In some cases you must activate Windows when you create, import, or migrate a virtual machine.
When you install Windows on a computer, you must activate it to use it. You activate Windows either over the Internet or by phone with Microsoft Support. When the Windows operating system starts up, it checks to see if it is running on the same hardware on which it was originally installed. If the hardware has changed, the Windows operating system requires reactivation.
If you install Windows as a guest operating system in a new virtual machine, it requires activation the same as if you had installed it on a physical computer. If you import a virtual machine from another source, if you run the Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine, or if you migrate a physical PC to a virtual machine, Windows recognizes that the virtual hardware is different.
The type of license you have for your Windows operating system can affect how you activate Windows after you start to use it in a Fusion virtual machine.
Install VMware Tools in the virtual machine before you activate Windows. VMware Tools keeps track of the activation keys. Without VMware Tools installed, you must reactivate Windows each time you start up the virtual machine.
♦ | Activate Windows online or by phone. The Help and Support item on the Windows Start menu enables you to find specific information about activation for that version of the operating system. |