db <db.pub.m...@gmail.com> writes:
> Um i am confused. So the oem license says you cannot virtualize the
> windows xp from the downgrade.... ?
Last time I checked with Microsoft they told me, indeed, that there is
absolutely *NO* OEM license available for virtualization. They are only
available for running on hardware purchased for the purpose, and that they
were changing the license terms so that you had to purchase a computer, not
just a power cord or something.
If you want virtualization, they said, buy a full price commercial copy, or
buy a site license of some sort — IIRC, the Action Pack was the least
expensive, at only a few thousand dollars, but most of the Enterprise or MSDN
packs work.
On the other hand, since Microsoft do offer different OEM terms to different
OEMs you /may/ find that your license is different, or Microsoft may have
changed the terms.
That seems *highly* unlikely to me, however, because the low cost of an OEM
license is specifically to drive vendors to ship Windows in preference to any
competing operating system.[1]
It is especially unlikely that Microsoft would structure their license terms
to work against their best interests: virtualization allows, among other
things, you to run their OS on some competing OS.
This doesn't make their life happier at all, so why would they encourage it?
Better for them to force the issue, make you buy additional hardware or pay
more to use Windows as well as a competing OS, so you are more likely to just
use Windows.[2]
So, check your license, but I *really* doubt it is the case.
Daniel
Also, XP is dead, and you need Windows 7. If you buy the right version of
that it includes a "free" virtualized copy of XP. Do you really thing they
are going to cannibalize sales of that in favour of helping your buy a less
expensive version of Windows 7, or avoid it entirely? I don't.
Footnotes:
[1] Once upon a time this was more relevant than today, since there were
other commercial operating systems that did compete head-to-head, like
OS/2. Now, not so much.
[2] ...because, typically, the reason you don't just give up Windows entirely
in the move is that you have something that you can't just replace.
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✣ Daniel Pittman ✉ dan...@rimspace.net ☎ +61 401 155 707
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