KMS and pre-installed Windows 7 Licenses

[CyberNerd]

Can somebody please explain how KMS works in relation to laptops that come with win7 pro on them.

 

Does the KMSpick up the pre-installed laptop licenses from the domain?

What happens if I re-image them with a pre-built image? - how does KMS know that I bought a win7pro license with the laptop?

[CyberNerd]

^ Bump

[sted]

if they are say hp oem ones then they are pre activated and unless you go to them and run slmgr / something or other wont look for a kms server they are already activated so as far as i know they wont look for a kms server. if you use hps image it SHOULD stay activated with their key unless you mess around with the sysprep file in it

[sonofsanta]

My understanding was that Windows only checked in with the KMS server if it didn't have a licence key installed (or a dummy licence key that's been posted round these parts before). I can't think that it would need to check for an existing Win7 licence as you could have a machine with an OEM Win95 licence and be within your rights to install a volume licence copy of Win7 on.

 

So if you use it with the installed image (can't think why you would, knowing the rubbish bundled in ) then its key would be activated online as normal, or pre-activated by the OEM. If you reinstall with your image, then it'll check in with the KMS server.

 

As far as I know, anyway!

[CyberNerd]

Thanks both

 

 

If you reinstall with your image, then it'll check in with the KMS server.

 

 

Does that mean you need to buy the license again if you use a base image? or can you transfer the OEM license to the KMS?

[sted]

Thanks both

 

 

 

Does that mean you need to buy the license again if you use a base image? or can you transfer the OEM license to the KMS?

 

if the laptop has an oem sticker on it then you can always use that key but its not a kms key. You can hook it up to your kms server if your clear the key out/reinatall but you would then be using your kms lics count so if you have 20 kms lics and 20 other pcs using it then the laptop would be number 21 i suspect it would activate (and as it has a sticker i suspect ms wouldnt care) but it would be lic 21. On teh other hand if you have 20 kms lics and are only using 5 it would be 6 and no problem (although you need 25 to actually get kms to activate windows)

[sonofsanta]

Thanks both

 

 

 

Does that mean you need to buy the license again if you use a base image? or can you transfer the OEM license to the KMS?

 

School licensing requires that any hardware has an OEM licence attached to it, and then you're free to use your volume licence key (KMS or MAK) when you install your chosen flavour of Windows. So if you have a licence in place (e.g. EES) and it has the OEM sticker on it, you're all covered (as far as my understanding goes at least).