Interested in virtualization technology in these days. Suddenly these 2 questions appear in my mind. Please answer them seriously. 1. I run it for let's say 7 days and turn the machine off then. The trial period should become 23 days at the time I turn it off. Will the trial period continues to decrease after turning off? Will the HASH of the VM machine file change afterwards? 2. I burn the whole Win7 VM machine folder on a DVD. Things on a DVD are supposed to be unchangeable (unless you rewrite them with a burn software). I run the machine from the DVD on another desktop with VMware. After the usage of virtual Win7 of 7 days, will the trial period still be "30 days left"? (or I can ask in another way: Setting the machine as "read only") If you answer Question 1 "Trial period won't continue to drop" and "Hash remains unchanged", so does this mean that we can use a trial OS FOREVER legally? (Because you can duplicate the VM machine file any times you like and use one by one until each 30+30*3 days end.) If you answer Question 2 "Trial period will still be 30 days left". However, during a 7-day continuous usage of the machine, will you see the trial period drops day by day from 30 to 29, 28... 23? If not, I doubt that whether the machine can make direct memory access.
The trial period will expire after 30 days of install, irrespective of the VM being on a DVD or set to read-only. In Windows 7 the date of install is stored in the registry and it automatically calculates the remaining days based on the current time. If you freeze the VM date and time maybe that will stop the countdown. I have tried that but 7 synchronizes with the internet time server and changes it and even the VM is set to sync with the host machine time. The trial will expire even if you have have made snapshots of the VM.
You can disable the time sync of windows itzelf, and by editing the vm's config file you can also disable the time sync between guest and host. But maybe that causes other problems. Of course you can set the time back every time you boot up the vm, but it will still keep running, I mean that you can't just "freeze" the time to be 5/8/2010 19:25 forever. And about making it read only: it could be that vmware refuses to boot from it, and if it boots it will crash soon cause the os NEEDS to write to the disk. Think of system restore, swap memory, eventlogs...
Trial period is based on installed clock of the guest OS vs. current clock of the guest OS. If you don't mind the clock out of sync you can freeze it after virtual machine shuts down. If it's synced to host OS it will expire 30 calendar days after installed. I don't know if it will write a scratch file to HDD if you run off DVD, as it's simulating a HDD which MUST be writable. Performance running a machine from DVD will be deathly slow. Anyways, the 30 days is still based on whatever date it was installed, and what date it currently is, as far as the guest OS is concerned. What you can do: Setup the virtual machine as you wish. Run "slmgr /rearm". Shut-down the machine (do not restart the computer or otherwise run it). Make a snapshot / backup image from this time. The 30 day timer will be reset to whatever time the virtual machine is next powered on. This is the point of rearm, so that an unactivated machine can be imaged, and later restored any point in the future (for example an OEM creating restore discs). Of course there' s a limited number of rearms, but those can be reset. You can always restore to this image and have 30 days, but you will lose any changes made since.
So you mean I can continue my last evaluation at any time in the future, without any change of time? I think it will be great if I can run a VM machine in 6 days and 4 hours a day. So I just spend 24 hours in total and the trial period shows me "29 days left", but actually 6 days have passed in reality.
But why not mod the BIOS on the virtual computer? It's one line in the .vmx file, and then you can use the Loader from Daz or manually install the certificate and use one of the OEM SLP keys to activate over the internet.
I don't think you understand. Unless you stop syncing guest/host time, it doesn't matter if you run it 4 hours a day, 1 hour a day, or 24 hours a day. In 6 calendar days, it will show 24 days remaining. It's looking at the date on the clock, not the number of hours Windows has been running. Rearms will reset the grace period to 30 days, but you can only do it 3 times with a given OS install (unless you hack the reg entries). Rearm, power off the machine, if the next time you power on the VM is in 2 months, it will reinitialize grace period to 30 days, tied to that point in time. If you then power off the VM, leave the VM off for 20 days, and fire it back up, it will show 10 days remaining in grace period. It's looking at the date on the clock, not the number of hours Windows has been running. It's looking at the date on the clock, not the number of hours Windows has been running. It's looking at the date on the clock, not the number of hours Windows has been running. It's looking at the date on the clock, not the number of hours Windows has been running.
Lol, I think you got the point out WinFLP, about the date on the clock, not the numbers of hours Windows has been running... Still, why can't he use the simple way???
Thats not working for VmServer 2.0.2, and US language only... thats why have to edit my .vmx files. But, not a big deal.
It's not more legal to temper with the clock or use other "flaws" in Windows 7, then there is to use the loader from Daz. All uses weaknesses in Windows 7, and are in term of Microsoft nonlegal to use. The only legal way to use Windows 7 is to buy a copy, and use it ONE computer. Do you have a second computer, then you buy a second Win 7 copy etc. Then you can talk about legality.
Sure, but it will be great for businessmen if Windows 7 can be used legally in VMware and without buying a genuine copy. If someone check your copy which is activated by a Loader, you will be in trouble if that guy is looking for users/businessmen who use illegal software. Yes I know the simplest way to activate Win7 is install a Loader which emulates everything in your system just like real OEM and fakes the Win7 system. Besides, I think installing BIOS in VMware is not legal, right? Anyway it is a hack. So any certificate or stuff installed are supposed to be not present in VMware. I think after getting success in simple activation, let's find ways to activate legally without any "flaws".
But you don't need to use the loader to activate windows 7 in VmWare. All can be done manually. You add a line in the .vmx file to you virtual computers (no laws about changing, updating etc BIOS in Vmware). Then you use a certificate, matching that BIOS. Still no laws about it. Then you use a OEM-SLP key and activate. Thats not completely legal, but still... The best option for businessmen if they has to use VmWare etc, is to get a Technet/MSDN subscription.
Why is this discussion going on we all know bios modding is a form of hack even in VM do you peeps not think this has been discussed before even over on VM-Ware forums why did they never bring out SLIC but you can use DMI strings from host machine for xp i did post a while back but to be honest never ever tried it. Silly thing is i know for a fact the Linux version of virtualbox slic and xp dmi strings can be added. As for that is there for a reason rearming but for only 3 times full stop officially it was implemented for system managers e.c.t.. Obviously not for normal users so would not be published, Maybe a bit different but as a system builder at one time even using windows PE cannot be run for more than a certain time ( Been a few years now can't remember but i think it was only 24 hrs..) And on and end note if they want legality then use MS virtual PC.