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Ted_Davidson
Contributor
Contributor

Can't load Vista Business to my 1st Virtual Workstation

Loaded Workstation 6.0.2-59824, and created my 1st vitural workstation with the wizard. Next i inserted the Vista re-installion disk (full Vista OS re-installation disk). I powered off and back on the virtural workstation, but the disk did not start running. I know disk is good, because we had to use last month. Is there any thing i am doing wrong? Should i be using a Vista disk and not the full re-installation disk that came from Dell. Thanks.

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jsa
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Its been my experience that the re-install disks (from any vendor) are usually tied to a specific hardware configuration, and they refuse to work in virtual machines.

magic-man
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

Loaded Workstation 6.0.2-59824, and created my 1st vitural workstation with the wizard. Next i inserted the Vista re-installion disk (full Vista OS re-installation disk). I powered off and back on the virtural workstation, but the disk did not start running. I know disk is good, because we had to use last month. Is there any thing i am doing wrong? Should i be using a Vista disk and not the full re-installation disk that came from Dell. Thanks.

Dell, Acer, HP, and other OEM mfgrs have code in the loaders of the system restore disks to verify you are using their hardware. You need a plain vista disk, not the system restore disk.

Smiley Happy Bill

Ted_Davidson
Contributor
Contributor

Great Thanks

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Ted_Davidson
Contributor
Contributor

I belated thanks.

How can i change Ted Davidson to something else, not so recognizable?

Do i have to buy any kind of Microsoft license to use VMWare?

My company bought a Dell referb pc and i can not get Vista disk w/o buying new. I have the reinstall disk for Vista from Dell (legal). Any idea how to load Vista in my 1st virtual machine with reinstall disk?

Thanks if you have time

Ted

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jsa
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

You might be able to work out something with Microsoft to use the Certificate Of Authenticity number that came with the machine to install some other copy of vista, such as borrowed media from a retail version. Some of the keys on the COA won't work with any other version, and some will.

In almost no case will the re-install disks from Dell work in vmware unless they are the special request ones that are not locked to a specific bios version. You have to ***** at Dell to get these but I have a friend who got one expressly for moving his vista license to another box (also a dell).

There is some indication that Microsoft's current license specifically allows you to do what you want:

This page may help, see: To install Windows by performing a clean installation and To Reinstall Windows Vista

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Ted_Davidson
Contributor
Contributor

This helps, and I greatly appreciate all the time you spent. Wish me

good luck. It is all so stupid. I have lost a month, with no end in

sight in the short term

Ted

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