Product Key Problems

[theozmanbo]

I have 20 Vista Business desktops here and I created an image from one of them using WAIK. I have a problem with the product keys though. There are two different product keys you can specify in the XML file. One of them sets during the WindowsPE phase and one of them during the specialize phase.

 

For my scenario, I set one of the product keys that I have in for the WindowsPE pass. Doing this allows the installation of Vista. I leave the other product key (during specialize) blank. This prompts me to enter a key during windows setup. this is exactly what I want - I want to be able to specify what individual product key to use for the install. I can always enter the product key in fine during the windows setup. HOWEVER, once I go into windows and try to activate it - I run into issues.

 

It seems I can activate about three computers - and then it won't let me anymore. It says I have an invalid product key entered. I try retyping it in (from the OEM sticker on the computer - its legit) but I still get its invalid when trying to activate it. I can call MS and have them activate it for me - but its a pain if I gotta do this for every computer. There has to be an easier way to do this.

 

I think for some reason its using that product key that I specified during the windows PE pass and trying to activate it based on that - EVEN THO I'm telling it to use a different one. Any ideas?

[anyweb]

the easier way is KMS, but for that you'd need a special license with microsoft plus its a minimum of 25 vista desktops,

 

you are using the OEM version of vista which uses an OEM key, and that is not designed for what you are doing, you should be using different Vista media (non oem, perhaps retail) with one license key... you see your problem is license based,

 

what OEM are you using btw ? and what Vista Media are you using here ???

 

cheers

anyweb

[turbomcp]

I have 20 Vista Business desktops here and I created an image from one of them using WAIK. I have a problem with the product keys though. There are two different product keys you can specify in the XML file. One of them sets during the WindowsPE phase and one of them during the specialize phase.

 

For my scenario, I set one of the product keys that I have in for the WindowsPE pass. Doing this allows the installation of Vista. I leave the other product key (during specialize) blank. This prompts me to enter a key during windows setup. this is exactly what I want - I want to be able to specify what individual product key to use for the install. I can always enter the product key in fine during the windows setup. HOWEVER, once I go into windows and try to activate it - I run into issues.

 

It seems I can activate about three computers - and then it won't let me anymore. It says I have an invalid product key entered. I try retyping it in (from the OEM sticker on the computer - its legit) but I still get its invalid when trying to activate it. I can call MS and have them activate it for me - but its a pain if I gotta do this for every computer. There has to be an easier way to do this.

 

I think for some reason its using that product key that I specified during the windows PE pass and trying to activate it based on that - EVEN THO I'm telling it to use a different one. Any ideas?

hey there

just asmall hints

you know oem activation doesnt really go anywhere(internet) it activates using the oem certificate matching hardware and serial.

if those three arent there it will try online and reach the limit for one key.

so if you reimage oem's make sure the certificate for the oem is there and disconnect from internet(you dont have to but just for test) it should activate automaticly if the three things are right(hardware/certificate/serial)

check here for one way to backup the oem certificates:

http://www.vdhout.nl/20080301/

[theozmanbo]

anyweb, I won't be able to do it this way??

 

I don't really understand why this is happening still. I'm giving the installation the OEM product key (the one that's on the sticker) during Windows Setup (OOBE). Shouldn't it then use that valid product key for activation? Is it maybe because I'm specifying a product key in the autounattend.xml file under the Windows PE pass?

 

There are TWO places where a product key can be entered in the configuration passes. One of them is in the Windows PE pass and MS says that this is to validate the INSTALLATION of Windows. I put one of the product keys from one of the machines in there and it's on all the images. But then theres another product key value - specified in the specialize phase - that MS says can be used to ACTIVATE windows. So I leave that blank and then Windows prompts me to enter it every time I run the image on a machine. Based on that information - it seems like everything should be okay doesn't it? Here is the excerpt from help article:

 

There are two Product Key settings you can configure.

 

Use the ProductKey setting in the Microsoft-Windows-Setup component to specify the Windows image to install during Windows Setup. This Product Key specified by this setting is stored on the computer after installation. If you choose to activate Windows, this Product Key will be used.

 

 

Use this ProductKey setting to specify a different Product Key to activate Windows. For example, you can specify one Product Key to install Windows with ProductKey (Microsoft-Windows-Setup), and then specify a different Product Key to use to activate Windows.

 

 

If you specify a product key in the windowsPE configuration pass with ProductKey (Microsoft-Windows-Setup), then Windows welcome will prompt for a product key. If you specify the ProductKey (Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup) setting during the specialize pass, then Windows Welcome will not prompt for a product key.

 

But you're saying that because I'm using an OEM product key it won't work?

[theozmanbo]

oh, and the OEM is Dell. and the media I used to install windows was the Vista Business re installation disc from Dell.

[turbomcp]

oh, and the OEM is Dell. and the media I used to install windows was the Vista Business re installation disc from Dell.

quick question

when you manually install from that cd and enter the key does it activate(no internet)?

it should activate without internet connection,if it doesnt then something is missing, my guess is that the oem(dell) certificate is missing(although it shouldnt if u r using dell cd)

check to see if the certificate is inside the windows directory

again oem's do not activate online.

[theozmanbo]

I'm pretty sure it doesn't activate. I use windows AIK to automate all of the installation stuff except for the product key. When it gets to the product key in windows welcome - I get prompted for a key. I suppose that because I'm using the OEM cd - then when installing it I HAVE to use the product key that matches with that computer???

 

What do you mean when I manually install from the CD and "enter the key"? I don't have to enter a key when I manually install - never do with an OEM CD.

[anyweb]

quick question

when you manually install from that cd and enter the key does it activate(no internet)?

it should activate without internet connection,if it doesnt then something is missing, my guess is that the oem(dell) certificate is missing(although it shouldnt if u r using dell cd)

check to see if the certificate is inside the windows directory

again oem's do not activate online.

 

yeah my dell oem vista installs just fine on Dells and they are activated straight away, no need to even enter a key,

 

so are you deploying on Dell's which came out AFTER vista shipped or before ?