Windows 7 OEM activation

[davido38]

Server

• FOG Version: 1.3 RC10
• OS: Debian Jessie

Client

• Service Version: 0.11.5
• OS: Windows 7 32 and 64

Description

I enter the OEM Key of windows 7 in fog
After deploying Windows is not activated and the client log says

25/10/2016 08:53 HostnameChanger Checking Product Key Activation
25/10/2016 08:54 HostnameChanger Already activated with correct key

it’s the same message for all pc.

Thanks for tour help.

[Wayne Workman]

EDIT

OEM windows images are not allowed to be deployed from one computer to another, and can only be imaged using the disk or restoration partition that they shipped with, or using Windows Backup, but windows backup can only be used on that one computer it was taken from.

I’m not sure about the activation issue. I can test Windows Enterprise activation later today but that’s not the same as OEM activation.

[davido38]

it is not an oem image. we use sysprep. If we manually activate the licence with the oem key it works. If we use fog to activate the licence we have the log message : “HostnameChanger Already activated with correct key” but the licence is not activated.

[Tom Elliott]

@davido38 Your statements are confusing.

“Windows 7 OEM activation”…“It is not an oem image”

Which is it? You can’t have both. You cannot OEM activate a non-oem version of Windows.

[Tom Elliott]

For further information:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766514(v=ws.10).aspx

[davido38]

Yes we can !
If i manually put the OEM key, Windows is correctly activated.
But the same computer, same image, same …, but with “fog activation” , they don’t work.

[Wayne Workman]

@davido38 Can you post more of the fog log please? We prefer that you copy/paste the last two iterations here.

[Tom Elliott]

@davido38 No, you cannot. You cannot OEM active a Non-OEM image. The fact that you can activate the system is probably more related to the originating image came from an OEM Provided Disk.

What I’m trying to understand is how you’re hosts are setting the Activate Keys. Are each host setup with their respective Activation Key or is there a Generic key being applied to all hosts?

[Avaryan]

@davido38 said in Windows 7 OEM activation:

we use sysprep.

Why not put the key in the answer file?

[Tom Elliott]

@Avaryan For OEM sysprep activation to occur, you must not have any Product Key defined in the answer. Missing the “Product key from the answer file” will allow the OEM to self-activate automatically.

[davido38]

@Tom-Elliott said in Windows 7 OEM activation:

each host setup with their respective Activation Key

each host setup with their respective Activation Key

[Tom Elliott]

@davido38 said in Windows 7 OEM activation:

Like I stated, for OEM activation you shouldnt’ need to do anything special. The activation keys shouldn’t be required at all. The sysprep answer file should not have a ProductKey tag defined, and it will automatically activate when they boot and go through First time setup.

[sudburr]

It is indeed possible to OEM activate a non-OEM image.

How you do it depends on exactly what kind of OEM license it is, whether it’s OEM:SLP, OEM:NON-SLP or OEM:COA. Read this to see the differences.

‘Activation Backup & Restore 1.7 BETA 1’ can be used to extract OEM:SLP Licensing key and certificate which is tied to the manufacturer, the BIOS, the key, the cert and the OS from an original OEM image.

backup-cert.xrm-ms
backup-key.txt

You can then use the same program to restore the OEM:SLP key and cert to a non-OEM image (like GVLK aka KMS).

There are other tools and methods but you’ll have to do some careful digging.