Question About Windows Licensing
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So I’ve got my new FOG server up and running and are about to make a fresh Windows 10 image for our corporate machines. We order all DELL laptops that come loaded with 10 Pro. The image I’m making will be based on that installed copy of Windows 10 with our software installed.
So, how does activation work? Obviously imaged machines should not/will not activate because the same key can’t be used multiple times so how do I get around/resolve that? -
@dpotesta50 In the hosts’s general area, you can input the key that belongs to it. The FOG Client will use this key to activate Windows.
Be aware, you are not allowed to deploy Windows OEM copies in any other way than original installation media. If your licenses really are Pro licenses, you are in the clear. Beware of audits - they do happen and people do get fired over them. -
@wayne-workman I see the area you’re referring to but wouldn’t that be the product key just for THAT particular one machine? The same key won’t activate every machine I pull that image to, correct?
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Hi,
you have to get the key out of the bios from your machine, from what i can read you buy computers with preinstalled oem licenses in their bios. I can give you what i am using to activate, i have a binary that will display the bios key, i pipe that over to slmgr to inject the key and activate.
Write me a chat msg i have an additional hint for you.
Regards X23
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@dpotesta50 said in Question About Windows Licensing:
I see the area you’re referring to but wouldn’t that be the product key just for THAT particular one machine? The same key won’t activate every machine I pull that image to, correct?
Correct, and if all you have are individual licenses for individual machines, this is the ONLY legal way you have. If you had a MAK key, you could use groups to apply that to many hosts at once - but you don’t unfortunately, you just have Pro keys.
Here’s what I did for 100+ laptops, you need two people for this. One good at typing and listening, one good at reading and speaking clearly. One reads keys, the other one types them in. Yes, it will suck, better to get it over sooner than later. Also you’ll definitely want to backup your database when you’re done so you don’t have to do it again!
