Kinda sorta not Linux question, but still it is

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wutsinterweb
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Kinda sorta not Linux question, but still it is

Post by wutsinterweb »

So I was given 2 licenses to Windows 10 Pro to run in VMs on my two main systems, a laptop and a desktop.

What will happen when I do an Aptik backup and wipe and fresh install Mint/Linux and reinstall the VMs for Windows 10, will those licenses still work? Does it depend upon them not being OEM licenses? If I am using the same hardware (motherboard) will it matter?

When 19 comes out I'm sure I will move to it, but I don't want the gift of those licenses wasted.
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I've been using Mint for over 4 years, but I'm still a slow learner. I have a website: https://pickfetish.com. It is dedicated to guitar/instrument picks.
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catweazel
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Re: Kinda sorta not Linux question, but still it is

Post by catweazel »

If you backup the virtual disk image then the license is also backed up. When you change to another linux OS, your Windwoes simply won't know the difference.
"There is, ultimately, only one truth -- cogito, ergo sum -- everything else is an assumption." - Me, my swansong.
Cosmo.
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Re: Kinda sorta not Linux question, but still it is

Post by Cosmo. »

You do not need to reinstall the VMs. Make a backup of the folder VirtualBox VMs in your home and the folder VirtualBox in the hidden folder .config in your home and after restoring both you are back in business.
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wutsinterweb
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Re: Kinda sorta not Linux question, but still it is

Post by wutsinterweb »

Thank you friends! But were I to have failed to back up, what would happen if I reinstalled? I read somewhere that if you set up your Windows user account with a unique email and user information, it will apply your license that way too, is that correct? Amazed I'm even needing to ask about Windows after shaking them off, but sadly, this is important.
I've been using Mint for over 4 years, but I'm still a slow learner. I have a website: https://pickfetish.com. It is dedicated to guitar/instrument picks.
Cosmo.
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Re: Kinda sorta not Linux question, but still it is

Post by Cosmo. »

I cannot follow the question. You said in the starting post, that you have 2 licenses; I assume, that you have 2 license keys. If they are printed on paper, you still have them, don't you? If they exist only in electronic form (e-mail or such), you are supposed to have them backed up.
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JerryF
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Re: Kinda sorta not Linux question, but still it is

Post by JerryF »

wutsinterweb wrote: Thu Feb 08, 2018 4:37 pm Thank you friends! But were I to have failed to back up, what would happen if I reinstalled? I read somewhere that if you set up your Windows user account with a unique email and user information, it will apply your license that way too, is that correct? Amazed I'm even needing to ask about Windows after shaking them off, but sadly, this is important.
I think that you're correct about the licensing. I had an OEM Windows 10 installed on my hard drive. I uninstalled it and tried to install it in a VM using the same Product Key. Would not install because that key was linked to the original install's hardware. Called MS and that's what the associate told me.

You MAY have a problem trying to reinstall onto a new VM with the same OEM license.
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wutsinterweb
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Re: Kinda sorta not Linux question, but still it is

Post by wutsinterweb »

This would be on the same hardware, simply updated Mints from bare metal, in both instances, the laptop and the desktop. I wonder if VB reassigns the same values based on your hardware and Windows doesn't see any change?
I've been using Mint for over 4 years, but I'm still a slow learner. I have a website: https://pickfetish.com. It is dedicated to guitar/instrument picks.
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JerryF
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Re: Kinda sorta not Linux question, but still it is

Post by JerryF »

wutsinterweb wrote: Thu Feb 08, 2018 8:52 pm This would be on the same hardware, simply updated Mints from bare metal, in both instances, the laptop and the desktop. I wonder if VB reassigns the same values based on your hardware and Windows doesn't see any change?
Unless things have changed since I contacted MS, no, Windows will view the VM as a different computer. The install I did was on the same laptop but in a VM and refused to activate
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