Windows 7 is not genuine

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  1. What is the specific model number of your Dell computer? 

        2.  Did you recently install a different motherboard?

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  Carey Frisch

  Monday, August 8, 2011 5:16 PM

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  "LonghornRed" wrote in message news:1a60f7b0-d252-4a44-b4aa-4912ea9c8a4c...

  In spite of this copy of Win 7 coming with the computer from Dell, MS is giving me an inaccurate message that this copy of Windows is not genuine.  Thanks Microsoft for punishing those of us who use you software always with legitimate copies.

   

  Diagnostic Report (1.9.0027.0):

  -----------------------------------------

  Windows Validation Data-->

   

  Validation Code: 50

  Cached Online Validation Code: 0x0

  Windows Product Key: *****-*****-M3DJT-4J3WC-733WD

  Windows Product Key Hash: xo+ajVSpae7/4VoZjS7m6JL0f3A=

  Windows Product ID: 00371-OEM-8992671-00524

  Windows Product ID Type: 2

  Windows License Type: OEM SLP

  Windows OS version: 6.1.7601.2.00010100.1.0.048

   

   

  Other data-->

  SYSTEM><Manufacturer>innotek GmbH</Manufacturer><Model>VirtualBox</Model></SYSTEM><BIOS><Manufacturer>innotek GmbH</Manufacturer><Version>VirtualBox</Version><SMBIOSVersion major="2" minor="5"/><Date>20061201000000.000000+000</Date></BIOS

   

  4

  You CANNOT use an OEM_SLP license to activate a Virtual Machine installation.

   

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  Noel Paton | Nil Carborundum Illegitemi | CrashFixPC | The Three-toed Sloth
  

  • Edited by Darin Smith MS Monday, August 8, 2011 8:35 PM Bolder "Virtual Box"
  • Marked as answer by Darin Smith MS Monday, August 8, 2011 8:35 PM

  Monday, August 8, 2011 5:21 PM

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  OEM SLP product keys are only valid for the comptuters they are installed on at the time the computers are manufactured.  It appears that you are trying to use the copy of Windows that came with your computer in Virtual Box.  You can't do that.  OEM SLP copies require a matching SLIC table in the BIOS.  The emulated BIOS presented to the vm by Virtual Box contains no such SLIC table.  A virtual machine does not use the host's BIOS.

  You need to use a full license retail copy of Windows in a virtual machine.  You can either purchase a retail copy or an MSDN or TechNet subscription to get a key that is valid for VB.

  OEM copies can only be used on the computers they shipped with.  This is from an OEM end user license:

  "The software license is permanently assigned to the computer with which the software is distributed." 

  In other words, OEM licenses are non-transferrable.  A virtual machine is another computer for licensing purposes.

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  Colin Barnhorst Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on DIY with 6GB ram.
  
  
  

  • Marked as answer by Darin Smith MS Monday, August 8, 2011 8:35 PM

  Monday, August 8, 2011 5:30 PM

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  On a side note, I don't understand how the user is being "Punished".  Windows gave a Notice that it detected what looked to be Non-Genuine behavior (and if an OEM licensed Windows 7 is being used in a Virtual Box, as the report shows, then Windows was absolutely correct).  No Widows functionality was removed or limited because of the issue.
  

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  Darin MS

  Monday, August 8, 2011 9:02 PM
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  On a side note, I don't understand how the user is being "Punished".  Windows gave a Notice that it detected what looked to be Non-Genuine behavior (and if an OEM licensed Windows 7 is being used in a Virtual Box, as the report shows, then Windows was absolutely correct).  No Widows functionality was removed or limited because of the issue.
  

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  Darin MS

  
  

  "Punishment" = having to pay for a new copy of Windows. It's always somebody else's fault when you don't have enough money to do what you want. A lot of folks don't understand that a legit copy of Windows can be used in a non-compliant manner, as in this case.

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  Colin Barnhorst Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on DIY with 6GB ram.

  Monday, August 8, 2011 10:04 PM

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  It'd be really nice if supposed MS employees actually knew what they were talking about before they went off and dismissed a user's claims.

  To quote from the Windows 7 Professional OEM EULA...

  "Use with Virtualization Technologies. Instead of using the software directly on the licensed
  computer, you may install and use the software within only one virtual (or otherwise emulated)
  hardware system on the licensed computer."

  So while you might think having several versions with cryptic differences that are in cases hardware locked is cool and wonderful, this usage is valid provided it's running on the same computer. Ergo there's a problem with your validation system as it's disallowing perfectly reasonable usage according to the perfectly unreasonable terms of service.

  Monday, September 26, 2011 6:59 AM
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  "jrsimmons" wrote in message news:f9fc5964-129c-4674-9b56-6185ad6b52f4...

  It'd be really nice if supposed MS employees actually knew what they were talking about before they went off and dismissed a user's claims.

  To quote from the Windows 7 Professional OEM EULA...

  "Use with Virtualization Technologies. Instead of using the software directly on the licensed
  computer, you may install and use the software within only one virtual (or otherwise emulated)
  hardware system on the licensed computer."

  So while you might think having several versions with cryptic differences that are in cases hardware locked is cool and wonderful, this usage is valid provided it's running on the same computer. Ergo there's a problem with your validation system as it's disallowing perfectly reasonable usage according to the perfectly unreasonable terms of service.

  Pardon?

  1) The only employee of MS who regularly appears in this forum is Darin Smith.

  2) an OEM_SLP License requires that a SLIC table be present – such a SLIC table is NEVER present in a virtual machine (from any manufacturer).

  If the user wishes to UNINSTALL their Windows license from the computer, then install a Retail license of another operating system, then install the COA_SLP license in a virtual machine, then that is a possible route – however that route is not the one followed by the OP in this thread.

   

   

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  Noel Paton | Nil Carborundum Illegitemi | CrashFixPC | The Three-toed Sloth

  Monday, September 26, 2011 8:19 AM

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  Who are supposed MS employees?  This is a user to user forum sponsored on Microsoft's servers for the convenience of users.

  The clause you cite is problematical because this is a Type 2 OEM SLP license.  It cannot activate in a virtual machine because, as Noel points out, the necessary SLIC table is not present in the BIOS of the emulated motherboard used by the vm.  A vm does not use the motherboard of the host computer.  The clause has been standard since Microsoft dropped its ban on the use of virtual machines in the Vista Home editions several years ago.  It probably shouldn't be present in a Type 2 license because such a usage is not possible, but Microsoft does not distinguish between the various types of OEM licenses that finely when wording them.

  It is possible for an OEM license to be assigned to a virtual machine.  Microsoft uses OEM SLP licenses in XP Mode and the emulated motherboard is adapted for it.  A Type 3 OEM System Builder license could be used in a vm if it has never been used elsewhere and is installed by a computer manufacturer (not by the end user).  But what you have is a Type 2 license that must be able to see the BIOS in the original Dell motherboard in order to activate or validate.  Since it cannot you are stuck, logical arguments about "computers" notwithstanding.

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  Colin Barnhorst Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on DIY with 6GB ram.
  

  • Edited by CbarnhorstEditor Monday, September 26, 2011 2:12 PM

  Monday, September 26, 2011 1:55 PM

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  My bad, I assumed the MSFT (and possibly MCC) after the name indicated Microsoft.

  My point is that regardless of the technological problems with the licencing system, the EULA that was given and has been agreed to patently gives the user the right to run the software in a virtual machine. The software is therefore genuine and it's being used in a genuine manner so where's the Microsoft Genuine Advantage?

  The other rubbish was just my personal opinion that the whole licencing system is a shambles designed to confuse people into paying more than they really need.

  Tuesday, September 27, 2011 5:57 AM
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  MSFT is the stock market name of Microsoft.  Microsoft employees volunteer their time in the forums from time to time.  MCC means a private person that Microsoft has recognized as a contributor to the Microsoft forums. 

  You can cling to whatever license terms you like, but the SLP technology does not work to permit your OEM SLP copy of Windows to activate anywhere but on bare metal in your computer.  This is by design.  Give it up.  It is not a matter of reason or logic.  It cannot work because an OEM SLP copy of Windows is incomplete out of contact with the physical hardware BIOS.  Your computer's BIOS is not virtualized in a virtual machine.  A vm has its own BIOS emulation that does not contain the necessary SLIC table required by the copy of Windows that shipped from the computer manufacturer's factory.

  The license terms are general because the license type can change depending on the product key inserted by the user. 

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  Colin Barnhorst Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on DIY with 6GB ram.

  Tuesday, September 27, 2011 10:07 AM

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  The user is perfectly right to complain though, when something explicitly allowed and legitimate is blocked.

   

  It might have been nicer to mention that while the OEM_SLP licence won't work, you can plug in the licence key on the side of the machine and get it activated by phone, which is my understanding of the COA_SLP licence mentioned by Noel.

  Tuesday, September 27, 2011 11:40 PM
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  That is only legitimate for an installed SLP copy on the original computer.  A vm is not the original computer.  That is the meaning of the virtualization terms "host" and "guest" computers.  It is no more legitimate to activate an SLP license on a vm as it is to move the copy to another physical computer. 

  OEM SLP copies of Windows are royalty copies.  That means that the user purchases the computer and the copy of Windows as a single unit.  The only transfer of the software permitted is when the unit is transferred.  Windows by itself is, as the license says, permanently assigned to the licensed device.  That device is the motherboard of the physical computer.

  Royalty copies of Windows cost the OEM pennies on the dollar compared to the retail price of Windows.  The user is not paying an appreciable amount for the default edition offered by the OEM. 

  Also, keep in mind that end user license agreement for OEM copies is not between you and Microsoft.  As the license says,

  "These license terms are an agreement between you and

  · the computer manufacturer that distributes the software with the computer, or

  · the software installer that distributes the software with the computer."

  That means you have to get permission from the OEM, not Microsoft, to deviate from the license. 

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  Colin Barnhorst Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on DIY with 6GB ram.

  Wednesday, September 28, 2011 12:44 AM

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  Nobody is deviating from any licence, whether you think it should be there or not the licence agreement clearly states that hosting the software as a virtualised guest on the OEM hardware is legit. I'll repeat it again as you seem to be having trouble reading the licence text.

   "Use with Virtualization Technologies. Instead of using the software directly on the licensed computer, you may install and use the software within only one virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system on the licensed computer."

  Wednesday, September 28, 2011 3:14 AM
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  The text is standard in ALL licenses.  Microsoft has never provided a mechanism for re-writing the license on the fly should the product key change.  In this case there was no need to since an OEM SLP license cannot activate away from the BIOS on the computer's motherboard anyway.  That is sufficient to prevent the software from simply being activated on another motherboard, physical or virtual, without the use of a loader (basically an illegal SLIC emulation).  Microsoft requires OEMs to prevent royaly licenses from being transferred or used on other than the original mobo.

  The last wording change to the virtualization clause was made after the prohibition on virtualizing Vista Starter, Home Basic, and Home Premium was rescinded. 

  Unfortunately you are grasping at straws since the manufacturer is using technology in hardware that moots the question. 

  Confirm it for yourself.  Call the manufacturer's customer support line and ask if you can use their license in a vm.  I'm pretty sure that you already know the answer but ask anyway.

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  Colin Barnhorst Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on DIY with 6GB ram.

  Wednesday, September 28, 2011 3:31 AM

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  Why would I ask customer support anything, it's a fantastic way to spend an hour answering dumb questions from people who have no idea or interest in what they're doing. Provided I could find an intelligent operator, they'd probably look at the licence agreement and see the bit where it says you can use this in a single vm provided the host hardware is that for which the licence is valid.

   

  There's nothing illegal about passing on data from the hardware to a virtual machine, unless you use that to bypass copyright or the EULA, however since the EULA has an explicit clause for this it's largely irrelevant.

   

  You seem to be confusing what the licence agreement grants with what is easily possible with the technology. It's legitimate according to the agreement, the technology prevents it without a bit of tomfoolery. Ergo the user has right to be annoyed, but luckily there's an easier way by using the COA_SLP licence provided for when the OEM_SLP fails.

  Thursday, September 29, 2011 2:11 AM
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  "jrsimmons" wrote in message news:2db73654-af46-4a1c-8853-eec5479c034a...

  Nobody is deviating from any licence, whether you think it should be there or not the licence agreement clearly states that hosting the software as a virtualised guest on the OEM hardware is legit. I'll repeat it again as you seem to be having trouble reading the licence text.

  "Use with Virtualization Technologies. Instead of using the software directly on the licensed computer, you may install and use the software within only one virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system on the licensed computer."

   

  You are completely ignoring the FACT that OEM_SLP Licenses are not valid on anything other than the original BIOS – and the original BIOS is not visible to a VM.

  You can possibly use the COA License on a VM – but only if you uninstall the OS from the host.

   

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  Noel Paton | Nil Carborundum Illegitemi | CrashFixPC | The Three-toed Sloth

  Thursday, September 29, 2011 6:25 AM

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  Well uninstalling has no real implication unless you go online and try and use them both at the same time, but legally it's not kosher indeed.

   

  The distinction is between the EULA which lists permissions you should have, and the licencing technology which attempts to enforce them, when I've said licence I've generally meant the EULA which is probably not overly apparent.

   

  You can actually emulate the host BIOS, but at the moment I think there's nothing that emulates to the extent required for the OEM_SLP authentication in newer versions of windows. This, according to the EULA would be a totally reasonable usage. Which brings me full circle to my original claims that

  "Windows gave a Notice that it detected what looked to be Non-Genuine behavior (and if an OEM licensed Windows 7 is being used in a Virtual Box, as the report shows, then Windows was absolutely correct)."

  and

  ""Punishment" = having to pay for a new copy of Windows. It's always somebody else's fault when you don't have enough money to do what you want. A lot of folks don't understand that a legit copy of Windows can be used in a non-compliant manner, as in this case."

  are misleading, factually incorrect and in the latter case derogatory and unkind.

  Friday, September 30, 2011 1:15 AM
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  If you wish to pursue this topic I suggest you use the forums for OEM licensing. Most of the royalty manufacturers have such forums and Microsoft has the OEM System Builder forums at

  http://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/community/social/pages/oem-reseller-system-builder-forums.aspx

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  Colin Barnhorst Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on DIY with 6GB ram.

  Friday, September 30, 2011 2:00 AM

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