Re: [tlug] linux notebooks, virtualization, windows: licensing

[jep200404@example.com]

Darren Cook wrote:

> ... if I get a notebook with windows 7 pre-installed, 
> is it possible to create this setup:
>  Linux virtualization (xen, or something similar) with these guest OSes:

>    * Windows 7
> 
> I'm concerned that Windows gets tied to the initial hardware and I won't
> be able to slip the virtualization layer in there without making Windows
> self-destruct.

Your concern is technical. 

To that I'll add a legal concern about licensing. 
In the past, some versions of Windows were allowed to be used 
in virtual machines, and some versions of Windows were not allowed 
to be used in virtual machines. If I recall correctly, the more 
expensive versions were the ones allowed to be run in virtual 
machines and the cheaper versions were the ones prohibited from 
being run in virtual machines. This is a legal issue, not a technical. 

So read the license(s). Good luck.