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bgoodz
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Fusion on 2 Machines?

Hello, been running fusioin for a couple years on a Mac and running Win 7 (just for Quicken).  My hard drive failed on a two yer old iMac27 and I was without it for a week and could not do any financials.  I now see the need to have Fusion/Win/Quicken on my wifes iMac just for back up incase this ever happens again.  Is there any restrictions on doing this?  I hope I wouldn't need to purchase another licensed copy of Fusion/Win7/Quicken just for this puopose.  I doubt it would be use if at all on the second machine but it certainly would have made things a little smoother if that would or could have been done.

Thanks so much for any direction.

Bill

Just got the iMac27 back with a new hard drive and have been working the last few hours restoring everything from a clone.  the repair of the 2 yr old iMac is another whole story in itself Smiley Sad

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WoodyZ
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I kinda remember something like that when several years ago I had a laptop (when traveling) and had it on both machines but maybe restrictions have come about.

While this may have been true with different software in the past nowadays most, not all, require a separate license per seat, in other words each installed copy whether manually installed or replicated and copied to another Virtual Machine or system regardless of the reasons except for an archival backup.  Set aside Quicken for the moment an lets just look at the OS, Microsoft Windows requires a separate license for each copy, other then an archival backup, installed by any means.  So the bottom line is if you copy the Virtual Machine from one system to the other in such a form that both copies can/could be run at the same time then a separate license is required for each Virtual Machine running Microsoft Windows.

Doesn't make much sense to pay for two additional license and only using the software in an emergency.

It may not nor does it need to make sense to you however understand that the manufacture of the software is entitled to be paid appropriately for the product.  Look at it this way...  You buy an umbrella to put in your car and then you say wait a minute I might be using my wife's car one time and need an umbrella in her car too, so you take one without paying for it and justify it by saying well I already paid for the one in my car.  Stealing is stealing regardless of how one goes about it! Smiley Wink

So if you want the Virtual Machine running Microsoft Windows available on both systems then buy the proper number of licenses or your other option is to make an archival backup of the Virtual Machine running Microsoft Windows and store it on the other system in a manner that it cannot be readily used, like in a zip archive as an example.  Keep regular and up to date separate and proper backups of the Quicken Data Files so that in a case of emergency you can unarchive the Virtual Machine and restore the current Quicken Data Files to it and of course this assume the Virtual Machine no longer exists on the other system due to something happening to it (the other system or the original Virtual Machine itself).  You can have VMware Fusion 4 already installed without additional licenses and then for Virtual Machine running Microsoft Windows you only need the one license because you only have one readily available working copy of it at any one time and therefore there is no need for an additional license.  Sounds like a lot of work but if you have two readily available working copies of Windows in two Virtual Machines then each legally needs a separate license.

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WoodyZ
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I now see the need to have Fusion/Win/Quicken on my wifes iMac just for back up incase this ever happens again.  Is there any restrictions on doing this?  I hope I wouldn't need to purchase another licensed copy of Fusion/Win7/Quicken just for this puopose.  I doubt it would be use if at all on the second machine but it certainly would have made things a little smoother if that would or could have been done.

VMware Fusion 3 and earlier needs a separate license for each install however VMware Fusion 4 may be installed on both without and additional license.  Microsoft Windows and  the Quicken software require a separate license for each install.  So if you were to copy the Virtual Machine from one computer to the other and run it on both then you technically need an additional license for both Windows and Quicken for sure and only a second license for pre-version 4 of VMware Fusion.

bgoodz
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Thanks Woody,

I'm running Fusion 4.  I thought there was something with Quicken that if you were not running on two machines at the same time then it was permisable.  I kinda remember something like that when several years ago I had a laptop (when traveling) and had it on both machines but maybe restrictions have come about.  Doesn't make much sense to pay for two additonal license and only using the software in an emergency.

Thanks for the response.

Bill

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WoodyZ
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I kinda remember something like that when several years ago I had a laptop (when traveling) and had it on both machines but maybe restrictions have come about.

While this may have been true with different software in the past nowadays most, not all, require a separate license per seat, in other words each installed copy whether manually installed or replicated and copied to another Virtual Machine or system regardless of the reasons except for an archival backup.  Set aside Quicken for the moment an lets just look at the OS, Microsoft Windows requires a separate license for each copy, other then an archival backup, installed by any means.  So the bottom line is if you copy the Virtual Machine from one system to the other in such a form that both copies can/could be run at the same time then a separate license is required for each Virtual Machine running Microsoft Windows.

Doesn't make much sense to pay for two additional license and only using the software in an emergency.

It may not nor does it need to make sense to you however understand that the manufacture of the software is entitled to be paid appropriately for the product.  Look at it this way...  You buy an umbrella to put in your car and then you say wait a minute I might be using my wife's car one time and need an umbrella in her car too, so you take one without paying for it and justify it by saying well I already paid for the one in my car.  Stealing is stealing regardless of how one goes about it! Smiley Wink

So if you want the Virtual Machine running Microsoft Windows available on both systems then buy the proper number of licenses or your other option is to make an archival backup of the Virtual Machine running Microsoft Windows and store it on the other system in a manner that it cannot be readily used, like in a zip archive as an example.  Keep regular and up to date separate and proper backups of the Quicken Data Files so that in a case of emergency you can unarchive the Virtual Machine and restore the current Quicken Data Files to it and of course this assume the Virtual Machine no longer exists on the other system due to something happening to it (the other system or the original Virtual Machine itself).  You can have VMware Fusion 4 already installed without additional licenses and then for Virtual Machine running Microsoft Windows you only need the one license because you only have one readily available working copy of it at any one time and therefore there is no need for an additional license.  Sounds like a lot of work but if you have two readily available working copies of Windows in two Virtual Machines then each legally needs a separate license.

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bgoodz
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Thanks Woody for the response and analogy.  I've never been a dishonest person (too much of a quilt complex) and I can understand for some people there might be a very fine line between "in case of an emergency" and running multiple copies of software.  And I certainly wouldn't want the Microsoft / Quicken police banging on my door for running two copies of software and only paying for one. Smiley Happy

Good to know VMware allows it, must be a very trusting company and I do like their product.  I'm going to take the advice and have "The House Captn's" machine set up and ready in case this situation happens again we'll be set to keep the ship sailing in the right direction.

How does one go about buying another "license" of Win7 ?  Does that mean to go buy another stand alone full version or simply calling MSFT to get another pass key?  Hopefully it will happen while activating the copied software on the other back up machine?

Live and learn....I'm happy that I've faithfully kept data backups regularly including system bootable clones which were never needed until one recent event and bang.....hard drive failed on a two year old iMac in which the repair took seven days, right at the end of the month (bill paying time and an appointment for income tax preparation.  And yes....where is all the data and functionality?  ......on the fried hard drive, one main machine so as not to have sensitive information distrubuted on multiple machines Smiley Sad

Crap...I just had and epiphany...should've hooked up the stand alone back up hard drive to the other machine and booted the cloneed OS that had Fusion/Win7/Quicken  Smiley Happy  just answered my original question.

Thanks Woody,

Bill

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