virtualbox.org

Hi guys,
does anybody know I am legally able to install a windows guest of which I have a regular licence for personal Home use - take into account that the same windows key was already used on my windows Host?

thank you in advance

It is certainly not legal. From Microsoft's point a view, a vm is a separate device and requires its own license. In most cases, it will not activate either. The "hardware" of the vm is sufficiently different from the host's hardware to be regarded as not the same machine.

Talk to your local Microsoft support. Although on a technical level BillG is absolutely correct, users have reported that in similar cases, Microsoft was willing to turn a blind eye.

Give it a shot, nothing to lose except 10 minutes of your time...

I think you are assuming that, worst case, the MS activation server will refuse the VM.

That isn't the worst case. I haven't checked the rules in a while, but they used to be that activation will be accepted if it's more than 120 days since the last activation with that key. So, worst case is that it accepts the VM and on next boot it rejects the host. The host would be unable to reactivate because the last activation was only a few hours ago. This may take more than 10 minutes to fix!

Better IMHO to just bite the bullet and get a separate license for the VM.

mpack wrote:This may take more than 10 minutes to fix!

Of course! But, I was talking about this:

socratis wrote:Talk to your local Microsoft support.

Ah, I see. I thought you were saying "for certainty, contact Microsoft. Or, it would only take you 10 minutes to test it".

BillG wrote:It is certainly not legal. From Microsoft's point a view, a vm is a separate device and requires its own license. In most cases, it will not activate either. The "hardware" of the vm is sufficiently different from the host's hardware to be regarded as not the same machine.

Thank you for your reply, that is the exact type of info I was searched for... however how socratis has suggested, I will try to hear local MS support to have more information over the argument
If their answer will something significantly different from already stated, will update you in this thread.

cheers

mpack wrote:I think you are assuming that, worst case, the MS activation server will refuse the VM.

That isn't the worst case. I haven't checked the rules in a while, but they used to be that activation will be accepted if it's more than 120 days since the last activation with that key. So, worst case is that it accepts the VM and on next boot it rejects the host. The host would be unable to reactivate because the last activation was only a few hours ago. This may take more than 10 minutes to fix!

Better IMHO to just bite the bullet and get a separate license for the VM.

I have missed such possible effect to my host =) if so that may create some issues in my case...