[root tip] [How To] Legally use Windows in a Virtual Machine

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:warning:

License

When you run Windows in a VM you need a Microsoft Windows digital or retail license as using the firmware attached licence is not valid.

When I tried to activate my Windows with the key from the firmware - Windows responded with a message stating

No valid digital license was found

– Old forum topic

This forum does not endorse piracy so to use Windows in VirtualBox you are encouraged to obtain a valid license.

Performance

High-end 3D modelling, screencasting and extreme gaming will most likely not deliver the performance you are used to.

VMware

VMware is generally unsupported on Arch-based distributions. Providing you follow the Manjaro specific installation instructions it will work - but you should not expect a troublefree experience.

VirtualBox

VirtualBox will give you a rocksolid Windows for daily tasks such as productivity tools or software development and light gaming.

libvirt

A third option is to use libvirt. This option is highly advanced and requires in-depth knowledge of your hardware and is therefore not recommended for casual use.

Recommended

On Manjaro VirtualBox is the recommended virtualization software because it is easy to use and suffice for most use cases.

Backup

The virtual machine(s) are stored as diskfiles and thus easy to backup to external media.

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I would like to add once you get windows legally installed in vbox it will be in a file called VirtualBox VMs.Make a copy of that file and move it to an external drive or wherever you keep backups.If you ever have to reinstall Manjaro replace your computer or have issues with win you can copy that file back open the win file click on the Win10.vbox file and it will be auto setup back in vbox as win keeps the legal copy inside that folder.That will also work with any other systems you have installed in vbox and you don’t have to reinstall from scratch.

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Working link:

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Thanks, wiki updated.