Win 7 Activation

[BouncingSoul]

I sent this out to my colleagues but so far no response, hopefully someone here knows what I'm supposed to do. Here's the deal ...Some of our new pc’s showed up and of course, they are loaded with bloat. I wipe the disk, install a fresh copy of 7, use the same serial that is on the CoA on the bottom of the machine... And activation fails. I call MS, go through the automated activation process and it’s working. I don’t want to have to do this for the remaining 99 machines. But I can’t for the life of me figure out what I’m supposed to do. Once I capture an image it is going to have that machines activation code. I’ll have to change it but if I do that , I’ll have to call in. Is there a better way … Before anyone says KMS ... I don't see why I should buy a KMS key, when I have perfectly legitimate keys on these new machines, plus I don't have a 2008 R2 server so I don't even think KMS is an option. Honestly, it seems the best way to do this is just use one of the many activation hacks.

 

[Johnny]

Truthfully, there is no other way. You will have to call them ...

 

[LeeJend]

You will have to extract a copy of the Windows 7 that came with the machines. Either from the restore partition or the repair CD.

Then make a bloat free install disk from that copy. The keys on the machines are issued to the machine OEM and the keys will only work with a Bios and Windows versions tailored to the keys.

Alternately you could wipe the main partition and do a windows repair from the backup partition. That should leave off the bloat.

This is done to prevent piracy, and force you to buy a whole new PC when any significant part of the PC you have dies. It is why an OEM licence costs half what a portable liscence costs. MS figures 50% piracy rate on portable licences.

It also prevents people from just lifting the keys off of machines at work and using them at home.

 

[ZeroHour]

Yeh the CD's supplied have usually been tweaked to accept the key/bios auth. As far as I know (with vista at least) there is a chip on the bios which allows OEM's custom CD and key to activate without the need to go online.
RE: KMS, just a fyi w7,2003 etc can all run KMS for you

 

[BouncingSoul]

I'm getting some mixed info from all my sources. One vendor said I had to use KMS and that for Win7, KMS only worked on Server 2008 R2. KMS would work for Vista licensing on older versions of Win Server. Another said that I was screwed and had to use WAIK (which is an absolute nightmare) to do it. A third vendor, and the one whose advice I'm going to follow said that as a state employee I have access to the licensing portal and can just use the states MAK key. As long as I have a CoA on my machines, the MAK can be used indefinitely as its simply a pseudo volume license to be used in place of OEM keys when you manage multiple machines. Honestly though ... pirating this crap is the far easier way. Licensing is a joke.

 

[ZeroHour]

I'm getting some mixed info from all my sources. One vendor said I had to use KMS and that for Win7, KMS only worked on Server 2008 R2. KMS would work for Vista licensing on older versions of Win Server. Another said that I was screwed and had to use WAIK (which is an absolute nightmare) to do it. A third vendor, and the one whose advice I'm going to follow said that as a state employee I have access to the licensing portal and can just use the states MAK key. As long as I have a CoA on my machines, the MAK can be used indefinitely as its simply a pseudo volume license to be used in place of OEM keys when you manage multiple machines. Honestly though ... pirating this crap is the far easier way. Licensing is a joke.

Firstly KMS will be fine on vista/w7/2003/2008/2008r2, for 2003 for example you just download this Download Key Management Service (KMS) 1.2 for Windows Server 2003 for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 Volume Activation My Digital Life and that allows w7 kms issuing.

WAIK is not too bad once you get to grips with it, we use SCCM R2 here to deploy 7 ent out onto the network and its awesome but hard to pick up.

MAK keys normally have an activation limit (ours is the number of desktops we have), one thing to note is you can deploy MAK keys using the volume activation tool remotely after they are built.

A couple of questions, are you volume licensed?
What edition came with the hardware?
What edition are you installing?
Do you have a KMS key listed in the same portal the third guy was on about?
Are you entitled to run w7 ent (enterprise) edition?

Honeslty, after having set up KMS here, its very simple and hassle free once its installed.

 

[BouncingSoul]

WAIK is not too bad once you get to grips with it

To me, it looks like nLite, only horribly laid out and designed to be functional only to the schizophrenic ... sort of like how MS designed their GPO tool.

MAK keys normally have an activation limit (ours is the number of desktops we have), one thing to note is you can deploy MAK keys using the volume activation tool remotely after they are built.

Ours are listed at 500 uses, should be more then enough. The vendor who told me to use them said a simple email to him or to MS directly will get that number bumped up though. I don't know anything about the volume activation tool, never had a need to learn it I guess.

A couple of questions, are you volume licensed?
What edition came with the hardware?
What edition are you installing?

For the first question ... I guess, I mean, with MAK, true XP style volume licensing isn't available for Win 7, hence the need for these posts. And in response to the next 2 questions ... Win 7 pro for both.

Do you have a KMS key listed in the same portal the third guy was on about?
Are you entitled to run w7 ent (enterprise) edition?

Yes, we have a KMS key, I don't know how or why, but it is listed there. There isn't any info on the enterprise edition, so I doubt we can use it.

 

[ZeroHour]

I don't know anything about the volume activation tool, never had a need to learn it I guess.

Download details: VAMT 2.0
Basically build your pc's and ignore the activation errors then use that tool to remotely issue the mak key to them all and check they activate.

For the first question ... I guess, I mean, with MAK, true XP style volume licensing isn't available for Win 7, hence the need for these posts. And in response to the next 2 questions ... Win 7 pro for both.
Yes, we have a KMS key, I don't know how or why, but it is listed there. There isn't any info on the enterprise edition, so I doubt we can use it.

Right so it sounds like you have up to pro level lics in your agreement which is all good. I will start by giving you a rough, in my understanding, of how KMS keys work. Basically KMS keys activate anything of the same os family and older (aka 2008 r2 and w7 are the same family) and the part that controls what edition that can be activate depending on what *ring/class* your KMS key is with Ring C being any and all editions etc. The KMS key you have will probably be A or B and will allow all activations of the editions you are entitled too.
A few guides: KMS Server

Honestly if I was you and I faced more and more w7 boxes I would probably try to get KMS going as once its done its done and you wont need to worry about it again but MAK may be good for speed if you dont have time to work with KMS.

EDIT: if the post seems a bit of a mess I am in the middle of rolling out w7 ent to 650 clients in my school

 

[Terrahertz]

I sent this out to my colleagues but so far no response, hopefully someone here knows what I'm supposed to do. Here's the deal ...Some of our new pc’s showed up and of course, they are loaded with bloat. I wipe the disk, install a fresh copy of 7, use the same serial that is on the CoA on the bottom of the machine... And activation fails. I call MS, go through the automated activation process and it’s working. I don’t want to have to do this for the remaining 99 machines. But I can’t for the life of me figure out what I’m supposed to do. Once I capture an image it is going to have that machines activation code. I’ll have to change it but if I do that , I’ll have to call in. Is there a better way … Before anyone says KMS ... I don't see why I should buy a KMS key, when I have perfectly legitimate keys on these new machines, plus I don't have a 2008 R2 server so I don't even think KMS is an option. Honestly, it seems the best way to do this is just use one of the many activation hacks.

Okay I read the thread but I want to know something. These machines came with or without Win 7? How much bloatware was on these machines that you have to do 99 of them? Could you have not just wipe the bloatware? Also did they come with an installation disc of just the OS?