FOG Client / FOS report bios product key to database (Host) Activate through BIOS key (Deployment)

[x23piracy]

Hi,

just some seconds ago i could test it and it is working.
To enable this you have to switch to working branch and enable key reading in the fog options:

When i run a quick reg with a host that has a productkey in bios i get this:

Thank you Tom for this really fast realization of the feature.

Regards X23

[Psycholiquid]

OK after reading over all this. This is very illegal. You aren’t supposed to be pulling the OEM key out of the bios / firmware in the first place. Can you? Yes. Should you? No.

If you were to get audited and they saw the FOG system was doing this you could get in very deep trouble.

The real issue I see here is why. The reason I say this is the following. If you are sysprepping image with the OEM ISO and pushing that to each machine they will activate on their own without intervention you just have to set the rearm.

I would personally steer clear of this as I can see M$ taking a stand on this and would hate for them to even look at FOG for that reason. Seems to be a disconnect in how your image is made that they are not auto activating.

Personally I don’t like the rule of not imaging OEM machines. You bought them and they are all the same, they got their money you should be aloud to. It seems arbitrary that you have to load by hand…

[x23piracy]

@psycholiquid you are correct and on the same point like @george1421 but please show which law should be broken by reading that information out of the bios, there is no. Please send me links with the fact, we don’t need to talk about reimaging OEM i know the fact but in the end this is my problem ;).

Last week i purchased a VL of Windows 10 Enterprise, i will become legal but there is a bit of work to do.

I really hate the way MS is pushing all the middle class into the enterprise sector!

We had a SAM examination 2 years ago, and it was really easy to please them The only thing you need to do is beeing coorporative with em. In the end we purchased some SQL licenses (we had to less of them) and had to dig for some invoices for computers with oem os (about 5 of each kind)

All that bullshit storys about MS is coming into your company are fables, i don’t know a single person/admin where that happened. With which right (law) would they gain house right for deeper inspections?

Regards X23

[Tom Elliott]

The key is in the bios, and is what is required to activate your systems windows installation. Therefore, when you buy a new system, you purchase the key. How you store that key is up to you. I assure you, there is no “breaking” any laws by pulling the Key out of the BIOS. That’d be like saying it’s illegal for you to replace the hard drive out of the system.

[Psycholiquid]

@tom-elliott said in FOG Client / FOS report bios product key to database (Host) Activate through BIOS key (Deployment):

The key is in the bios, and is what is required to activate your systems windows installation. Therefore, when you buy a new system, you purchase the key. How you store that key is up to you. I assure you, there is no “breaking” any laws by pulling the Key out of the BIOS. That’d be like saying it’s illegal for you to replace the hard drive out of the system.

Thats the problem though your buying the rights to use the OS not the license. The key stays with the machine no matter what so if you throw the machine away you throw away the OS. That is why they set it up the way they do. I’m not trying to argue, although it looks like I am just letting everyone know ahead of time I would hate to see backlash. I don’t agree with M$ at all but it is their world and we are just living in it.

[x23piracy]

@psycholiquid said in FOG Client / FOS report bios product key to database (Host) Activate through BIOS key (Deployment):

Thats the problem though your buying the rights to use the OS not the license. The key stays with the machine no matter what so if you throw the machine away you throw away the OS. That is why they set it up the way they do. I’m not trying to argue, although it looks like I am just letting everyone know ahead of time I would hate to see backlash. I don’t agree with M$ at all but it is their world and we are just living in it.

As long as i own the machine, and i do and therefore feeling free to read any information whereever it’s stored as long as i don’t break any encryption or kind of protection this cannot be anything against a law, what ever whoever is writing into their EULA’s it’s up to the OEM and MS to protect this information if they really need this.

This sorry shit is only a try to gain their own profit against oem reselling or key stealing by removing a sticker or simply make a copy of the productkey only.

Windows as subscription will come

If the computers life time ends in our company we remove it from active directory, the antivirus software licensing and of course as host in the fog management, if done the key is been deleted, no fear ms i don’t collect your funny product keys

Regards X23

[george1421]

@x23piracy said in FOG Client / FOS report bios product key to database (Host) Activate through BIOS key (Deployment):

Windows as subscription will come

Um, yeah its already here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/windows-10-enterprise-subscription-activation

Solution: Switch to Linux Mint and your M$ problems go away.

[Sebastian Roth]

@george1421 said in FOG Client / FOS report bios product key to database (Host) Activate through BIOS key (Deployment):

Solution: Switch to Linux Mint and your M$ problems go away.

Thumbs up for that!!

[x23piracy]

Well one of the most frequent feature requests of all time

[Tom Elliott]

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Useterms/OEM/Windows/10/UseTerms_OEM_Windows_10_English.htm

In case anybody’s overly concerned. Here’s the OEM EULA. Notice, it states that you are allowed to transfer the license to another user so long as it’s with the device and the software is installed and the product key is given with it. There are no rules on what you can/cannot document. That’s like saying you can’t pull the serial number from the bios.

Just trying to get people to calm down. We know the device and software are owned by the person. We know how to obtain the information. We don’t know how the user intends to use it after it’s been stored, but that’s out of our hands. We cannot control what the admins/users do with the key once it’s know, but that’s out of our control to begin with. There’s plenty of ways for users to get that information to begin with, I don’t see anywhere in the EULA where it states we cannot store a copy of it for ourselves.