Solution for "Virtual PC has detected an invalid or missing Product ID" error

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If you are like me and use Virtual PC for developing SharePoint solutions, then you may have encountered the error “Virtual PC has detected an invalid or missing Product ID”.  It happens because Virtual PC try to find its product ID in registry, (Yes! I know Virtual PC never asked you to enter the Product ID during installion) and if it does not find it there then it displays this error.

virtual-pc-product-id-error

Here is the quick fix for this error:

 

  1. Open System Properties window by clicking System in Windows Control Panel
  2. You will get the screen similar to the following

    3. system-properties1

  3. Copy the 20 digit long number displayed under Registered to: 
  4. Goto Start->Run
  5. Type regedit, It will launch the registry editor
  6. Navigate to the following registry node My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Micorosoft\Virtual PC\5.0\Registration
  7. Edit the value of PID, by double clicking it
  8. Paste the value of Windows Product ID, you have copied earlier. Following is an example screen shot of registry

    9. virtual-pc-registry

  9. Now you can run the Virtual PC normally 🙂
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10 thoughts on “Solution for "Virtual PC has detected an invalid or missing Product ID" error”

  3. What must be done in Vista?

    There is no registry key as above:
    Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Micorosoft\Virtual PC\5.0\Registration

  4. Found the Solution!

    In Vista the only key that exists is:
    Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Micorosoft\Virtual PC\

    so you have to create a new “key”
    under this location as: “5.0”
    Then under this key create a new key: “Registration”
    Then add a new “String Value” with the name: “PID”
    Then set the value of the “PID” to the one you copied from the system properties in the control pannel.

  5. Pingback: Chris: Geek Guy » How to resolve “Virtual PC has detected an invalid or missing Product ID”

  8. Thanks to this thread I have Virtual PC running once again in Vista. I did not have to do this first time round, but after updating VPC I had to apply this reg fix to get it to work again.

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