[CentOS] Problem installing Windows under Xen CentOS 5

[Ioannis Vranos]

Ioannis Vranos wrote:
> 
> "Virtualization licensing
> 
> One final area that's come under a lot of scrutiny--and, as it turns 
> out, misguided interpretations--regards virtualization. With Windows 
> Vista, Microsoft is finally addressing virtualization in the EULA. And 
> it goes something like this:
> 
> Any version of Windows Vista can host virtual machines (VMs), whether in 
> Microsoft's Virtual PC solution or a rival product like VMWare 
> Workstation. However, only two retail version of Windows Vista are 
> licensed for use as a guest OS in a VM: Windows Vista Business and 
> Ultimate. (A third--non-retail--Vista version, Vista Enterprise, has 
> different licensing terms, which I'll address in a bit.)
> 
> Let that one sink in for a second. You cannot install Windows Vista Home 
> Basic or Home Premium in a virtual machine, at least from a legal 
> standpoint. (There is nothing technical preventing you from doing so, of 
> course.) And on a related note, each retail copy of Vista you purchase 
> is only licensable for one install. If you install a copy of Windows 
> Vista in a virtual machine and then activate it, you cannot install the 
> same copy of Vista on a physical machine and reactivate it (unless you 
> take advantage of the transfer rights mentioned above, of course). One 
> license equals one installation.
> 
> So why "restrict" users like that? Well, as it turns out, there's no 
> massive conspiracy. Currently, the majority of Microsoft's 
> virtualization users fall into exactly two groups: business customers 
> and enthusiasts. Business customers will want Vista Business and 
> enthusiasts will use Vista Ultimate. Simple. And though pundits might 
> like to complain about this apparently arbitrary decision, the reality 
> is that very, very few people can ever come up with a legitimate reason 
> to run, say, Vista Home Basic in a VM. And those that want to, can, if 
> they don't mind violating the Vista EULA and not receiving support.
> 
> Windows Vista Enterprise is a special case. With that version of Vista, 
> which will be made available only to volume license customers, users 
> will be able to install a single licensed copy of Vista on one physical 
> PC and up to four VMs, simultaneously. Those four VMs, however, must all 
> be installed on the same Vista Enterprise-based PC, and they must be 
> used by the same user. "If customers need multiple virtual machines they 
> should use Vista Enterprise," Microsoft's Scott Woodgate told me. "The 
> intention is to be generous and enable whatever scenarios are customers 
> may need." Sounds like a customer benefit to me."
> 
> 
> Conclusion: "You cannot install Windows Vista Home Basic or Home Premium 
> in a virtual machine, at least from a legal standpoint".



Some more links on this:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/29/microsoft_vista_eula_analysis/page2.html

http://www.google.gr/search?q=microsoft+vista+vmware+license&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official


I haven't researched the entire mess thoroughly but you get the picture, 
you will need a lawyer if you use vmware & windows. :-)