Virtual Machine and OEM license for Windows

[Bilou_Gateux]

3 members of the board have posted utilities or scripts for unattended Windows installation. only refer to computers shipped by large OEMs which utilize SLP, or System Locked Preinstallation.

• Multi Manufacturer Pre-Activation topic starter Bezalel
  
• OEMScan - Automated Multi Manufacture Pre-Activation Utility topic starter xehgter
  
• WMI information without WMI, dmidecode 2.8 compiled for windows topic starter #rootworm
  

Unfortunatlely, you can't use a Dell or HP preactivated Windows OS in a Virtual Machine and preserve activation.

I have found an interesting solution to this issue.

http://www.vmware.com/support/esx21/doc/es...n_uuid_vms.html

Enabling the Physical Hardware's OEM ID to Be Seen by the Virtual Machine

Each virtual machine is automatically assigned an Original Equipment Manufacturer ID (OEMID), comprising the Manufacturer and Product Name, which is stored in the SMBIOS system information descriptor. It can be accessed by standard SMBIOS scanning software and used for systems management in the same way you use the OEMID of a physical computer.

By default, the Manufacturer string is "VMware, Inc." and the Product Name string is "VMware Virtual Platform".

If the virtual machine's configuration file has the option

SMBIOS.reflectHost = TRUE

then the Manufacturer and Product Name strings in the virtual machine are the same as the Manufacturer and Product Name of the host system.

These strings are updated (copied from the host BIOS to the virtual machine BIOS) on every virtual machine BIOS POST (Power On Self Test).

You can use this method with VMware Server, install Server silently on a Windows host topic starter Bilou_Gateux

sample Windows XP Professional.vmx configuration file

config.version = "8"
virtualHW.version = "4"
scsi0.present = "TRUE"
scsi0.virtualDev = "lsilogic"
memsize = "256"
scsi0:0.present = "TRUE"
scsi0:0.fileName = "Windows XP Professional.vmdk"
ide1:0.present = "TRUE"
ide1:0.fileName = "I:\CDIMAGE\VRMPOEM_EN.iso"
ide1:0.deviceType = "cdrom-image"
floppy0.present = "FALSE"
Ethernet0.present = "TRUE"
ethernet0.startConnected = "true"
ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000"
ethernet0.connectionType = "bridged"
displayName = "Windows XP Professional"
guestOS = "winxppro"
priority.grabbed = "normal"
priority.ungrabbed = "normal"
SMBIOS.reflectHost = TRUE

this one is configured using infos from excellent VMX-file parameters by Ulli

Mass Storage Controller is set to LSI Logic to check MSD integration

Network Adapter is set to e1000 to check drivers integration

Of course use an eligible OEM manufacturer box as host for VMware Server.

GetSysInfo output @T39~T35

MiTeC System Information Utility 9.4.0 - Copyright © 1997-2005 Michal Mutl

Type /? for options

SYSTEM OVERVIEW...OK

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

System: ACPI Uniprocessor PC

Model: FUJITSU SIEMENS ESPRIMO C

System Up Time: 4 Minutes, 15 Seconds.

Processor #1

APIC: 0

Name: Intel Pentium 4

Frequency: 3033 Mhz

Voltage: 3,3V

Package: CPU socket #0 (ZIF Socket)

Mainboard: Intel Corporation 440BX Desktop Reference Platform

J19: Serial Port 16550A Compatible (9 Pin Dual Inline (pin 10 cut)/DB-9 pin male)

J23: Parallel Port ECP/EPP (25 Pin Dual Inline (pin 26 cut)/DB-25 pin female)

J11: Keyboard Port (None/Circular DIN-8 male)

J12: Keyboard Port (None/Circular DIN-8 male)

3 x ISA (16 bit)

4 x PCI (32 bit)

Memory: 255 MB (114640 KB free)

Type: 1 x 256 DRAM

Speed: 0 ns

OS: Windows XP [5.1.2600]Logged User: SYSTEM

Video:

Resolution: 640 x 480 - 32 bit

Monitor:

Sound Adapter: Media Control Devices

Network Adapters:

<no adapters detected>

Local Host Name:

IP Address: 127.0.0.1

Drives/Tapes/CDROMs:

NECVMWar VMware IDE CDR10

VMware, VMware Virtual S SCSI Disk Device

Floppy disk drive

Modem: <none>

Mouse: PS/2 Compatible Mouse

Keyboard: Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard

Printer:

[edit]

typo errors

[/edit]

Edited December 16, 2006 by Bilou_Gateux

[sanbarrow]

Thanks for posting this.

I tried the parameter

SMBIOS.reflectHost = "TRUE"

on VMware-workstation.

Without this parameter the VM appears like this:

When I added it it looks like this

Do I miss something here?

Regards

Ulli

[Bezalel]

Thanks for posting this.

I tried the parameter

SMBIOS.reflectHost = "TRUE"

on VMware-workstation.

Without this parameter the VM appears like this:

When I added it it looks like this

Do I miss something here?

Regards

Ulli

This only works for manufacturers who choose to use their names in the SMBIOS table as their SLP string. The manufacturer of your computer chose to insert their SLP string somewhere else in the BIOS so it won't work for this computer.

[Bilou_Gateux]

Thanks for posting this.

I tried the parameter

SMBIOS.reflectHost = "TRUE"

on VMware-workstation.

Without this parameter the VM appears like this:

When I added it it looks like this

Do I miss something here?

Regards

Ulli

Welcome Ulli. Thanks for all the efforts you put on your website www.sanbarrow.com

You don't miss anything. You're simply don't have a branded computer (HP, Fujitsu-Siemens, Maxdata ...) but an home made box. Your motherboard is probably an Asus or MSI or Gigabyte...

As i don't own a VMware Workstation license, i'm happy you've checked this setting with your's. the screen cap shows the setting also works with VMware Workstation.

[sanbarrow]

Hey - your guess was right on target - I used an ASUS-board for the test.

How did you guess that ?

Anyway - if you ever want me to test something on Workstation - just tell me.

Ulli

[Bilou_Gateux]

Interesting infos:

Running VMWare on a Physical Partition

Using the SMBIOS.reflectHost = "TRUE" parameter, VMware System Lock Pre-installation (SLP) Windows host [1st partition] and a System Lock Pre-installation (SLP) Windows guest [2nd partition] will avoid Product Activation issues.

Product Activation and new pre-loaded PCs

Edited December 16, 2006 by Bilou_Gateux