Possible Duplicate:
How does Windows 7 licensing work for running the OS as Virtual Machines?
To sum things up:
- I have bought Windows 7 Professional (OEM license)
- It's installed on my laptop
- Am I allowed to create virtual machines, using any freely available virtualization software, and use Windows 7 Professional with the same license key on them as well? Does it make a difference if it's an OEM license or not?
- I would use the laptop to run the virtualization software.
Why?
- To try out software on a virtual instance and not risk cluttering my main OS install
- It might be a nice way to separate concerns
In my experience there are a lot of rumors and speculations concerning license issues. Please do not answer based on a feeling. I'm interested in answers from people who have investigated this, by carefully reading the license agreement or by contacting Microsoft.