Support for OEM Windows installations

Products

• VMware
• VMware Desktop Hypervisor
• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:
When using an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) install media for Microsoft Windows, you may find that the installation of Windows in a virtual machine is problematic. The installation may generate issues with virtual hardware, or cause Windows Product Activation (WPA) to request that you activate your copy of Windows.

Environment

VMware P2V Assistant

Resolution

Some Microsoft Windows OEM discs included with new computers are customized for those computers and include device drivers and other utilities specific to the hardware system. Even if you can install this Windows operating system on your physical computer, you might not be able to install it in a virtual machine. You might need to purchase a new copy of Windows to install in a virtual machine.

For more information, see the Guest Operating System Installation Guide.

Additional Information

For information about Windows activation, see Activating Windows Vista and Windows 7 (1015925).

 

With VMware Fusion, some OEM builds cause the virtual hard disk to not be seen during installation, or other virtual hardware may not behave as expected, preventing installation or ease of use of Windows. For more information, see Hard Disk not found error message when installing or repairing a Windows XP virtual machine (1004919).