Hey guys, I have 16 new Dell PCs coming in for deployment on my network. I need to remove some of the software factory installed and install some of our own software on them. I am wanting to do this to a single PC and then create an image to use on the rest of the PCs. The problem I am seeing right now is that when I do this, I will be overwriting the original install's Windows Key and do not have access to the keys, how would I go about doing this properly? I will also have this problem with the activation key for the Office suite though I assume with that, I just install the software without a cd key and then input the key after the image is copied over. I just don't know how to handle getting ahold of the key for the OS. It's Windows 8/8.1 Pro if that matters.
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System Imaging and Product Keys
- Thread starter USMCGrunt
- Start date
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff686877.aspx
not 100% sure it works with oem keys might need to look into that
not 100% sure it works with oem keys might need to look into that
Solhokuten
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There's usually a sticker on top of the tower with the product key. If you have a volume license for Office it probably would be easier to just script the install.
ya sorry, i was trying to come up with an answere other than you were screwed and had to step into a meeting. I'm really not sure there is some way for you to do this. Do they come with windows 7 or 8? I got about 8000 workstations here and we reimage probably 30 to 40 a day (it's government so they are setup really bad) but the windows we install doesn't actually require a key... Other than getting your hands on the key writing them down and putting them back on the same machine i think your sol.
It's got Windows 8 or 8.1 on them...haven't booted any of them up yet to see which version though I don't imagine it makes much difference for this particular matter. How are you able to reimage your systems without a key, do you guys use KMS or some sort of volume license key on your systems?
Solhokuten
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We use a volume licencse.
We also deploy our images with Office pre-installed. We use installation scripts to update machines with older images. For example our current images have office 2010 pre-installed, but if we come across and older machine with say Office 2007 we just push Office 2010 with a script.
We also deploy our images with Office pre-installed. We use installation scripts to update machines with older images. For example our current images have office 2010 pre-installed, but if we come across and older machine with say Office 2007 we just push Office 2010 with a script.
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I see.
Getting word back from a Dell rep who gives conflicting information that he is trying to clarify for me. I'm speaking to our company rep. who is getting information on this from a licensing rep who told him that we would have to purchase MS Software Assurance in order to make the images. Then he sent me a link with the official language from Microsoft that only says I can make the image without issue as long as the hardware is exactly the same but it doesn't say I need to purchase anything additional. When I mentioned that to my rep, he said it doesn't make sense and that he is trying to get clarity on that currently. It's amazing how hard Microsoft makes it to get straight answers...its like trying to navigate the US tax code...
Ruoh
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Yeah, I was going to say... whenever I need to reinstall Windows for some reason on our Dells, I just pop in the latest version DVD I have, and let er' rip. The install picks up the key from the BIOS, I think. I've never had to type it in.
Ah, didn't know Dell embedded the key in BIOS...or that it could even be done.
Modred189
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Magical Jellybean?
Ah yes, I always forget about this utility...I guess if I have to I could use that...I don't particularly look forward to having to boot up each and every system and setup Windows 8 before being able to install and execute it though....but if that's what it comes down to then I guess its a viable option.
bigdogchris
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You cannot legally create a base image from an OEM media/restore disc on a computer and distribute that image, even if the computers are licensed for that OS. In order to gain "Reimaging rights" you must purchase one volume license copy of the OS you plan to deploy. You can then deploy that copy to any computer which has access to that version of Windows.
If the 15 PC's shipped with Windows 8.1 Pro, you would need to buy 1 volume license copy of Windows 8.1 Pro, then use that to create the clean install image from for all 15.
If you buy 15 PC's shipped with no OS and 15 more that did ship with Windows 8.1, you would need to buy 1 volume license copy and 15 full license copies to deploy 30 copies of the image.
Since you're doing 15 computers, once you purchase the 1 volume license, download the OS software through the volume site, then use that media to install (no product key will be required), then set up a KMS volume license server on a server in the environment (something that is authoritative to DNS, like a DC or DNS server).
Buying the 1 volume license copy is how you are granted the reimaging rights. You do not need to buy a volume copy for each PC in the example you gave.
You would only be required to buy a volume copy for each PC if you are upgrading form a previous OS that is legal to upgrade (say from XP Pro, Vista Business, or 7 Pro).
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Take one of the machines and uninstall all the crap from it and add all the crap to it. Image it and you are golden. Since the original is a Dell install it will be automatically recognized on all Dell installs.
That just sounds like complete robbery to me. I have 100 Windows 8.1 Pro licenses available to me but why should I use a license I bought to create an image for a machine that already has a licensed copy of Windows 8.1 Pro on it that I paid for when I bought the machine? I'm wasting my money and a legitimate license all in the name of saving myself some time.
Welcome to the clusterfuck that Microsoft Licensing is.
Solhokuten
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Having a volume license really makes things a lot easier when it comes to creating/deploying images.
bman212121
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I don't believe he can use KMS though since IIRC you need a minimum of 25 pcs before it will work.
@USMCGrunt: The original keys should be the one that is on the case of the machine. All legal reasons aside I don't think you'd really have an issue if you took an image of a pc and copied it to the others. It's not like Dell popped a CD into each machine and manually installed Windows. If you copy the image that's on the drive it's the same image that Dell sent down to each of those machines.
As long as you are sending that image down to a Dell it should auto activate because of the BIOS so there really isn't anything that is going to cause problems for you if you go that route. I like to get an image of the pc before I let it boot the first time so it's not customized and goes through the wizard. It makes a good image to put back on the computer when you get rid of it later.
bigdogchris
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Same concept applies, regardless of what OS you install.Well here is a catch 8.1 Pro comes with downgrade rights to 7.
It's not a licensing issue, it's a "reimaging rights" issue. With 100 licenses you can install them all on the PC's you want that the license can be used on, you just can't create an image unless you have one VLK. You only need to buy 1 license to reimage all of your computers, as long as they have a OEM or other license that is equal to what you're imaging then with. It's not that expensive.
5.
For computers running:
Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 you must have at least five (5) computers to activate.
Windows Vista or Windows 7 you must have at least twenty-five (25) computers to activate.
For Office 2010, Project 2010 and Visio 2010 you must have at least five (5) computers to activate. If you have deployed Microsoft Office 2010 products, including Project 2010 and Visio 2010, you must have at least five (5) computers running Office 2010, Project 2010 or Visio 2010.
SuperSubZero
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The "key burned into the firmware" thing was introduced with Windows 8 (over a year ago), and is done by all the big OEMs.
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Windows-8-OEM-OA-3.0-Piracy-Genuine-Microsoft,16636.html
If you don't care about licensing, since you're gonna end up with the same result anyway, you can simply make your base image an "OEM" image, so that when it's installed it knows to look for the key in firmware.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh824952.aspx
I actually just got a Dell at work today, and it came with a bonafide Windows 8 restore media, which if it's anything like their Dell Windows 7 media, is literally just a Windows 8 install disc minorly tweaked for Dell (the Dell discs I have seen don't tend to be bloated to heck). If you have one, you can likely leverage this to essentially reproduce the Dell recovery disc, with your install.wim files embedded in it, riding on their auto-activation stuff.
Alright, good stuff all around guys thanks for the information. These PCs didn't come with anything except the tower, keyboard, and mouse. No media or documentation at all. I DO have volume license keys, the 100 8.1 keys I have is actually just a single VLK good for 100 uses but, I don't want to have to waste those keys if I don't have to and I really don't think I should.
Im going to go ahead and image one of the PCs and deploy it on the rest though the question I have now, which mostly relates to how the key stored in bios thing works. Is the key ever present in the OS or does the OS just do a lookup in BIOS everytime the system boots? The reason I ask is that if I use an image, and if the key is stored in that image somewhere and I burn it onto another system, will the system have issues because there is conflicting information between what the OS has stored and what the bios has stored?
Im going to go ahead and image one of the PCs and deploy it on the rest though the question I have now, which mostly relates to how the key stored in bios thing works. Is the key ever present in the OS or does the OS just do a lookup in BIOS everytime the system boots? The reason I ask is that if I use an image, and if the key is stored in that image somewhere and I burn it onto another system, will the system have issues because there is conflicting information between what the OS has stored and what the bios has stored?