Clean install of W10 not possible in Virtual Machine.

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

  1. Posts : 1,557
    W10 32 bit, XUbuntu 18.xx 64 bit
       #1

    Clean install of W10 not possible in Virtual Machine.


    Clean install of W10 not possible in Virtual Machine it won't activate. I just thought I would report one of my testings.

    I installed windows 7 retail in the virtual machine and it activated. I upgraded to windows 10 and it activated. I did a clean install of windows 10 and it didn't activate and it says specific product key has been blocked. I guess the only way to run windows 10 in a virtual machine is to upgrade from windows 7 retail. Clean install feature won't work in a virtual machine


    (It still might be possible if you are in the insider program or if your purchased windows 10 outright this was not tested)
    Last edited by groze; 13 Sep 2015 at 09:07. Reason: Edited
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 3,367
    W10 Pro x64/W7 Ultimate x64 dual boot main - W11 Triple Boot Pending
       #2

    I have tested it and presently have two 10 clean install VMs lacking activation of course. But then the XP Mode only saw a 90 day period of use when made available for Windows 7. Updates and the prompt to "Trust this network" was just seen on one 10 x64 Pro VM where it restored the home page but expect it to last another two weeks at best?!

    As for paid subscribers to MS TechNet who have MSDN or MS Developers Network keys available those serve developer builds for things while the 10240 is strictly RTM. And since you can't generate any physical hardware profile on a VM there's no Profile ID to activate 10 to! It's a Catch 22!
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 5,478
    2004
       #3

    I have clean installed in Hyper-V, VMware and VBox and they all worked and activated fine. I made a lot of VM's in June on 10130 so I could activate them before RTM. I been upgrading them slowly to 10240 and then clean installed and they are all now permanently activated. Most of them I left the Insider program at 10240 but I do have one still on 10532 (and I clean installed 10532 on that recently and it kept activation). The VMWare and VBox ones I've also tested moving from Windows to OSX host and they keep the activation. The Hyper-V 10532 I have booted both as a VM and as native vhdx boot and that works also in both roles (with different hardware obviously)

    I don't know why it didn't work for you guys but it is certainly possible. The main thing is to use the same Virtual machine - not make a new one as all hypervisors keep the machine UUID in a configuration file (.vbox and .vdx, xml files - don't know where Hyper-V keeps it). You can make a new disk to do the clean install or reuse the existing one but you will lose activation if you clone or create a new VM.

    Night Hawk said:
    . And since you can't generate any physical hardware profile on a VM there's no Profile ID to activate 10 to! It's a Catch 22!
    There certainly is a HWID for virtual machines. That is why you must export/import not clone if you want to keep activation.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 3,367
    W10 Pro x64/W7 Ultimate x64 dual boot main - W11 Triple Boot Pending
       #4

    I have one for each edition simply sitting there on VM Player 7.0.2 since the 12 Player turned out to be Workstation trial ware while the regular VM Player doesn't expire in 30 days. The exact same VMs connected to the web and receiving their updates still won't activate.

    Since I haven't been running either of the two much I suspect that if they are even going to be activated they haven't been discovered by the MS servers yet. The 10 Tech Preview didn't either but didn't get much chance at the time after the initial lookover. Now it shows "connect to the internet to activate Windows" while I am connected for a change on these two as well as seeing a distro connected for the first time on a VM project.

    Clean install of W10 not possible in Virtual Machine.-activating-w10-vm-1.jpg

    When trying to get VM Player 5.0.2 on Incompatible with 10 and I then went for the 7.0.2 that came out in July in time for 10 apparently. But I also see "Error code: 0xC004C003" with the specified product key being blocked! The activation server itself is preventing the VM from being activated.

    Clean install of W10 not possible in Virtual Machine.-activating-w10-vm-2-rejected-ms.jpg

    And those aren't the first to be rejected by the activation servers for some unknown reason back when using the 7 dvds even to create a 7 Ultimate VM and no go!

    Clean install of W10 not possible in Virtual Machine.-activation-error-code-hyper-v-7-ultimate.jpg

    That was from the 7 on Hyper-V try there.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 17,661
    Windows 10 Pro
       #5

    groze said:
    Clean install of W10 not possible in Virtual Machine. I just thought I would report one of my testings.
    That is totally invalid information, absolutely untrue. Of course you can clean install on a vm, exactly as told in post #3. Thank you @halasz for the voice of reason :), you got some rep for that post!

    Just to get screenshots now I booted my Windows 10 Build 10525 Hyper-V vm from the install media, ISO I had created by myself from the ESD file, and did a clean install. Originally this vm was created to test if the activation works when upgrading from activated Windows 7 to Windows 10 Build 10525 bypassing the RTM build 10240. That worked as it should, my Windows 10 Build 10525 vm upgraded from Windows 7 was automatically activated.

    OK, now just to show how profoundly wrong your statement is I rebooted this vm from the Build 10525 install media to perform a clean install. Naturally, as is the correct way to do this, I skipped the product key:

    Clean install of W10 not possible in Virtual Machine.-2015-09-13_13h39_31.png

    Next you should not use the installer disk tools to delete the System reserved and possible OEM partitions but simply launch the installation to your previous system partition overwriting the old installation, in this case the old 10 installation which was upgraded from Seven:

    Clean install of W10 not possible in Virtual Machine.-2015-09-13_13h40_18.png

    When the OOBE phase starts after the last reboot with the product key dialog, you naturally skip the key again, do not enter anything. Result, a clean installed Windows 10 Build 10525 on a Hyper-V virtual machine, activated of course:

    Clean install of W10 not possible in Virtual Machine.-2015-09-13_13h29_13.png

    You can now delete the Windows.old folder if you have no plans to go back to the underlying old, upgraded Windows installation.

    information   Information
    Windows 10 can and will be activated on a virtual machine exactly as it is done on a real physical machine. A typical user error preventing activation is to try to use a product key; it is not needed in clean install over a previously installed (clean or upgraded) and activated Windows 10.


    Kari
    Last edited by Kari; 13 Sep 2015 at 07:29. Reason: Fixed some typos
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 1,557
    W10 32 bit, XUbuntu 18.xx 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       #6

    @Kari

    You can do clean install with windows 10 but it won't activate on Virtual Machine at least it didn't on mine. I followed the proper steps to do that.

    Again I will repeat what I did step by step with some additions.

    Step 1 Installed windows 7 retail on a virtual box, it activated without issue.
    Step 2 changed the virtual box description to windows 10
    Step 3 upgrade to windows 10 and it activated without issue
    Step 4 backed up (So I could go back to it later)
    Step 5 Removed windows 10.
    Step 6 created a new virtual machine
    Step 7 Installed clean windows 10 and it didn't activate and did that error code see below.


    @night-hawk had a similar issue and got the same error code

    Error code: 0xC004C003 with the specified product key being blocked

    Night Hawk does it make a difference on what version of Virtual box that you are using?

    My testing was done on Xubuntu using VirtualBox Graphical user interface version 4.3.26-Ubuntu r98988
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 17,661
    Windows 10 Pro
       #7

    Please get a cup of coffee, lean back and think an answer for these two questions. Take your time, then check the answers below the questions:

    Questions:
    1. If you do a clean install of let's say Windows 10 Insider Build 10525 on a totally new computer which has never had an activated Windows 10 on it, does it activate?
    2. If you do a clean install of Windows 10 Insider Build on a computer where the underlying Windows 10, upgraded from a qualifying old operating system has already been activated, does it activate?


    Answers:
    1. No, of course not.
    2. Yes, of course.


    Why do you think that a virtual machine would make any difference? You have tried to install Windows 10 on a totally new machine which has never had an activated Windows 10 installed, therefore the Microsoft activation servers block the activation due invalid machine ID. In the highlighted part in below quote you admit your mistake yourself, plain and simple, yet you when doing this wrong draw conclusion that even if done correctly it would not work:

    groze said:
    You can do clean install with windows 10 but it won't activate on Virtual Machine at least it didn't on mine. I followed the proper steps to do that.

    Again I will repeat what I did step by step with some additions.

    Step 1 Installed windows 7 retail on a virtual box, it activated without issue.
    Step 2 changed the virtual box description to windows 10
    Step 3 upgrade to windows 10 and it activated without issue
    Step 4 backed up (So I could go back to it later)
    Step 5 Removed windows 10.
    Step 6 created a new virtual machine
    Step 7 Installed clean windows 10 and it didn't activate and did that error code see below.
    What you have tried is essentially the same as if you took a brand new real physical PC without any operating system, which has never had any operating system, and then installed Windows 10 Insider Preview wondering why it does not activate! Virtual Machines behave exactly the same way; if you want to clean install Windows 10 Insider Preview and get it activated you must do it on an existing virtual machine, one which has already had an upgraded Windows 10 activated. This "computer", the virtual machine, its machine ID is marked on activation servers as valid and activated and it will of course activate.

    Be it a virtual machine or a physical computer, you cannot activate a clean installed Windows 10 Insider Preview on a totally new machine. How difficult can this be to understand?

    groze said:
    @night-hawk had a similar issue and got the same error code

    Error code: 0xC004C003 with the specified product key being blocked!
    When clean installing Windows 10 Insider Preview on a computer which has already had a previous Windows 10 Insider activated, you do not use the product key! It will be asked twice, once before the installation starts and once after the last reboot to OOBE phase. In both cases you skip the product key and your Windows will be automatically activated.

    Kari
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 1,557
    W10 32 bit, XUbuntu 18.xx 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       #8

    It wasn't an insider preview, it was the rtm. Just for information.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 1,557
    W10 32 bit, XUbuntu 18.xx 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Ok, Kari

    I have been around long enough to know that you can't do a clean install of windows 10 whether it is the preview or the rtm* on a new machine. Even Night Hawk understood what I meant.

    When clean installing Windows 10 Insider Preview on a computer which has already had a previous Windows 10 Insider activated, you do not use the product key! It will be asked twice, once before the installation starts and once after the last reboot to OOBE phase. In both cases you skip the product key and your Windows will be automatically activated.
    Of course I know that as well. I did that with the virtual machine as well.

    *Of course if you purchase windows 10 retail you can use it on any machine and it should activate without issue.


    You still should be able to do a clean install on vm and it activate without issue. Just like you can with system that has been upgraded from windows 7 to windows 10.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 17,661
    Windows 10 Pro
       #10

    groze said:
    I have been around long enough to know that you can't do a clean install of windows 10 whether it is the preview or the rtm on a new machine. Even Night Hawk understood what I meant.

    Of course I know that as well. I did that with the virtual machine as well.
    You very specifically stated that you created a new vm, then installed Windows 10 clean on it. It is absolutely the same than installing Windows 10 clean on a totally new, fresh computer; to get it activated you need to buy Windows 10 to get the product key.

    This is important to understand: each new virtual machine has a new ID and is an individual machine, exactly as any new physical computer you clean install Windows 10. It won't activate without a bought Windows 10 product key. If and when you want to install Windows 10 clean without buying a new product key you must do that on a machine which has already had a previously activated Windows 10 installed.

    You cannot compare the virtualization software you use to a single PC; Hyper-V is not a machine, nor is VMware Player or VirtualBox. They are all just software, platforms you use to create individual machines. However, you can compare each virtual machine created on any of these virtualization platforms to a single PC; VirtualMachine1, VirtualMachine2, VirtualMachine3, they are all unique, individual machines with their own machine and hardware IDs.

    In the next two paragraphs only the description of the machine is different, other than that both statements are valid:

    To install Windows 10 clean and activate it on a virtual machine without buying a retail or OEM Windows 10 product key, you have to install it on an existing virtual machine, not new vm, on a vm which has already had an activated Windows 10 installed therefore its machine ID being already "whitelisted" by MS activation servers.

    To install Windows 10 clean and activate it on a real physical computer without buying a retail or OEM Windows 10 product key, you have to install it on an a PC which has already had an activated Windows 10 installed, not on a new PC therefore its machine ID being already "whitelisted" by MS activation servers.

    The thread title is invalid and gives false information. Windows 10 can and will be activated exactly the same way and following same rules, regardless if we are talking about virtual machines or real physical computers.

    Kari
      My Computer


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 15:04.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums