Windows 7: Is this possible? My copy of Win7 installed as a guest.

I've looked all over for an answer to this question.

I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium. Can I install that same copy of Windows 7 from the retail DVD in a virtual machine without experiencing license or activation issues (like invalidating my host OS license )?

I frequently experiment with software trials and I'd like to do that in a VM on the same OS that acts as the host.

I created a vhd with Disk2VHD from my OS partition and tried booting from it in Virtual Box, but it went in to a loop - "Loading Windows files", so that method doesn't work.

Thank you.

Hello apophus,

Welcome to 7 Forums.

When you created the VHD, did you be sure to get the MBR? I have successfully done this by using Seven's create disk image function. Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Backup and Restore\Create a system image.
When you get to creating a HDD, select use existing and navigate to the VHD. If your dual booting you will get the dual boot window even though the other os is not installed.

Hope this helps.

Gary

Hi Gary,

Thanks for your response. I created the system image as you suggested. When I tried to boot from it with Virtual Box, I encountered the following:

FATAL: INIT18: BOOT FAILURE

Even if I got this to work, the question about potential license or activation issues is still unanswered. Remember, I'm trying to use my host OS as a guest as well.

Thanks again.

you can use VMLite to install from your CD/DVD to create a Windows 7 vm. VMLite tries to share hardware info from your host machine, so most likely your guest Windows 7 won't need to be re-activated.

We will actually release a new feature in the future, to run the same host OS as a guest, i.e., xp in xp, vista in vista, 7 in 7, etc. But this feature is not supported yet at the moment.

Free download is available here:

http://www.vmlite.com

I really don't know about the license issue. I have a Technet subscription so haven't had a reason for concern. It is after all still on one computer although it might not appear so to the activation server.

Odd that it would not boot as it should get all of the boot files by default. You could try mounting the 7 DVD and booting from it to do a repair install to repair the boot files. Might take 2 or 3 runs to get it working.

Gary

I think you need to create to a different virtual hard disk for Sun Virtual box .vdi - not a microsoft .vhd.




http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Migrate_Windows

From the help files.



I have done this before. I imaged both the sys reserved and C partitions. Had no choice as those were both selected and grayed in the select what to back up. I am in the process of doing it again. Didn't check to see if it was activated, but it never gave any warning.

You get a vdi if you create the hard disc in Vbox. That is the native format.

OK , thanks , gary - I haven't tried that with Vbox.

You can create a Win sys image of any partition you choose using the command line:

e.g.

WBADMIN START BACKUP -BACKUPTARGET:G: -INCLUDE:C: -QUIET

That creates a.vhd on G of only partition C.

You will need the system partition as well as the boot partition - as you have them separate.

Win Sys img is quicker at creating microsoft .vhd's than any 3rd party app. I tried - and it makes a smaller file. So it's good for that purpose.

Hmm was just trying to set this up again and it didn't work for me either. Won't boot. The image in back up is in 2 vhd's one for each partition. So how'd I do that???

Can I use that to create one VHD that contains both partitions. Maybe I created the VHD with another program.
Can't remember for sure atm.

Edit: If I can will I have to give the sys. reserved a letter first.