Sign in
 
HomeWindows 8Windows 7Windows VistaWindows XPMDOPWindows IntuneLibraryForums
Windows Client >
> 
> 
Migrate existing WinXP machine to run under Win7 XP Mode

Answered Migrate existing WinXP machine to run under Win7 XP Mode

  • Wednesday, February 22, 2012 8:59 PM
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    0
    Can I migrate a Dell machine running Windows XP (Dell OEM) to run under Windows 7 XP mode?  I under stand the technical hurdles using Disk2vhd, but I'm not so sure about the licensing. 
     

All Replies

  • Wednesday, February 22, 2012 9:54 PM
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    0

    Licensing is a gray area, for a long time it was "no" OEM Windows is only licensed for the computer it came with, but there has been recent, unverifed by MS (as far as I know), information that its ok.

    But, the ultimate issue is that your Dell OEM version of Windows probably won't activate since it looks for Dell specific hardware. 

     
  • Wednesday, February 22, 2012 10:19 PM
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    0

    An OEM copy can only be installed in a virtual machine on the original computer that the OEM copy was licensed on.  For the license to be valid the OEM copy must be completely removed from the hard drive.  If you used an upgrade license to upgrade from the original OEM copy then you cannot re-use the OEM copy because its license is still tied to the upgrade license.  If you replaced it with a full license copy of Windows then the OEM copy can be re-used in a vm on the same computer. 

    After installation in the vm you activate with the COA OEM product key on the label affixed to the computer.  Phone activation may be required.  The OEM SLP product key embedded in the software cannot self-activate because the BIOS in the vm does not contain an SLIC table compatible with your Dell OEM copy.

    Colin Barnhorst Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on DIY with 6GB ram.


    • Edited by Cbarnhorst Wednesday, February 22, 2012 10:20 PM
    •  
     
  • Wednesday, February 22, 2012 10:26 PM
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    1

    Steve,

    The Windows Licensing Team has verified the information.  Darin Smith (MSFT) verified it on November 18, 2011.  The dialog is in an email to me on that date and reads:

    So, can a customer use an OEM SLP licensed Windows in a VM?

    Yes, a user can use his/her OEM SLP Windows as a VM as long as it is used only on the computer the OEM SLP software originally came with.

    (I know, this surprised me too).

    ----

    License Person’s response> They [the user] either uses the software on the system normally or uses it in a single virtual hardware environment on the same computer. The license cannot be transferred to another system nor can the virtual environment be transferred to another system. If an end user wanted to have a copy of the OS on the system hardware and one in virtual environment, it would require two licenses.

    ----

    I then asked her about VMs being a different computer from the underlying (physical) host computer:

    -----

    Darin’s question> The section of the EULA that states: A hardware partition or blade is considered to be a separate computer has always been explained to me as including Virtualization. Meaning that a VM is seen as a different computer then the Host (physical) computer. If that is true, then wouldn’t running an OEM in a VM break the per copy per computer clause?

    Licensing Person’s response> There is no dedicated HW for the VM. That is not the case with a hardware partition. . The VM would be relying on the computer’s hardware to run, not separate and distinct hardware.

    ----

    Lastly I asked about OEM support:

    ----

    Darin’s question> Since OEM SLP software is supported by the Manufacturer of the computer the OEM SLP software was included in. Does that mean the Manufacturer is obligated to support the software even when running in a VM?

    Licensing Person response> Yes

    Colin Barnhorst Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on DIY with 6GB ram.

     
  • Thursday, February 23, 2012 2:56 PM
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    0

    Thanks for the response.  I would think you should be able to transfer an existing WinXP machine to run under the WinXP mode license on the Win 7 machine.  Am I wrong thinking this ?

     
  • Thursday, February 23, 2012 3:19 PM
     
     Answered
    Sign In to Vote
    0

    As long as you comply with what is posted right above your post:

    Yes, a user can use his/her OEM SLP Windows as a VM as long as it is used only on the computer the OEM SLP software originally came with.

    An OEM copy can only be installed in a virtual machine on the original computer that the OEM copy was licensed on.  For the license to be valid the OEM copy must be completely removed from the hard drive.  If you used an upgrade license to upgrade from the original OEM copy then you cannot re-use the OEM copy because its license is still tied to the upgrade license.  If you replaced it with a full license copy of Windows then the OEM copy can be re-used in a vm on the same computer.

    After installation in the vm you activate with the COA OEM product key on the label affixed to the computer.  Phone activation may be required.  The OEM SLP product key embedded in the software cannot self-activate because the BIOS in the vm does not contain an SLIC table compatible with your Dell OEM copy.

    Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread. ”


     
  • Thursday, February 23, 2012 4:44 PM
     
     Answered
    Sign In to Vote
    0

    Thanks for the response.  I would think you should be able to transfer an existing WinXP machine to run under the WinXP mode license on the Win 7 machine.  Am I wrong thinking this ?

    First of all, there is no XP Mode license.  Second you do not install the OEM copy in XP Mode.  XP Mode is a special virtual machine that you download from Microsoft that is preconfigured with a licensed copy of XP Pro SP3. 

    What you do is create a new virtual machine with Windows Virtual PC and install the software in that.  The OEM license is permanently assigned to the motherboard of your computer.  The licensing has nothing to do with virtualization.  Since the new virtual machine depends on the motherboard in your computer in order to run, the OEM license is still valid.  The license is only valid on that motherboard so you can not use an OEM licensed virtual machine on any other computer and if you change the motherboard the OEM license becomes invalid.

    Colin Barnhorst Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on DIY with 6GB ram.

     
  • Tuesday, February 28, 2012 2:02 AM
    Moderator
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    0
     

    Hi khmmc,

    How’s everything going? Please feel free to give me any update.

    Thanks.

    Regards,

    Leo   Huang

    TechNet Subscriber Support

    If you are TechNet Subscription user and have any feedback on our support quality, please send your feedback here.

    Leo Huang

    TechNet Community Support

     
  • Friday, March 02, 2012 1:14 AM
    Moderator
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    0
     

    Hi,

     

    As this thread has been quiet for a while, we assume that the issue has been resolved. At this time, we will mark it as ‘Answered’ as the previous steps should be helpful for many similar scenarios. If the issue still persists, please feel free to  reply this post directly so we will be notified to follow it up. You can also choose to unmark the answer as you wish.

    BTW,  we’d love to hear your feedback about the solution. By sharing your experience you can help other community members facing similar problems. Thanks for your understanding and efforts.

     

    Regards,

    Leo   Huang

    TechNet Subscriber Support

    If you are TechNet Subscription user and have any feedback on our support quality, please send your feedback here.

    Leo Huang

    TechNet Community Support