cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Moving a Windows licence onto a Linux VM

FIXED
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
Fixes: 20
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Moving a Windows licence onto a Linux VM

I've got a Windows 7 laptop with a broken (but usable) screen.

It has a reset partition on it - I have no DVD for it.

Would it be possible to offload the Windows onto a Linux VM on my main desktop before I wipe it clean?

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

7 REPLIES 7
shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Moving a Windows licence onto a Linux VM

Fix

Not an expert.... but I would think not....  I have tried loading windows 7  ( and other windows o.s.) to an spare HDD and implanting that into another laptop.... but it will not be recognised,... and you get the message, no bootable drive found.. 

 

I think WIndows "registers" it to the motherboard that it was installed on,... therefore a "clone" would be treated the same as a change of hdd... (probably).

 

I have used the same Windows install dvd on two machines.... this one, and another... this machine is the "primary" and has been registered as a "Genuine" copy of windows,  but the same dvd installed on the other machine is constantly being "nagged" that "This copy of windows is not Genuine"...  however.... it works fine... and it gets all the updates too... the only difference I have found is that you get the nag screen at boot up everytime, which you can "dismiss" by cancel or X ... and that the desktop remains black...i.e. you cannot put a desktop background pic on it.. ( after 30 days trial has expired )...

 

 

VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
Fixes: 20
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: Moving a Windows licence onto a Linux VM

Thanks - I have little use for Windows, anyway. Cheesy

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Moving a Windows licence onto a Linux VM

(We had noticed ! )  Roll_eyes

Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Moving a Windows licence onto a Linux VM

ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Moving a Windows licence onto a Linux VM

If you bought the laptop with Windows pre-installed then you got an OEM copy of Windows and the licence agreement does not permit that to be transferred to another machine.  I think it is probably possible to achieve what you want to do and you might get away with it but you would be contravening the licence agreement. 

VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
Fixes: 20
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: Moving a Windows licence onto a Linux VM

Hmmm I'd want to do the difficult Virtual Box method - and your link refers to Windows XP rather than Windows 7.

Think I will pass on this.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Moving a Windows licence onto a Linux VM

Fair enough, I understand your reservations but I did this exact thing using Parallels for Mac, using it's Transport Agent it allowed me to migrate my then Windows 8.1 OS to my Mac. This OS has since been upgraded to Windows 10 as a Virtual Machine without issue.

So I'm thinking there may well be issues regarding the concurrent use of a VM and the original OS but as I never use the original machine I do not think I have contravened the licence. A quick look at the device manager makes it obvious that this machine is virtual, but nothing in the upgrade process prevented me from doing this, that could easily have been prevented during or prior to the upgrade.

Also, with the availability of tools that allow for the migration to a virtual world I am also of the opinion that it is an acceptable practise. Unless someone can prove otherwise.