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What to do next
The first time you power on your Boot Camp virtual machine after you install VMware Tools, you
must reactivate Windows.
Activate Windows in a Virtual Machine
In some cases you must activate Windows when you create, import, or migrate a virtual machine.
When you install Windows on a computer, you must activate it to use it. You activate Windows
either over the Internet or by phone with Microsoft Support. When the Windows operating
system starts up, it checks to see if it is running on the same hardware on which it was originally
installed. If the hardware has changed, the Windows operating system requires reactivation.
If you install Windows as a guest operating system in a new virtual machine, it requires activation
the same as if you had installed it on a physical computer. If you import a virtual machine from
another source, if you run the Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine, or if you migrate a
physical PC to a virtual machine, Windows recognizes that the virtual hardware is different.
The type of license you have for your Windows operating system can affect how you activate
Windows after you start to use it in a
Fusion virtual machine.
n With an OEM license, Windows is tied directly to the hardware on which it was loaded by the
manufacturer. Most pre-installed versions of Windows have OEM licenses. OEM licenses
generally cannot be transferred to another computer, or to a virtual machine. If you use the
Fusion Migrate Your PC feature to migrate one of these types of systems to a virtual
machine, you might be required to purchase a second license (or product key) from
Microsoft. If a second product key is required, you can get that through the Microsoft
representative when you call Microsoft Support to activate the operating system now
residing in the virtual machine.
n With a retail license, when you buy Windows from a vendor, the license enables you to
change platforms as often as you want. In this case, you can reactivate Windows over the
Internet, or by phone with Microsoft Support.
n With an enterprise license, you can move the operating system around freely.
Prerequisites
Install VMware Tools in the virtual machine before you activate Windows. VMware Tools keeps
track of the activation keys. Without VMware Tools installed, you must reactivate Windows each
time you start up the virtual machine.
Procedure
u Activate Windows online or by phone.
The Help and Support item on the Windows Start menu enables you to find specific
information about activation for that version of the operating system.
Using VMware Fusion
VMware, Inc. 66