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But it overwrites the MBR without a second thought, and doesn't provide any means for users of alternate operating systems and boot managers to use their old system.

Wow, Vista is just sounding better and better. It's a shame I won't be able to run the home versions in a VM so I can stop it from screwing with my disk.

That's where EasyBCD 1.5 comes in!

He's referring to the new licensing that requires you to get Business or Ultimate editions if you want to run Windows in a VM. Not that there is anything technical stopping you...

You didn't get it. Vista Licensing forbids using the Home version in a VM. So he can't use it in a VM and would have to use it on his real system, where it would screw his disk (in particular, MBR).

And this sucks. So I don't even think of buying it.

You didn't get it. Vista Licensing forbids using the Home version in a VM.

Where does it say that?

The clause says: "You may not use the software installed on the licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system."

What this means is that if you install Vista Home on your PC (the licensed device), you can't then turnaround and use the same license for the VM version. If you haven't already installed it on a "real" computer, you can install it in a VM.

Edited 2006-10-17 00:00

It's not entirely clear in my mind (IANAL) whether you can install it on a VM or not. You are right about that clause only saying that you can't use the same copy of windows on a real machine and within a VM. Read the following clause, though:

Before you use the software under a license, you must assign that license to one device (physical hardware system). That device is the “licensed device.” A hardware partition or blade is considered to be a separate device.

Can a virtual machine be a "licensed device"? Otherwise, you would have to assign the license to an actual machine and then the previous clause would prevent you from using it within the VM. Also, if it does count would the new 1 transfer only rule prevent you from (legally) installing it on a newer version of the VM?

Edited 2006-10-17 00:31

Well, as the license has to be bound to a physical hardware, and it clearly states, that even on this particular physical hardware, you aren't allowed to run it in a VM, it's clear to me there is now way to get it run legally inside a VM.

If you could bind the license to your person, or any particular environment, it would be something else. But they want you to bind it to a physical device in the first place.

you can forget support on mac os x installed on anything else than a apple branded computer

I'm wondering too and have to note that everytime Neosmart writes about something "most powerful" this could also be a "been there, done that" feature.

There was an article about the new boot manager here on OSNews some months ago and it didn't show me anything special. In particular, GRUB seems way more powerful to me, not even talking about GRUB2..

The original site is back up now..