shanehughes Posted January 30, 2019 Posted January 30, 2019 First time posting! Just wondering if anyone can help with this? In our organisation we have Microsoft Volume License which is a single license for every computer we put Microsoft Office 2016 on. Now, on a new PC we have had in to the organisation it keeps prompting us with the Microsoft Office Verification Wizard which is very strange as the license key is right and worked on lots of PC's in the past. We have tried through the phone verification but this also fails and said the code is invalid and not recognised. Even on the verification wizard when I click verify online it fails and says invalid code. But the code is definitely not wrong because it comes from Microsoft Volume website itself!
SpaceInvader83 Posted January 30, 2019 Posted January 30, 2019 Is it a MAK key? You may have just hit the limit (Ours are 250 as a default), if you get in touch with MS they can increase it for you if need be. 1
Ditto Posted January 30, 2019 Posted January 30, 2019 First time posting! Just wondering if anyone can help with this? In our organisation we have Microsoft Volume License which is a single license for every computer we put Microsoft Office 2016 on. Now, on a new PC we have had in to the organisation it keeps prompting us with the Microsoft Office Verification Wizard which is very strange as the license key is right and worked on lots of PC's in the past. We have tried through the phone verification but this also fails and said the code is invalid and not recognised. Even on the verification wizard when I click verify online it fails and says invalid code. But the code is definitely not wrong because it comes from Microsoft Volume website itself! Hit the same issue yesterday. I've had it confirmed we have a MAK and that we've hit the limit. I thought we need to activate online using the key, but have now been told our installer self installs. What baffles me is how it keeps count where we decommission PCs and/or completely rebuild. We know for sure there is no way we have as many active copies as the total activations allowed. My next step is to call Phoenix tomorrow. Is it really a case of they just up the number at no cost? Seems a very unreliable model if true? - - - Updated - - - Is it a MAK key? You may have just hit the limit (Ours are 250 as a default), if you get in touch with MS they can increase it for you if need be. Can we go direct to MS or are we obliged to use Phoenix if that's who we go the original key from? 1
Cache Posted January 30, 2019 Posted January 30, 2019 MAK keys just keep increasing the count each time a machine is activated, so if you activate 10 machines using it and then rebuild each one 5 times, you'll have used in total 60 of the Activations. If you have access to the VLSC you can see how many activations you've used. 2
Ditto Posted January 30, 2019 Posted January 30, 2019 Although I don't yet have access to the system that shows it, I do know we have hit the limit. Do our partner and/or MS just keep upping the number? Seems an odd licensing model, but I pick up that MS licensing is not as simple and clear as it might be. 1
localzuk Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 Why are you all using MAK keys? KMS and Active Directory Based Activation are the way to go. MAK keys are supposed to only be used for devices not regularly on a network. 1
SpaceInvader83 Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 Why are you all using MAK keys? KMS and Active Directory Based Activation are the way to go. MAK keys are supposed to only be used for devices not regularly on a network. As above, we use AD based activation and this might be an opportunity to migrate over for the original poster. If you do need your MAK limit increasing you can contact MS direct (dependant on your license agreement of course) 1
shanehughes Posted January 31, 2019 Author Posted January 31, 2019 Thank you all for your comments! It turns out that we are using MAK as I have tried doing the same thing on another PC and the activation still occurs. So will get on to MS for more licenses! Thanks everyone!
LeMarchand Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 Why are you all using MAK keys? KMS and Active Directory Based Activation are the way to go. MAK keys are supposed to only be used for devices not regularly on a network. I agree, plus if someone gets access to a KMS key they're going to need to connect to your server every so often for validation. However, you have to request the KMS key now as KMS keys are no longer pre-assigned to customers with Open agreements, since MAK (Multiple Activation Key) keys are now the preferred method for activation.
localzuk Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 I agree, plus if someone gets access to a KMS key they're going to need to connect to your server every so often for validation. However, you have to request the KMS key now as . When the heck did they make that reversal?! Why are MAK keys the preferred mechanism after them telling us for so long that KMS was the preferred way?!
LeMarchand Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 When the heck did they make that reversal?! Why are MAK keys the preferred mechanism after them telling us for so long that KMS was the preferred way?! At least 4 years ago, as the first result I got when I Googled the quoted phrase was: http://www.edugeek.net/forums/licensing-questions/146398-kms-keys-missing-vlsc.html May depend on the type of agreement you have, I guess. I still can't see how MAK>KMS.
localzuk Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 At least 4 years ago, as the first result I got when I Googled the quoted phrase was: http://www.edugeek.net/forums/licensing-questions/146398-kms-keys-missing-vlsc.html May depend on the type of agreement you have, I guess. I still can't see how MAK>KMS. Odd. From the VLSC: "My organization is planning to use Multiple Activation Keys (MAK), however the number of activations provided does not match the number of licenses that we have purchased. They do not reconcile. How do I correct this?We recommend customers use Key Management Service (KMS) to activate Multiple Activation Keys (MAK)." What does that even mean!?
LeMarchand Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 Odd. From the VLSC: "My organization is planning to use Multiple Activation Keys (MAK), however the number of activations provided does not match the number of licenses that we have purchased. They do not reconcile. How do I correct this?We recommend customers use Key Management Service (KMS) to activate Multiple Activation Keys (MAK)." What does that even mean!? MS don't know their a from their elbow?
BecWhit Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 You can E-mail Microsoft to have the count increased: [email protected] Agreement Number: Company Name: Key: Type of Key: Current No of Activation's: Should be turned around in a couple of Days.
shanehughes Posted January 31, 2019 Author Posted January 31, 2019 Apparently our license was expired! MS have given us a new code without telling us!! The second code now works!
Ditto Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 Why are you all using MAK keys? KMS and Active Directory Based Activation are the way to go. MAK keys are supposed to only be used for devices not regularly on a network. In my case it's what I inherited but happy to to hear about alternatives. The licensing to date has been set up for a primary school of about 450 pupils + ?? staff. Now the school is part of MAT with several schools with 2,000 pupils + ?? staff and centralising some IT, so I'm keen to hear of better (most cost effective) licensing options.
Ditto Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 You can E-mail Microsoft to have the count increased: [email protected] Agreement Number: Company Name: Key: Type of Key: Current No of Activation's: Should be turned around in a couple of Days. I did this today. You now get a automated reply that redirects you to a Web form, which you then need to select Europe and then get another URL. For convenience the link is https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/supportrequestform/2afa6f15-b710-db46-909a-8346017c802f?sl=en&sc=AL. Of course if you come upon this thread sometime in the future, it may have changed! To complete the form, you will need to know some of your original details, like your agreement number if you are on OVS as we are. Sometimes knowing that is not so straight forward when the school has joined a MAT, the SBM is no longer around and the original purchaser is far from obvious! And then whether those email accounts are still recoverable - well you know the score - just another day in IT!
Ditto Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 To complete today's sorry tail. I managed to get the requisite information from a combination of our MS partner (Phoenixs) and the original IT contractor. Phoenixs explained I need to request additions through MS, which resulted in them calling to confirm details. I managed to get through that. They confirmed we had a license for 125 activations but they'd been used up. When I explained that we probably had 50 or 60 in active use, had rebuilt a fair few PCs/laptops etc., I was then put on hold whilst they checked for authorisations to increase the number. It turns out our contract expired in October 2018. I get the feeling if we hit this issue before then, they'd happily chuck another one or two hundred activations on to the key. But, as the contract had expired, they could no longer do this and we'd need to go back to the reseller and get a quote for a new license. What 'muppet' came up with this for a licensing model! The challenge for us is as follows. We are generally using this for non-domain devices - laptops that teacher can take home. Strategically, the MAT is moving to O365 and I'm not sure what they have so far, or what license model, but for these laptops, for now the preference is for us to continue with the current desktop office version. My suggestion to scrap MS office and switch to GSuite has not been accepted! Out of interest, as a cluster of schools have come together in the MAT, if another school has a MAK code for the same product, would it be legitimate (or at least fair) to use it?
Ditto Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 Why are you all using MAK keys? KMS and Active Directory Based Activation are the way to go. MAK keys are supposed to only be used for devices not regularly on a network. I guess in our case, as we are building non-domain laptops for home use (not exclusively though), it is true they will be off the network for a fair amount of time.
LeMarchand Posted February 1, 2019 Posted February 1, 2019 We are generally using this for non-domain devices - laptops that teacher can take home. Strategically, the MAT is moving to O365 and I'm not sure what they have so far, or what license model, but for these laptops, for now the preference is for us to continue with the current desktop office version. My suggestion to scrap MS office and switch to GSuite has not been accepted! Out of interest, as a cluster of schools have come together in the MAT, if another school has a MAK code for the same product, would it be legitimate (or at least fair) to use it? All our laptops are domain-joined. Cached credentials work fine and if you need to use a proxy on site setting it up as a pac seems to work. Then you get the advantages of the domain join when it is on site. Back on topic, I'd say "no" as the other school has presumably declared an FTE count that doesn't include your staff. 1
Ditto Posted February 1, 2019 Posted February 1, 2019 I've set up a new thread for the laptop setup as what you suggest sounds much better than the way things are now. It's here.
kylewilliamson Posted February 1, 2019 Posted February 1, 2019 Out of interest, as a cluster of schools have come together in the MAT, if another school has a MAK code for the same product, would it be legitimate (or at least fair) to use it? No. But I doubt anybody would care. As it happens, none of the licences you previously had are valid, for any school. Due to the way Academy Trusts exist legally, they are a dissolution of the previous school and incorporation/expansion of an academy trust. For M$ licensing, what that actually means is the licences that were issued to "The Green School" were invalidated on the day "The Green School" dissolved and the Academy Trust has to get new licences - [as MS licences are non-transferable] But I can't see M$ pushing this point too hard..
Ditto Posted February 1, 2019 Posted February 1, 2019 No. But I doubt anybody would care. As it happens, none of the licences you previously had are valid, for any school. Due to the way Academy Trusts exist legally, they are a dissolution of the previous school and incorporation/expansion of an academy trust. For M$ licensing, what that actually means is the licences that were issued to "The Green School" were invalidated on the day "The Green School" dissolved and the Academy Trust has to get new licences - [as MS licences are non-transferable] But I can't see M$ pushing this point too hard.. That's a fascinating legal point. Outside of my school of work, I'm also a governor in a different school that in the last year joined a MAT. Raising this would be interesting, but not very helpful! Both the MAT where I govern and the one where I work have moved (at top trust level) towards O365 so we are probably better accepting the need to move towards this new license sooner rather than trying to hang on to the perpetual licenses.
Ditto Posted February 3, 2019 Posted February 3, 2019 Hope this isn't too off thread. Having dug a little deeper, I suspect each of the schools licenses should have been transferred to the parent trust. MS seem to have a form for this transfer. In this scenario, I would think you effectively pool all your licenses and each member school from the trust can utilise from the pool. I'm thinking this should have been covered in the due diligence process - I'll be asking as it will be interesting to find out if it was even though about as MS is just one set of software licenses. They'll be a whole bunch more.
Ditto Posted February 10, 2019 Posted February 10, 2019 Further to this topic, whilst looking at VLSC site I noticed this for parent/child companies. So I guess depending on the exact business structure, you may or may not need to complete the form mentioned above.
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