Going from MAK to KMS

[machin05]

Hey all,

 

Looking for a bit of help/guidance as there doesn't seem to be that much out there on this. I've been using our MAK code to activate our Windows 7 machines (about 100 of them so far). Daftness, I hear you cry. Since installing Smoothwall, we've been having an issue with Windows 7 activating directly with Microsoft so I'm now looking to setup KMS. I also need to have this setup for a thin client pilot we're looking to run next year.

 

I have installed a KMS product key on one of our Windows 2008 R2 servers, which seemed to go in fine. So what happens now? Is that now my KMS server? Do I need to touch any of my other Windows 2008 R2 servers or are they OK using the existing MAK code?

 

I know you need 25 clients before it starts activating against KMS, so what do I do about the next 24 Windows 7 builds (I don't have any big installations coming up)? Should I go into one of the exisiting Windows 7 IT suites and convert them all from MAK to KMS? If so, how do I do it, and once I get to 25 would KMS be fully up and running on the network?

 

It's seems like a great idea, badly executed to me, so any answers to my confused concerns would be greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers,

Will

[chazzy2501]

you can use the vamt tool to change the keys to KMS and activate them:)

 

good luck

Edited June 24, 2013 by chazzy2501

[machin05]

you can use the vamt tool to change the keys to KMS and activate them:)

 

good luck

 

On each individual machine?

[machin05]

Ignore that last comment!

 

I have installed VAMT on the server on which I installed my KMS product key. From VMT I have changed my laptop to KMS, but now Windows is not activated. The status on VMAT is reporting the "count reported by your KMS is insufficient."

 

This takes my back to one of my original questions. What will happen to my laptop now until I have activated another 23 machines? Am I best off changing my laptop back to MAK and changing a whole ICT suite of Win7 machines to KMS first?

[sonofsanta]

If you can run a command remotely on all your machines at once (psexec if nothing else), you can switch computers to using KMS with the following script

slmgr.vbs -ipk 33PXH-7Y6KF-2VJC9-XBBR8-HVTHH
slmgr.vbs -ato

That licence key is the default Win7 Enterprise key, and if an installation has that key it knows to look for a KMS server. If you're using a different version of Win7 you can find the relevant key here: KMS Client Setup Keys

 

Once your IT suite is changed, your laptop will then activate when it checks in again (which you can do with the second line of that script)

[chazzy2501]

KMS'ed laptop will work for about 6 months before complaining. But yes change over a whole suite using VAMT when you have one. use VAMT for now to issue MAK keys until you're ready.

[bossman]

@machin05:

 

KMS requires at least 5 machines to be registered with the service so yes I would put the whole ict suite on KMS first and just use the MAK keys for your laptop.

 

regards

Bossman

[sted]

@machin05:

 

KMS requires at least 5 machines to be registered with the service so yes I would put the whole ict suite on KMS first and just use the MAK keys for your laptop.

 

regards

Bossman

 

5 for server and office 25 for windows

[chazzy2501]

@machin05:

 

KMS requires at least 5 machines to be registered with the service so yes I would put the whole ict suite on KMS first and just use the MAK keys for your laptop.

 

5 for Office 25 for Windows

 

EDIT: DAMN 2nd again!

[Simcfc73]

I just updated to VAMT 3 after struggling with 2 for ages and the cil files. Nice to see it running on a SQL server but why cant they make the GUI more accessible.

[machin05]

Thanks all. Very helpful!

[jmak]

I thought I saw a facility to use your local KMS to validate MAKs - I.e. install the MAK on the KMS and then your clients only validate to your local server, rather than to MS. The KMS keeps track of how many MAKs you have remaining.