This is strange... I am running WinXP SP2 here (the XP Home that came pre-installed in my Gateway 7422 notebook).
I was in a rush to install another XP virtualized to run some "password cracker" downloaded from one of those "security sites" with unknown reputation. So instead of risking to infect my host OS with some trojan, I created a Virtualbox VM. I used a XP Pro CD I had lying around, but since I didn´t want the legit cd-key invaldated due to the additional installation, I googled for a XP cd-key and entered it in the XP install screens. At some point during the install (i don´t remember if during the install or right after the first boot) it warned that the serial number or cd was was not valid -or known pirated number I really don´t remember- and that activation was needed. So it put the XP guest in a 21-day countdown. I ran the "password cracker" on the VM, then closed the VM and erased it. When I rebooted the host system, my copy of XP became "de-activated". I had to go through the WPA activation over the phone with Microsoft´s local branch. Luckily, it all worked, and my system was active 30 minutes later. Now the questions that come to mind are: 1. could it be possible that some service in the host OS was contacted from Microsoft.com and the host OS "de-activated" because of what happened in the guest OS?. 2. Is there a way to pass the host OS activation to the guest OS? 3. If I use a legit XP cd-key (that I have but never installed it in a VM) would that invalidate my legit XP installation?. 4. What is Microsoft´s position with regards to this? Do they allow running the same Windows license in a VM? Or is one supposed to purchase an additional license just to run virtualized?. 5. Doesn´t Microsoft offer any ready-to-run XP appliance (even if with a time limit) that we could import into XP?. Thanks for any thoughts. FC _______________________________________________ vbox-users mailing list vbox-users@virtualbox.org http://vbox.innotek.de/mailman/listinfo/vbox-users
