[fedora-virt] Windows XP KVM annoyance

[Jes Sorensen]

On 03/31/10 00:43, Tom Horsley wrote:
> I posted this on the test list since it is ff13, but perhaps
> there might be more insight on the virt list:
>
> I just tried running my Windows XP KVM on fedora 13
> (I installed the KVM under fedora 12). It seemed to work
> well, but I'm using the redhat virtio drivers for
> network and disk, and Windows insisted on re-installing
> the drivers (claiming "new hardware") the first time
> I booted under fedora 13 libvirtd.
>
> Strangely, when I booted the same KVM after going back
> to fedora 12 on the host, it didn't insist on
> re-installing the drivers yet again.
>
> None of this triggered any Windows activation nonsense
> (which is why it is only annoying).
>
> I guess I should poke around in the windows hardware
> manager for the details of what changed, but it would
> sure be nice if things wouldn't change at all :-).

The BIOS changed between F12 and F13 and probably the layout of
how the device is presented to the guest. Plus a couple of other
things. Windows has the broken idea that it wants to reinstall
things whenever it sees the same thing in a new place - try
plugging a USB device into different ports .... really not much
we can do about it.

When it installed the drivers under F13 it didn't remove them
for the previous install, which is why you didn't see it when
rebooting under F12.

You're welcome to file a bug with M$ about this though :)

Cheers,
Jes