Virtual machines

A_G · Sep 5, 2019

I'm thinking about setting up some virtual machines on my laptop. The idea is to have a VM for Siemens software, a VM for Rockwell software etc. I've seen this done at other jobs but never set up a VM from scratch myself.

I will be using VMWare. It sounds like creating a VM should be straightforward as long as you have your Operating System install CD's/license available. I want to create Windows 7 VM's but I don't have any spare Win 7 CD's/licenses.

I was thinking about making an image of my laptop and loading that onto a VM. Is this possible? This link from Microsoft says that if I do this, I can not run the VM on my original laptop, but I could run it on a different laptop/PC:

"Do not attach to VHDs on the same system on which you created them if you plan on booting from them. If you do so, Windows will assign the VHD a new disk signature to avoid a collision with the signature of the VHD’s source disk. Windows references disks in the boot configuration database (BCD) by disk signature, so when that happens Windows booted in a VM will fail to locate the boot disk."

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sy...d=_nv3rcnlcn9kfrjgukk0sohzn0n2xjdsqwevegts900

Anyone have any experience with this?

Is there any other way to create some VM's without buying more Win 7 licenses/install CD's?

Thanks in advance for any help.

the_msp · Sep 5, 2019

Download the ISO. You can get windows 7 and 10 off Microsoft free download. You just need the license when it comes to activating.

JZerb · Sep 5, 2019

Let me point you here for some recently posted good reading.

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=121480&highlight=server

mister x · Sep 5, 2019

Windows 7/10 Pro licences are dirt cheap on eBay - literally cheaper than bags of dirt.

You can get access to most operating systems through this link:

https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/techn...icrosoft-windows-and-office-iso-download-tool

JesperMP · Sep 5, 2019

Maybe your company has a volume licensing agreement ?
In that case, your IT departemnt should setup the raw VM image, which you then adapt with the software you need to use.

Ken Moore · Sep 5, 2019

Start off with a clean VM of Windows 7 or 10, 7 is going bye bye, so maybe go with 10.

Once you have this clean VM up and running. Copy it, install Siemens, copy it install Rockwell etc.... then copy those to a backup. That way if you hose one of your VM's all you have to do is copy over the back up.

Aabeck · Sep 5, 2019

If you can get a single license and make a working Win7 virtual machine then after you close the working VM copy the entire VM folder to another folder, rename it slightly [Win7-Rockwell] then copy that back to you main VM folder.

Open VM Ware and Add A New VM, sealect the new VM, if it asks say you "Moved It" not "Copied It"

Now you have a working clone

Someone told me there was a page on Microsoft.com that had free, permanent licenses for Win7 since you can not buy one anymore, [and Ebay and other sellers are selling copies that have been used so many times they are rejected] but I have never been able to find it.

My improperly licensed Win7 VMs work fine, just have a little text in the lower right corner saying it's not a valid installation, and a popup if you open a Microsoft application. And the same VM works on more than one computer.

mister x · Sep 5, 2019

Aabeck said:
...[and Ebay and other sellers are selling copies that have been used so many times they are rejected]

Just look for reputable reseller feedback. I got one that didn't work, seller promptly sent me a new one. There's little risk in going this route and most of them are legitimate licenses. You get a good one or you get your $3 back.

celichi · Sep 5, 2019

Highly recommend VM, and the Workstation.

I have also put a Rockwell VM on one of our servers, and use Remote Desktop.

A_G said:
I'm thinking about setting up some virtual machines on my laptop. The idea is to have a VM for Siemens software, a VM for Rockwell software etc. I've seen this done at other jobs but never set up a VM from scratch myself.

Great idea, all techs and developers use VM's. Good disaster recover built in.

I will be using VMWare. It sounds like creating a VM should be straightforward as long as you have your Operating System install CD's/license available. I want to create Windows 7 VM's but I don't have any spare Win 7 CD's/licenses.

I would use windows 10, as it has been mentioned, 7 is going going gone...
Also, 10 is faster.

I was thinking about making an image of my laptop and loading that onto a VM. Is this possible? This link from Microsoft says that if I do this, I can not run the VM on my original laptop, but I could run it on a different laptop/PC:

Yes, this is possible, but go 10, start fresh, make the investment.

"Do not attach to VHDs on the same system on which you created them if you plan on booting from them. If you do so, Windows will assign the VHD a new disk signature to avoid a collision with the signature of the VHD’s source disk. Windows references disks in the boot configuration database (BCD) by disk signature, so when that happens Windows booted in a VM will fail to locate the boot disk."

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sy...d=_nv3rcnlcn9kfrjgukk0sohzn0n2xjdsqwevegts900

Anyone have any experience with this?

no, sorry

Is there any other way to create some VM's without buying more Win 7 licenses/install CD's?

you need the license, cost of doing biz...

Thanks in advance for any help.

A_G · Sep 5, 2019

Thanks everyone. I guess there is no way around it, I will have to buy a Windows license.

mister x · Sep 5, 2019

A_G said:
Thanks everyone. I guess there is no way around it, I will have to buy a Windows license.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/WINDOWS-10...038005?hash=item4688281175:g:G28AAOSwEp5cS~uU

harryting · Sep 5, 2019

mister x said:
Just look for reputable reseller feedback. I got one that didn't work, seller promptly sent me a new one. There's little risk in going this route and most of them are legitimate licenses. You get a good one or you get your $3 back.

I very much doubt those sub $10 license are legit. Most of them are probably MSDN #.

I wouldn't risk it especially for work computer.

mister x · Sep 5, 2019

harryting said:
I very much doubt those sub $10 license are legit. Most of them are probably MSDN #.

I wouldn't risk it especially for work computer.

Anything is possible, but if you're looking at cost as the issue, remember that Microsoft was giving away Windows 10 for free. If it registers by Microsoft, that's good enough for me. The worst they could do is deactivate some time in the future. Realistically, we don't know that somebody else isn't using our 'legit' registration somewhere else in the world now.

harryting · Sep 5, 2019

mister x said:
Just look for reputable reseller feedback. I got one that didn't work, seller promptly sent me a new one. There's little risk in going this route and most of them are legitimate licenses. You get a good one or you get your $3 back.

mister x said:
Anything is possible, but if you're looking at cost as the issue, remember that Microsoft was giving away Windows 10 for free. If it registers by Microsoft, that's good enough for me. The worst they could do is deactivate some time in the future. Realistically, we don't know that somebody else isn't using our 'legit' registration somewhere else in the world now.

I respectfully disagree.

That's no real debate on whether those license are legit or not. If cost is an issue, why not get pirated license of Rockwell license, it would save one thousand of $. Why not copy OEM PLC programming to a ton of machines? Again, tens of thousand of $ saved.

sparkie · Sep 5, 2019

You can image your current laptop. You will need some disk space. Use clonezilla on a boot usb to image your disk to an external disk. It will need to be a large disk.

Then, make a vm with a large virtual disk. Then, boot clonezilla on that vm and restore your image to that virtual disk.

Virtual machines

A_G

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