RE: VMWare & WinXP

["enine" <enine () ninefamily com>]

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Chris Merkel <chrism () geo-synthetics com>
Date:  Tue, 29 Nov 2005 11:15:50 -0600

> > I tried 
> > calling Microsoft and going through the automated process on 
> > the phone, but it says my installation is invalid. Is there 
> > any way around this (I am not trying to cheat Microsoft here) 
> > or any way to speak to a Microsoft representation to explain 
> > my situation? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> My guess is that it won't activate because the hardware hash generated from
> one VMWare machine to another will be nearly identical. Take a look at the
> table here:
> http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/evaluate/xpactiv.mspx
>
> On a VMWare machine, the only things that would need to be different would
> be MAC Address and HDD volume serial number. If the developers didn't design
> the machines to be more unique, that may not be enough differentiation.
>
> I've never tried activation - the VMWare machines I use XP Pro in come from
> our volume license pool.
>
> I wonder if this problem exists using Microsoft's Competing product: Virtual
> PC. I bet not. (Paging Dr. DOS... ;-)
>
> - Chris Merkel

It should activate just fine under vmware, I've done it a number of times myself.  After reading another reply I'm also 
thinking the OP is trying to activate it as both the host and guest at the same time.  Download a distro of linux and 
use that as the host and activate XP as the guest only, it will be much faster that way as well.
 




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