I use specifically changed his registration scheme so that windows users deleting and reinstalling windows will not have to keep getting new reg numbers. iow reinstalling windows on the same hardware apparently uses the same product id over and over so their same reg number works over and over.

however, what I discovered for vmware/vbox users is that every time we delete then create a new vm we get *different* product ids, every time, even though the vms are being created with no differences in the underlying machine (or copy of windows for that matter). this means the scheme he instituted to ease windows users' hassles utterly fails for those of us using vms because of some ostensibly arbitrary addition by vm software which breaks this.

so 1) how can I change/edit/force the vm product id to use a product id of a deleted vm and/or 2) how can I control what vm product id for a new vm will be set to on my own machine when I delete then create the new one?

[TerryE]

With a fixed VM and as long as you keep the UUID of the system disk and the NIC MAC address fixed then your "fingerprint" shouldn't change.