Why use a virtual machine? **RESOLVED**

[Gene Heskett]

On Sunday 30 November 2008, Ignazio Palmisano wrote:
>Steven Vollom wrote:
>> Ignazio Palmisano wrote:
>>> To legally use windows on a virtual machine, you need a license for it.
>>> What do you mean "not having XP any more"? Did you have it installed on
>>> some computer, and was it preinstalled (a OEM version) or did you have a
>>> separate copy you installed? The preinstalled OEM copies usually cannot
>>> be used on any other hardware, so no virtual machine as well, but if you
>>> had a regular copy you can use it.
>>
>> This is the part that I did not understand well.  I don't know other
>> people's reasons for leaving Microsoft products, but they hurt me.  If
>> you register a purchase then have an accident and damage your CD, they
>> make you pay again.  From Windows 95 through XP I always had a legal
>> copy of Windows, however, when I had need for help, they made me pay,
>> even though the problem was of their creation.  I don't see the value of
>> registration, if they are unwilling to provide replacement when a
>> customer has an accident.  They MO is to make you put your CD back into
>> the system all the time.  That creates opportunity for accidents and
>> wear and tear.  The last time, I got so mad, I broke my CD so that I did
>> not have it to fall back on.  I wish I hadn't done that, I would like to
>> have a virtual machine, now that I better understand, but I will never
>> give Microsfoft another penny.  It may be cutting my nose off to spite
>> my face, but I want Linux to win this battle, and that kind of
>> commitment is necessary to make it happen, I believe.
>
>As far as I can tell, this means you have a XP license, just not a cd.
>In legaleseland, that might mean that you could get a XP cd from anyone,
>install it and use your serial number to activate it (and at least in
>Italy you have the right to make one copy of your original disc as a
>backup, so if the original medium gets damaged you don't have to buy a
>new one - applies to audio cds and dvd movies as well, even if it's not
>widely advertised...)
>
>>> What have you tried that didn't work? Have you tried creating virtual
>>> machines and installing operating systems into them?
>>
>> I was hoping there was some application out there that did not require
>> giving any money to Microsoft that would make the virtual environment
>> rather than using an actual Microsoft program.  Pretty naive, however,
>> that was the only way I would use it.
>
>to run windows programs, i.e. any of the free/open source ones, you may
>try looking into Wine. Or for the open source ones, use the linux version :P
>
>> The only thing I miss from Windows is Spider Solitaire, it was
>> entertaining once in a while.
>
>It's available in the KDE card games :) (KPath I seem to remember?)
>I.

You all have forgotten that M$ now uses Windows Genuine Advantage, aka WGA, to 
certify that it is running on the box it was originally installed on.  Any 
hardware change, a new hard drive, adding more memory, changing the video 
card, yadda yadda disables the logins and the box cannot be used until it 
gets re-registered, and arguing with them about it is a PITA, often denied, 
making you buy yet another copy.  I was given an hp desktop short tower by a 
neighbor because the psu had died.  I shoehorned a std psu into it, and since 
it only had 128 megs of memory added another stick beside that one which 
turned out not to be a match as it was a 256M stick. On the test powerup, WGA 
kicked in and would not allow a login, presumably because the memory had been 
tripled.  That sort of stuff I used to find on the ground behind the male of 
the bovine specie when I was a farm kid in Iowa 70 years ago.

Screw 'em and the camel that rode in on them, I tried Ubuntu-8.04 LTS, got 
tired of fighting with sudo every 30 seconds to get the stuff I wanted (KDE & 
friends) installed and put an F9 respin on it, much friendlier.  Whatever 
became of the sudo that was good for 10 minutes anyway?  Unforch, the dvd 
seems to have quit autobooting or the F10 I burnt is right but its sha1sum is 
good else I'd have already tried F10 on it.  That is after all what I fixed 
it up for, to use as a sacrificial test box.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
I wish I was a sex-starved manicurist found dead in the Bronx!!