Do virtualised machines require separate software licenses?

I have a windows 7 machine, but for various reasons I need to have access to windows xp also.

I know it's possible for me to have a windows xp virtual machine set up, so that effectively 开发者_运维知识库I can have use of both.

Irritatingly, I've got into a situation where I really must have visual studio 2008 installed on Windows 7 and XP (don't ask!). My question is, can I share my existing software licenses across the virtual machine also, or do I have to purchase separate ones?

Because you are running Win7 on a CPU that has hardware virtualisation enabled, you have the option of using the Windows XP Mode, which is a virtualised copy of XP that is already fully licenced, you don't need an extra licence for it.

If you want to setup a separate virtual machine running XP then yes, you will need a separate licence for XP itself.

If you sourced your copy of VS through a MSDN subscription then that is per user, so you can install it multiple times. If you bought a single copy of VS then the licence will be per machine (which includes virtual machines).

The simple answer is Yes - If you have a new Virtual Machine with an OS installed all software running inside this container (including the OS) is classed as a separate machine (such as a second PC next to it)

Double check your VS2008 Licence as you may be able to install on more than 1 PC.

Obviously this is my advise from previous experience - if your really concerned check with a Solicitor before proceeding

Many Microsoft licenses are per user, not per machine. If this is the case (check your license) then you can install it on both your Windows 7 installation and Windows XP installation.