Windows XP guest registration request

[llewellyn]

Having installed  Windows XP guest on Vbox running in PCLOs full monty.
I did the XP install using a legitimate Microsoft installation disk
 I worked away at the installation of the guest getting the settings right. Virtual Box has those wonderfull snapshots and I made one as soon as I had an settings change working correctly. I even added a snapshot before trying any changes to settings.
Windows kept asking me to register  so I went off to to microsoft to register 5 times before i twiigged that everytime I ran a new snapshot it wanted registration again. I finally had everything working just right at snapshot16.. It keeps coming up from the tray with a message "25 days left to Register"
I am sick of that little request coming up  so I want to go into windows system and disable that bit of software does anyone know where and how. I suppose I will have to go to some forum that is populated by windows people but not so keen on doing that.

XP as guest on PClos runs beautifull and accessing USB hardware very nicely. plus I have a scanner that connects to parralel port and only has windows driver software  disk .Its working well and file share allows me to get the scans into my Host system
PClinuxOS is fantatsic thank you all

[agmg]

Maybe you should try phone registration?

[llewellyn]

My copy of XP is a genuine licenced copy from Microsoft and was registered years ago when it was instaalled on my PC . Now running it as guest I no longer have to keep a special windows PC running.
The important point is that every time one  does a VM snapshot it gets to want registration again. I have no intention of Sucking up to Microsoft I am just going to find out how to modify windows XP to get rid of that registration request. plus everything else implicit in the warning about 25 days.

Running XP allows me to run bits of extra hardware that may come along  in the future which only has windows drivers. I have accounting packages which only run on windows  plus I have a very old CAD package which runs on windows. else I would throw out the windows all together.
I am going to show hundreds of windows users how to have the power of Linux while still running their Windows as a guest. My one is running very nicely.

[Just17]

IIRC, some of the MS EULAs for Windows forbid the 'purchaser' from running the OS in a virtual machine.
Mentioned that so you can check your EULA to ensure you are using the OS legitimately.

I have read about people d/loading an ISO which has the registration stuff removed and installing it using their legitimate OS code (or whatever they call it).
They do so in full knowledge that they are not complying with the EULA.

There are 'cracks' available at various nefarious locations for getting rid of the registration requirement.

Of course on the PCLOS forum we cannot encourage anyone to do anything of this nature, as it would likely contravene a law.

[menotu]

There are 'cracks' available at various nefarious locations for getting rid of the registration requirement.

Of course on the PCLOS forum we cannot encourage anyone to do anything of this nature, as it would likely contravene a law.

+1

And there is quite a high likelihood that any "cracks" that do it will also add malware "behind the scenes"

But I can't quite understand why after doing a Snapshot it asks for the registration again.  When closing Virtualbox down, are you ticking the Restore Current Snapshot to start next time?

See screenshot

[7272andy]

I don't understand this either, I frequently use both W7 and XP in VirtualBox (installed from original media), and I have never seen the issue

Regards

[llewellyn]

quot  But I can't quite understand why after doing a Snapshot it asks for the registration again.  When closing Virtualbox down, are you ticking the Restore Current Snapshot to start next time?

VB  will always start at the latest highest number snapshot I do not tick  to restore. The only time you need that tick is if a later snap has problems and you want to keep it stepped back to an earlier snap

QUOT  I don't understand this either, I frequently use both W7 and XP in VirtualBox (installed from original media), and I have never seen the issue.

I stopped registering after snap5 and eventually got to 16 which is the current snap with everything running right.
Sorry  I have forgotten how to create a qout box the way you do

[menotu]

VB  will always start at the latest highest number snapshot I do not tick  to restore. The only time you need that tick is if a later snap has problems and you want to keep it stepped back to an earlier snap

But surely, if you aren't ticking the "Restore Snapshot..." box your not getting that session back which is why you are having to enter your reg code each time - the point of a snapshot is to go back to that "point in time"

That's how I use it anyway 

[7272andy]

If llewellyn was to tick restore snapshot and close down virtual box from a session which started with windows unregistered he would have to register every time.

I'd never thought of using it your way menotu

[T6]

"My copy of XP is a genuine licenced copy from Microsoft and was registered years ago when it was instaalled on my PC"

is the xp license for oem home or professional?

if oem, you can't activate it again on a different hardware, inside virtualbox you don't see the same mainboard so the key when activated won't see same hardware and won't work

if xp pro, then shouldn't be a problem unless it is not running at the same time on another hardware

newer licenses on win vista and win 7 let do different things but basically you can do alot with the version pro or sold on a box but the oem won't let you run virtualized at all after activated on the hardware it was sold with

[llewellyn]

The desk is windows Pro and has the code sticker with a number you have to enter to get it to install.
As it is a cd they cannot mark which hardware it was installed on.
This Xp has been in use for some years and never asked for that registration.
The problem arises because if changes to settings and the installation are made it seems to think it is a new installation again.
I took snap shots of each step as I enabled and tested hardware etc. initially I had trouble with screen size and mouse pointer  but then getting the USB attachments to work was also the cause of much changing.
Every time things worked I took a new snapshot to freeze that point. I sometimes added a snapshot before attempting changes.
Snapshots are wonderfull because you can step  it back in time by Activating a different snap shot which you select from a tree display of all of them. I have written all this so some newby in the future will know  how to avoid having to do all his settings over again from the very beginning.
My Xp is now running on the last snapshot being number 19 .  If I get some other USB hardware I want to use with it I will make a snapshot 20,  The system will automatically use the latest one unless I step it back. So if settings changed in 20 cause trouble I can just step back to 19 and start again. delete 20 and make a new 20.
I have now registered with Microsoft again and will wait and se if that little warning message comes back again.

[T6]

those xp licenses on a sticker says oem or not?  if it says oem, then that is the reason afik

[kjpetrie]

Running XP allows me to run bits of extra hardware that may come along  in the future which only has windows drivers.

I'm afraid you're deluding yourself if you believe that. XP is already in "extended" support, which means it gets security updates only. Even that will end in April 2014, after which it will be completely unmaintained.

As Vista and Windows 7 have come out and Windows 8 will be out in a month or so, hardware manufacturers are already forbidden from producing drivers for XP. Drivers for later versions of Windows will be increasingly unlikely to work in XP.

Have you tried running your accounting software in wine? Obviously, don't let it near your real data until you're sure it works properly. If it doesn't, you'll probably need a newer Windows to keep up with hardware, or you need to investigate the repo to see whether there're any accounting packages in there to meet your needs.

You must be modifying the VM a lot between snapshots for Windows to fail to recognise it. It's generally not a good idea to activate a VM until you have it in its final form though, as some versions of Windows (I have XP Home) will only re-activate once every 4 months. I got quite good at re-installing every 30 days for a while!

[llewellyn]

No T6 there is nothing on the disk about oem it says XP professional

MY XP is stable ran well on its own and seems to be just as effective running as a guest in Virtualbox.
I do not want updates etc I have a policy of leaving things that work well alone.
I have the best in the world with PClinuxOS because it does not take long for the linux team to come up with drivers for new stuff.
My accounting package and my scanner work well on XP running as guest.If in future Xp cannot cope with new hardware then I will just have to trust in Linux.
I could not get wine to work well with USB and even less with a scanner that plugged into the parallel port
Now every thing I need to do with windows works and I would prefer not to extend microsoft footprint in my life
Thanks very much for your comment though it is noted.

[T6]

"No T6 there is nothing on the disk about oem it says XP professional"

the word oem is on the label with the 25 letter key, on the disc of xp professional i don't remember the oem, only on the home version

basically if you bought on box the license, you can install it on virtualbox as many times you like but if it is a label or a sticker on the side of the box, it won't work the way you need it

about support of xp, basically it stopped 2 years ago from the point of view of microsoft, many apps form them are not available anymore in their updated versions for xp, the support untill 2014 is as said only for security patches but some companies will support it at least 2015, so some apps will work well there for a couple years more, still xp is a thing of the past, port what you can to windows 7 and wait to the windows 8 fiasco so next os from them is usable as a xp replacement