ASP Developer Network - Brought to you by Steve Radich and BitShop, Inc. - http://www.bitshop.com

ASPDeveloper

ASPDeveloper.Net / VirtualServerFAQ.COM

Make sure you go to our home page for:

* Virtual Server 2005 FAQ
* ASP.Net 2.0 Information
* ASP.Net 2.0 Streaming Tutorials
* ASP.Net 2.0 HTML based Tutorials

Made possible by Business Internet Technology Shop (BitShop)

Virtual PC

Recent Virtual PC posts

* VPC 2007, full screen refresh rate
* S3-Trio memory size
* Ubuntu 6.06 and Vista x64 networking
* Noob needing questions answered
* A couple of installation questions...Newbie
* Virtual PC 2007 compatibility with Vista Home Premium 64-bit?
* Should I Expect Any Special Problems Accessing Modems in VPC?
* OS install on new VM getting stuck at blue Windows Setup screen
* Windows XP Applications Run Too Slow
* Newbie Question: About XP Home as a host
* Internet Connection + Servers
* Mini newsgroup FAQ for the week of 5/20/2007
* Longhorn Multimedia Driver?
* How many instances at the same time?
* Copying an existing Windows 98 installation and installing as VM i
* Wireless adapter configuration within virtual machine
* Vista showing "3 day(s) left to activate"
* Recovery of Bad Hard Drives
* How to boot from DVD on Virtual PC
* Firewire scanner with VPC?

Add Solution

My Newbie Questions...

Source: microsoft.public.virtualpc
Sent: 05/21/2007
From: "Frank Bright" <(email address - cut out)>
Message:

Hi, I'm on Vista Home Prem 32-bit and I'm running XP Pro on a Virtual PC
2007.
Question 1 - Do I activate XP just as if I were running it on a real hard
drive?
Question 2 - Do Activations for other software programs work the same way,
ie, I would activate them just as I would anywhere else?

Also, How do I install software programs in XP in the VM? Is installing
software what 'Virtual Machine Additions' means?

Btw, I have looked at the help and have scanned these posts. Many Thanks for
any assistance, Frank Bright

Post Reply | This is Spam! | Mark as Spam

Related Messages

Re: My Newbie Questions...

Sent: 05/21/2007
From: "Colin Barnhorst" <(email address - cut out)>
Message:

Think of the vm as just another computer and proceed as you always do.

"Frank Bright" <(email address - cut out)> wrote in message
news:(email address - cut out)...

Show quoted text

> Hi, I'm on Vista Home Prem 32-bit and I'm running XP Pro on a Virtual PC
> 2007.
> Question 1 - Do I activate XP just as if I were running it on a real hard
> drive?
> Question 2 - Do Activations for other software programs work the same way,
> ie, I would activate them just as I would anywhere else?
>
> Also, How do I install software programs in XP in the VM? Is installing
> software what 'Virtual Machine Additions' means?
>
> Btw, I have looked at the help and have scanned these posts. Many Thanks
> for any assistance, Frank Bright

Re: My Newbie Questions...

Sent: 05/21/2007
From: "Frank Bright" <(email address - cut out)>
Message:

"Bill Grant" <not.available@online> wrote in message
news:(email address - cut out)...

Many Thanks Bill !! I appreciate it,...Frank

Show quoted text

>
> "Frank Bright" <(email address - cut out)> wrote in message
> news:(email address - cut out)...
>> Hi, I'm on Vista Home Prem 32-bit and I'm running XP Pro on a Virtual PC
>> 2007.
>> Question 1 - Do I activate XP just as if I were running it on a real hard
>> drive?
>> Question 2 - Do Activations for other software programs work the same
>> way, ie, I would activate them just as I would anywhere else?
>>
>> Also, How do I install software programs in XP in the VM? Is installing
>> software what 'Virtual Machine Additions' means?
>>
>> Btw, I have looked at the help and have scanned these posts. Many Thanks
>> for any assistance, Frank Bright
>
> 1. Yes, you activate the OS in the virtual machine just as you would in a
> real one.
>
> 2. Most software programs work the same way. The applications usually
> don't know that they are running in a vm.
>
> 3. You install application programs just as you would on a physical
> machine. If it is on a CD/DVD, put that in the DVD drive on the host. If
> the install autoruns in the host, kill it off and make sure that the vm is
> set use the CD/DVD in the host. You do this from the CD tab at the top of
> the vm window.
>
> The VMAdditions install some extra code into the OS which is installed
> on the vm to make it perform better as a virtual machine.
>
>

Re: My Newbie Questions...

Sent: 05/22/2007
From: LiquidEyes
Message:

Is it *possible* for a program to know it's running on a virtual machine (in
the light of your second comment below)?

"Bill Grant" wrote:

....

Show quoted text

> 2. Most software programs work the same way. The applications usually
> don't know that they are running in a vm.
> The VMAdditions install some extra code into the OS which is installed
> on the vm to make it perform better as a virtual machine.

Re: My Newbie Questions...

Sent: 05/22/2007
From: LiquidEyes
Message:

Thanks for your reply Mark. I do fully appreciate that generally it makes no
difference to an app whether it is running on a 'real' PC or a virtual one.

However, if an app *really did* want to know, would it be relatively trivial
to check or would it require something of a 'fudge'?

I'm guessing there would be some tell-tale signs. I.e.
* all virtual machines have exactly the same hardware;
* the machine would run slower than it 'should' given its spec;
* some OS files might be different...? (with reference to Bill's comment
that "the VMAdditions install some extra code into the OS which is installed
on the vm to make it perform better as a virtual machine.")

I'm trying to get a picture of whether there is a fairly trivial way an app
can definitively infer it's running on a virtual PC and not real hardware.
Imagine for example a software vendor that for some reason really does NOT
want their application running on a virtual PC (e.g. for licensing reasons).

"Mark Rae" wrote:

Show quoted text

> "LiquidEyes" <(email address - cut out)> wrote in message
> news:(email address - cut out)...
>
> > Is it *possible* for a program to know it's running on a virtual machine?
>
> Only if it's specifically written to check for it...
>
> Most apps have no need to know this because it won't make the slightest
> difference to their operation...

Re: My Newbie Questions...

Sent: 05/22/2007
From: LiquidEyes
Message:

Thanks for the quick reply Mark. In other words, it sounds pretty trivial to
check. :)

"Mark Rae" wrote:

Show quoted text

> IIRC, the "standard" way of doing this is either to check in the Registry or
> use WMI to identify the motherboard manufacturer, which will say "Microsoft
> Corporation" if it's a virtual machine.
>
> If you have WinXP running in a VM, fire up System Information and you'll see
> the "System Manufacturer" and "System Model" values...
>
> In addition, if you have the VMAdditions installed, you can inspect
> HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Virtual Machine...

Re: My Newbie Questions...

Sent: 05/22/2007
From: "Mark Rae" <(email address - cut out)>
Message:

"LiquidEyes" <(email address - cut out)> wrote in message
news:(email address - cut out)...

Only if it's specifically written to check for it...

Most apps have no need to know this because it won't make the slightest
difference to their operation...

--
http://www.markrae.net

Show quoted text

> Is it *possible* for a program to know it's running on a virtual machine
> (in
> the light of your second comment below)?

Re: My Newbie Questions...

Sent: 05/22/2007
From: "Bill Grant" <not.available@online>
Message:

"Frank Bright" <(email address - cut out)> wrote in message
news:(email address - cut out)...

1. Yes, you activate the OS in the virtual machine just as you would in a
real one.

2. Most software programs work the same way. The applications usually
don't know that they are running in a vm.

3. You install application programs just as you would on a physical
machine. If it is on a CD/DVD, put that in the DVD drive on the host. If the
install autoruns in the host, kill it off and make sure that the vm is set
use the CD/DVD in the host. You do this from the CD tab at the top of the vm
window.

The VMAdditions install some extra code into the OS which is installed
on the vm to make it perform better as a virtual machine.

Show quoted text

Re: My Newbie Questions...

Sent: 05/22/2007
From: "Mark Rae" <(email address - cut out)>
Message:

"LiquidEyes" <(email address - cut out)> wrote in message
news:(email address - cut out)...

IIRC, the "standard" way of doing this is either to check in the Registry or
use WMI to identify the motherboard manufacturer, which will say "Microsoft
Corporation" if it's a virtual machine.

If you have WinXP running in a VM, fire up System Information and you'll see
the "System Manufacturer" and "System Model" values...

In addition, if you have the VMAdditions installed, you can inspect
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Virtual Machine...

--
http://www.markrae.net

Show quoted text

> However, if an app *really did* want to know, would it be relatively
> trivial
> to check or would it require something of a 'fudge'?

Re: My Newbie Questions...

Sent: 05/22/2007
From: "Mark Rae" <(email address - cut out)>
Message:

"LiquidEyes" <(email address - cut out)> wrote in message
news:(email address - cut out)...

I imagine so, though I've never had any need to try it for myself...

--
http://www.markrae.net

Show quoted text

> In other words, it sounds pretty trivial to check. :)

Re: My Newbie Questions...

Sent: 05/22/2007
From: "Ben Armstrong [MSFT]" <(email address - cut out)>
Message:

Here is a VBScript that will work for Microsoft virtual machines:
http://blogs.msdn.com/virtual_pc_guy/archive/2005/10/27/484479.aspx

--
Cheers,
Benjamin Armstrong
============================
Windows Virtualization Program Manager
Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/Virtual_PC_Guy
Book:
http://mumblingtomyself.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!64FFB030F5637A64!128.entry

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
You assume all risk for your use.

"Mark Rae" <(email address - cut out)> wrote in message
news:(email address - cut out)...

Show quoted text

> "LiquidEyes" <(email address - cut out)> wrote in message
> news:(email address - cut out)...
>
>> In other words, it sounds pretty trivial to check. :)
>
> I imagine so, though I've never had any need to try it for myself...
>
>
> --
> http://www.markrae.net

Re: My Newbie Questions...

Sent: 05/23/2007
From: Bo Berglund <(email address - cut out)>
Message:

On Tue, 22 May 2007 00:27:03 -0700, LiquidEyes
<(email address - cut out)> wrote:

Look here:
http://invisiblethings.org/papers/redpill.html

Basically other methods can be fooled (looking for specific hardware
or registry items) but this method uses an item that is not easily
changed.
I recently created a Delphi function to test for VPC using this method
and it works just fine.

/Bo

Bo Berglund
bo.berglund(at)nospam.telia.com

Show quoted text

>Is it *possible* for a program to know it's running on a virtual machine (in
>the light of your second comment below)?
>

Post Reply | This is Spam! | Mark as Spam

Other groups

Virtual PC (Mac)(3592)	Virtual PC(12844)	Virtual PC (French)(496)
Virtual Server 2005(6245)

Our Sponsors

Virtual Server 2005 Info Here!
http://www.aspdeveloper.net

Wiki

Blogs

Articles

Image galleries

File galleries

Forums

Maps

Directories

ASP Developer Network (since 1996) - Brought to you by Steve Radich and BitShop, Inc. - http://www.bitshop.com
Copyright © 1997-2005 by BitShop, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
No content may be reproduced in any form without written permission from BitShop, Inc.
We will be honored to assist with reproduction rights on our material if you contact us.
We also can provide print articles for your magazine, private training seminars at your site, and conference presentations.
Thank you for visiting. Please bookmark our site if you found it useful!
If you wish to make a donation it will help further the development of these free resources: