I've tried searching on this and have ended up going down a whole slew of incorrect rabbit holes without finding any definitive answer, one way or another:
No, I don't want to update the mbr serial number.
No, I don't want to update the Windows Volume serial number.
No, I don't want to update the UUID.
Yes, I do want to update the hardware serial number of a virtual disk.
Basically, I have some software (domain long gone, so no way to even ask via e-mail) that (stupidly, IMHO) uses a disk hardware serial number as part of it's protection. The Windows 7 system I'm running it on is way past it's EoL and I'm trying to run that as a VM instead of hanging on to yet another beige box that's really on it's last legs.
I know (well, 99.9% sure) it's the hardware serial based on how the program presents the registration key number. For a "real" disk that number is shown as: EA1752860358, for a disk that Windows wmic shows a serial as: 6QG3C9AH. OK, I don't know the exact algorithm used to derive one from the other, but I don't think that's relevant here.
Now for the VM, the program gives a registration key of: EA3555555558 and wmic shows a serial of: 3030303030303030303030303030303030303130.
That's too much of a coincidence for me to believe that the program key isn't derived (mostly, if not all) from the disk serial.
So, after that (sorry) long winded explanation, is there any way at all to convince ESXi to present a different value for the serial for a virtual disk.
Cheers.
