Losing Windows Activation when migrating VM from ESXi 6.7
-
In my homelab I currently am running vSphere ESXi 6.7 on a Dell PowerEdge R710 with an Intel Xeon E5649 CPU. I have a guest VM that is running Windows 11 that I am working on migrating to XCP-ng using Xen Orchestra's import tool. The new server running XCP-ng is also a PowerEdge, but it runs a Xeon X5650.
I have installed "XenServer VM Tools for Windows 9.3.2" located here, and made sure the NIC in the VM was an Intel E1000.
I am successfully able to import the VM into XCP-ng and run it using the V2V capability. I've confirmed that the NIC in Xen Orchestra is configured as an Intel E1000, and that the MAC Address for the NIC is the same as described in the XCP-ng docs.
When I start the VM, Windows is no longer activated. I understand that the CPU has changed, but I thought that changing "one piece of hardware" was okay.
Is there anything else I can do that will preserve the activation when migrating the VM over? This isn't the only Windows VM I have with a license and it would be convenient to not have to reactivate each.
-
I don't know of anything to keep it from deactivating but usually Microsoft will let you reactivate if you call thier support line. This has happened to me several times. Ive found they will let you reactivate at least three times. IDK if thats still the case though. This was years ago
-
@austinw I think that changed with Windows 11. License is bound to the hardware (and TPM Module?) and needs to be deactivated/uninstalled on the old hardware first. Then it can be reactivated on the new one. Doesn't work with all licence types.
Look at "slmgr -upk"
-
@waveguide This makes sense. Windows will treat it as changing hardware due to the Boot environment and BIOS.
It is no different to doing a motherboard swap on a Server or PC.
Windows should reactivate though once connected to the Internet.
-
Since you're changing all of the underlying hardware that the guest has, Microsoft is going to force you to reactive.
You could look at setting up a licensing server to manage these systems and then feed them that information so they can validate and then license.
This isn't an issue presented by XCP-ng (or literally any other hypervisor), its a Microsoft restriction to ensure you aren't stealing their software.
