Vista Ultimate and running within a virtual machine...

[Guest]

Clearly something is not working properly in regards to this. License
clearly states that I can install Vista Ultimate in a Virtual machine within
a licensed desktop. But it would appear that someone forgot to turn this on
in the code.

I've gone back and forth with activation support but they have no idea
what's going on. Should I not be able to install Vista Ultimate in VM Ware
and have the running within my desktop which has also been activated with the
same Vista Ultimate key?

Here is the license text...

USE WITH VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES. You may use the software installed
on the
licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system on
the licensed device. If
you do so, you may not play or access content or use applications protected
by any Microsoft digital,
information or enterprise rights management technology or other Microsoft
rights management
services or use BitLocker. We advise against playing or accessing content
or using applications
protected by other digital, information or enterprise rights management
technology or other rights
management services or using full volume disk drive encryption.

And yet, I've run only into issues. I now have to call in whenever I
reinstall Vista on my main desktop regardless of the fact that my hardware
hasn't changed since I first ran Vista in January. I'm also unable to
activate within a virtual machine as it says the key is not genuine.

What gives?

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

You need a second license for in installation in
a virtual environment. It's the same as installing
on a second computer.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

---------------------------------------------------------------

Clearly something is not working properly in regards to this. License
clearly states that I can install Vista Ultimate in a Virtual machine within
a licensed desktop. But it would appear that someone forgot to turn this on
in the code.

I've gone back and forth with activation support but they have no idea
what's going on. Should I not be able to install Vista Ultimate in VM Ware
and have the running within my desktop which has also been activated with the
same Vista Ultimate key?

Here is the license text...

USE WITH VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES. You may use the software installed
on the
licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system on
the licensed device. If
you do so, you may not play or access content or use applications protected
by any Microsoft digital,
information or enterprise rights management technology or other Microsoft
rights management
services or use BitLocker. We advise against playing or accessing content
or using applications
protected by other digital, information or enterprise rights management
technology or other rights
management services or using full volume disk drive encryption.

And yet, I've run only into issues. I now have to call in whenever I
reinstall Vista on my main desktop regardless of the fact that my hardware
hasn't changed since I first ran Vista in January. I'm also unable to
activate within a virtual machine as it says the key is not genuine.

What gives?

 

[Guest]

So how do you interpret the license text then? What you said contradicts
what the license says

 

[DevilsPGD]

In message <[email protected]> andyd

So how do you interpret the license text then? What you said contradicts
what the license says

the license says you are allows to run in a virtual machine, with
certain restrictions (rights management, bitlocker, etc)

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Read paragraph 2a of the license:
"You may install one copy of the software on the licensed device."
"device" is defined as "physical hardware system"
If you install Windows Vista on the computer and VM ware, that is two
on the licensed device with one license.
That goes against the license.

It does not contradict the license.
The section on virtualization means you can run Windows Vista Ultimate
on a virtual device, no where do I see in addition to the other
installation.

If you have a virtual installation and a normal installation, you have
two and need two licenses.

 

[Guest]

This is listed under Vista Ultimate in the same license you pulled 2a from...

"USE WITH VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES. You may use the software installed
on the licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware
system on the licensed device"

What does installing in a licensed device mean to you then?

This is listed in the other versions of the OS...

USE WITH VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES. You may not use the software
installed on the licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated)
hardware system.

That's pretty clear cut

 

[Guest]

Yes, meaning I should be able to activate the virtual machine with
limitations. Instead I can't use the OS

 

[Guest]

Here is how I read it (and if it isn't meant to be read this way then it's
Microsoft's fault for its poor choice of words)...

You may use the software installed - what other "software installed" would
it be besides my retail copy of ultimate?

installed on the licensed device - my activated desktop

within a virtual hardware system - using the same "software installed" in
the virtual machine as...

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

You are reading into it what is not there.

"my activated desktop"
Activated with what?
Windows XP?
Another Windows Vista license?
Another operating system all together?
That does not imply the same operating system.
If your "desktop" is the licensed device, you can not also install it
virtually with a single license.

You should direct further questions to Microsoft licensing or an
attorney specializing in software licensing.

 

[Mike Brannigan]

Andy - The license is not ambiguous.

You are required to have a valid license for each copy of Vista you install
to a licensed device.

2. INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS. Before you use the software under a
license, you must assign that license to one device (physical hardware
system). That device is the “licensed device.†A hardware partition or
blade is considered to be a separate device.
a. Licensed Device. You may install one copy of the software on the
licensed device. You may use the software on up to two processors on that
device at one time. Except as provided in the Storage and Network Use
sections below, you may not use the software on any other device.

So from this section it is clear that each install to a licensed device must
be covered by its own unique license. But note that the act of installing a
copy of Vista is done under a license that is tied to that licensed device -
this section does not dictate if the environment ON that licensed device
where you are installing the copy of Vista into is actually on the bare meta
(as in a local install) or into some form of virtualized environment (such
as VmWare or Virtual PC, and of course this may even be one of many VMs
being installed on a VDI environment.)

So you now refer to the section on IF the version of Vista you have is
allowed to be installed on a Virtualized environment (remembering that that
environment is running on a device that you are assigning the license to -
the "licensed device")

so 2 f. Use with Virtualization Technologies. You may use the software
installed on the licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated)
hardware system.
Allows he version of Vista you have to be installed in a virtualized
environment on a licensed device - this doe not mean additional installs -
it is just allowing you to place the "bits" within a VM on the licensed
device as a choice from on the bare metal.

The only product that includes licensed rights to use more then one install
for a single License is the Enterprise Edition under the terms of a Volume
License Agreement with Software Assurance coverage - this allows up to 4
additional uses of the license in virtualized environments on the licensed
device.


If you extend you analogy to a large VMWare VDI instance - do you believe
that for one copy of Vista Ultimate you can run up 40 VMs all running Vista
for 40 users to RDP too - of course not you need 40 Vista licenses.

So if you are not a VL customer (with SA) using Enterprise Edition it is
still one license per install (virtual or otherwise) and that license is
assigned to the physical "licensed device" that is executing the environment
that the installed OS is running in (bare metal or VM)

 

[DevilsPGD]

In message <[email protected]> andyd

Yes, meaning I should be able to activate the virtual machine with
limitations. Instead I can't use the OS

It doesn't mean you get to use the licence in two places at once, it
says if you're using *this* licence in a virtual machine, there are
additional limitations that do not apply to when this licence is used on
a physical machine.

The "You may install one copy of the software on the licensed device."
still applies.