Upgrades/updates

[Fifer]

At present I'm running Fusion version 1.1

From someone else's post I get the notion that each time an upgrade/update is done, my version of Windows XP might need re-activating when I try to run it via my Boot Camp VM. If this is the case, then is it best to perform the upgrade/update with the BCVM suspended rather than shut down?

I would normally have assumed that I would need to quit all (especially Fusion itself) before, in my case, updating to Fusion 1.1.1

[Silica_V]

http://communities.vmware.com/message/740570#740570

[Silica_V]

http://communities.vmware.com/message/740570#740570 refer this link

[Fifer]

Thanks. It's not Vista that I have though, it's XP Pro SP2.

I'm able to go back and forth easily between the Boot Camp partition running XP natively, to rebooting into the Mac OS partition and running XP under Fusion in my Boot Camp VM. I have no problems doing this at present, having originally installed VMware Tools.

My query really only applies to the installation of an upgrade or an update to Fusion. Will that cause my version of XP to think there has been a change of hardware, thus requiring reactivation of the Windows installation itself? In my case with XP and VMware tools installed, I'm guessing that I shouldn't need to worry about the need to reactivate Windows, but I just want to be sure.

[Silica_V]

I am sorry,create a new hardware profile and check.

Below are the steps. 1) Right click on my computer go to system Properties. 2) Select the Hardware Tab. 3) Go to Hardware Profile 4) Create a new hardware Profile from Boot camp Partition using copy Hardware Profile 5) Go to properties and check the hardware Profile selection for both current and Boot camp partition profile. 6) While booting or powering on Windows it will ask you to select the Hardware Profile please select the Boot camp Hardware profile while booting windows using VMware Fusion

[Fifer]

So are you indicating that upgrading/updating Fusion will definitely either

1) require reactivating Windows when I attempt to launch my BCVM through Fusion

or

2) require the creation of the new Hardware Profile (a new concept to me, which I don't fully understand)?

I'll investigate the steps you outlined ahead of time, to try and understand what it's all about.

Edit: Installed version 1.1.1 without any problems. Thanks for your help.

[admin]

Just to clarify:

Minor upgrades (like Fusion 1.0 to 1.1, or 1.1 to 1.1.1) won't change the virtual machine's view of the world, and won't require reactivating Windows.

Future major upgrades could introduce new virtual hardware that would change the virtual machine's view of the world, but this isn't triggered by updating Fusion alone -- there would be a corresponding (and optional) "upgrade virtual machine version" operation. Before you upgrade the VM, it runs as it did in the prior version (it doesn't see the new hardware features, and it doesn't require reactivation). If you upgrade it, it gets access to the new features, and may require reactivation. That's how we've always handled this situation for our other products, and that's how we plan to handle it with Fusion.

[Fifer]

Thanks for that info, magi.

I had wondered about the difference between an update (like 1.1 to 1.1.1, or 1.1 to 1.2, say) as opposed to an upgrade (1.x to 2.0).

I'll cross the "upgrade VM version" bridge when I come to it.

All is well for now, everything's just purring along nicely.