I have recently purchased a Windows laptop with the intention of installing Linux on it. My question is about the existing Windows installation (note that as an ultrabook, my shiny new computer does not have a CD drive, so I don't know what the recovery media is).
I would rather not dual boot, but will have occasional reasons to use Windows, so I see 2 options, both of which involve a VM:
- Use a VM to point to the Windows partition as in this post.
- Install Linux as the only OS and then install Windows as a guest in e.g. VirtualBox.
I can see how to do #1 (and I can also see some of the potential problems that will come from multiple OSes reading the same partition).
About #2: if I completely wipe the HDD and install Linux only, can I use the Windows serial # to install a copy of Windows (8.1 to be specific) as a VM? Or will I have some issue, even though it is a legitimate serial #?