Buying a copy of Windows 10 to run in a virtual machine?

Cromulent

Cromulent

Cromulent

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On my current computer I have Windows 10 Home edition which I got for free when they were offering Windows 10 for free from Windows 7 users. I want to run a copy of Windows 10 in a virtual machine to keep all of my development stuff separate from my gaming stuff and Office 2013 stuff.

The thing I am worried about is if I buy an OEM copy of Windows 10 Home edition and run it in a virtual machine will it cause problems with only having one machine it is registered on? I might want to do things like increase the number of CPU cores associated with the machine or up the RAM when I get around to upgrading my whole PC some time next year.

I just don't want to get in the position of buying Windows 10 Home edition OEM and finding that it won't work when I reinstall it in a new virtual machine at a later date.

Has anyone else done this at all? For reference I'll be using VMWare Workstation Pro 12.5 to run the virtual machine.

Edit: I could buy the retail edition rather than the OEM version but OCUK only seem to sell a USB pen drive version for that and not a DVD which makes it hard to install in a virtual machine.
 
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You will need a separate license for each vm install.

https://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/Pages/support-faq.aspx#fbid=gnt390Zyg1R

Q. Can I install OEM software on a virtual machine (VMware)?

A. You can install OEM software in a virtual environment as long as you have a separate license for each instance of the software. It is fine to use the OEM version as long as it is properly licensed. To be clear, a separate version of the software must be installed for both the “standard” and “virtual” installations.

But you can install the Windows 10 90 day trial and restore it back after.
 
malachi said:
You will need a separate license for each vm install.

https://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/Pages/support-faq.aspx#fbid=gnt390Zyg1R

Q. Can I install OEM software on a virtual machine (VMware)?

A. You can install OEM software in a virtual environment as long as you have a separate license for each instance of the software. It is fine to use the OEM version as long as it is properly licensed. To be clear, a separate version of the software must be installed for both the “standard” and “virtual” installations.

But you can install the Windows 10 90 day trial and restore it back after.
Click to expand...

Ah. Thank you very much. So as long as I have a license for the base computer OS and one for the virtual machine I will be running everything will work fine? That is good news.

I'll order an OEM copy of Windows 10 Home edition for my development needs then.
 
I wouldn't buy a copy. See if it installs and activates first. Because all VM software will have identical "virtual" hardware, chances are someone has already licensed it legitimately meaning you get to use it for nothing - because the hardware matches.

I discovered this myself when I installed windows 10 PRO in VMware some time ago. I downloaded an ISO and didn't enter any product key during setup.

(screenshot from an old thread)
GCZIxgZ.png
 
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marc2003 said:
I wouldn't buy a copy. See if it installs and activates first. Because all VM software will have identical "virtual" hardware, chances are someone has already licensed it legitimately meaning you get to use it for nothing - because the hardware matches.

I discovered this myself when I installed windows 10 PRO in VMware some time ago. I downloaded an ISO and didn't enter any product key during setup.
Click to expand...

Ah. Cool. I'll install it from the ISO and see if I need it or not. Thanks for the that it might save me some money. But if I do end up having to buy a copy it isn't the end of the world.
 
Did I say it was legal? More fool you, but I don't fancy spending £80 on a license :p

It isn't my problem if it activates, Microsoft can deal with the source of the problem.
 
Yeah, not legit, I've read enough of the SPLA rules to know that.

Anyway, you should have options to copy host BIOS strings to VM.. i.e. if the host machine is running Windows 10 then use the same code. Less sketchy than a cheap Windows key that's probably already activated elsewhere :p
 
It's software that's going to be used nearly every day for years, just pay the best genuine price you can find.

Hope ms find every dodgy key and disable them all.
 
Hyburnate said:
Did I say it was legal? More fool you, but I don't fancy spending £80 on a license :p

It isn't my problem if it activates, Microsoft can deal with the source of the problem.
Click to expand...

:eek:

suggesting someone to buy a key that maybe not legit/legal is very poor, tbh. also openly on a public forum.
 
Hyburnate said:
Did I say it was legal? More fool you, but I don't fancy spending £80 on a license :p

It isn't my problem if it activates, Microsoft can deal with the source of the problem.
Click to expand...

Oh. I don't want to do anything illegal. I'll just buy a proper copy of Windows 10 from OCUK in that case. At least that way it will continue to work for me which I need to do my work.
 
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