Running Ubuntu under Windows/running a Windows app under Ubuntu

[Derek Broughton]

Chanchao wrote:

> On Thu, 2007-02-01 at 11:31 -0400, Derek Broughton wrote:
> 
>> How about hardware identification?  The problem with vmware is that my
>> Dell
>> OEM XP key isn't valid for the virtual machine.  Would virtualbox be
>> different?
> 
> No. Would be the same, and they say it's expected behaviour because it
> presents a particular (and consistent) set of hardware to Windows,
> making it possible to move the file between computers having very
> different architecture. (Same as VMWare).
> 
> BTW, the key will work won't it, it just won't validate when MS tries to
> impale your installation with their WGA update. :)

I believe it is expected to stop booting after 30 days.
> 
> I think if you are actually running that OEM copy just once, AND on the
> same physical computer that it shipped with, then I (*I*) think you
> should be entitled to run it, and be entitled to visit Auntie Google to
> look for a 'wga patch'. :)

I certainly consider that I'm running the software on the hardware on which
I purchased it, and don't believe they have a right to prevent it. 
However, I've googled exactly one story of someone who successfully got a
key from MS to run it, and he spent many hours on the phone with both Dell
& MS to reach that point (carefully, if I can read between the lines, never
mentioning that the version he was trying to run was running in a VM).  So
if I don't find such a patch (sue me Microsoft!) I'm reverting to Win98SE
which will do the job just fine for the only software I care about.
-- 
derek