WGA Activation & Multiple Machines

[Tundera]

I'm sure this has been asked a million times, but I can't manage to find a definitive answer.

I want to take either a VM or a Pocket Ace on a portable volume and running it on multiple machines so my PC can travel anywhere with me. I don't care much whether it's a VM or Pocket Ace.

The other machines may be Intel or AMD, they may be Linux or Windows hosts.

The question is: Will this wreak havoc with XP/Vists WGA activation on a guest OS? What is the best way to be able to transport your VM to multiple machines without triggering the activation/hardware change?

Thanks!

[Lone_Wolf]

As i understand it the wga activation in a vm is FOR THE GUEST , not for the host.

As long as you don't change the guest specifications, it should not be a problem

[Tundera]

Right but as I understand the WGA system, the MAC address counts for "three votes" and the CPU ID counts as one. In a VM, don't the MAC and the CPU ID change as it moves from system to system? Is there anything else it can see from system to system? I would think that would trigger the WGA activation.

[RDPetruska]

The MAC address will only change if you answer "create"/"I copied it" to the prompt which appears when you first power on the guest in the new location. If you answer "keep"/"I moved it" to the prompt, then the UUID stays the same, and so does the MAC address of the virtual NIC(s).