Windows 7 Vol license

anything I don't mind · 27 Jan 2011 at 15:18

Question about volume licenses and oem licenses.

If we have buy 100 brand new hp pcs with windows 7 pro 32bit oem installed on them and then we want to put a custom build on them. Do we need to purchase a volume licenses or can we use the oem keys?

This guy i work with said that in windows xp if we tried to use the oem keys sometimes it would not work and would cause a hassle. So he thinks the vol license is required because of this.

Another question. if we have to get a vol license for roll out to 100 pcs, what happens to the oem licenses and are they good to be sold on ebay or used on my home pc for example, rather than waste them.

stoofa · 27 Jan 2011 at 15:28

What do you mean by "custom build"?
Every OEM license is going to have a different key, so the build obviously cannot be the same on each machine.
Not least because when it comes to activation, Microsoft is not going to allow 100 activations of the same key.

If you want to create your own totally custom build then volume licensing would be the way forward.
As you can have one key that can be activated a number of times.
So create a custom build that uses the same key and you'll be fine.

In the situtation you've described the OEM licenses would be lost.
They are tied to the machine they are first installed on and cannoty be resold.
Well in theory you can sell them with the motherboard from each machine - but probably not something you would want to do.

Best to get an account manager at HP or Dell and arrange to buy the machines without an OS.
You won't make a massive saving (OEM Windows costs large OEM's very little) but it will be a small saving.

Raumarik · 27 Jan 2011 at 16:00

Are you sure stoofa? We've done this before at my work (granted it was XP), as long as they all have the same OEM version of Windows CD you can simply create and image which is sysprep'd and ensure it prompts for the key at first boot. The HPs etc will have the key written on them and 99.9% of the time it'll be fine, that 0.1% will simply require a quick call to MS to correct it.

If it was different models and manufacturers I could understand considering a VL, but they already have OEM licenses.

Pestilence · 27 Jan 2011 at 16:03

Halfmad said:
Are you sure stoofa? We've done this before at my work (granted it was XP), as long as they all have the same OEM version of Windows CD you can simply create and image which is sysprep'd and ensure it prompts for the key at first boot. The HPs etc will have the key written on them and 99.9% of the time it'll be fine, that 0.1% will simply require a quick call to MS to correct it.

If it was different models and manufacturers I could understand considering a VL, but they already have OEM licenses.

This is correct, most of the time.

However, if you're trying to make it easy by deploying a single image wholesale across all of the machines, keeping activation etc. completely automated, you'll need to purchase and maintain a VLK.

lurkio · 27 Jan 2011 at 16:06

Create your custom build (make sure you have the oem key for each machine - use keyfinder.exe if you have to)

create your custom build , take image of it
clone image onto each machine

boot each machine and change the key to the oem one , activate

??? profit

Raumarik · 27 Jan 2011 at 16:07

Completely depends on the saving and how long you think extra it takes to put in the product key. 100 PCs isn't a lot though, not what I'd class as "volume"

edscdk · 27 Jan 2011 at 16:08

Pestilence said:
This is correct, most of the time.

However, if you're trying to make it easy by deploying a single image wholesale across all of the machines, keeping activation etc. completely automated, you'll need to purchase and maintain a VLK.

100*£60 = £6000, save the money and script the serial number out of the newly imaged machines and request the COA from the box...

Burnsy2023 · 27 Jan 2011 at 16:34

stoofa said:
Best to get an account manager at HP or Dell and arrange to buy the machines without an OS.
You won't make a massive saving (OEM Windows costs large OEM's very little) but it will be a small saving.

Surely you know that VL Windows licences are upgrade only?

Stoofa, you disappoint me

Get OEM licence. Sysprep the machine and use the key on the side of the machine. That way they will all activate on their own key whilst still having a custom image for deployment.

This used to be my bread and butter. I did loads of scripting to customise Windows XP images. Unfortunately is only recently I'm experiencing the joy of deploying Win 7 over WDS.

In summary, you don't want or need a VL licence for this.

stoofa · 27 Jan 2011 at 16:54

We have OVS licensing that are not upgrade only.
We buy a "package" for each user.
That gives them an OS, Office & numerous CAL's.

Burnsy2023 · 27 Jan 2011 at 17:38

stoofa said:
We have OVS licensing that are not upgrade only.

I'm pretty sure you are mistaken. As far as I am aware, all VL Client Windows Licences are upgrade only, no exceptions, that includes subscriptions. Even subscriptions with SA require a qualifying OS in retail or OEM form.

anything I don't mind · 27 Jan 2011 at 18:50

What sort of problems will you have deploying with wds and using the key on the side of the machine. Will you have to call microsoft to activate ?

Burnsy2023 · 27 Jan 2011 at 19:11

groen said:
What sort of problems will you have deploying with wds and using the key on the side of the machine. Will you have to call microsoft to activate ?

If you sysprep it removes the product key from the image. So when you deploy you need to enter it. Or you can script it but that gets complicated.

anything I don't mind · 27 Jan 2011 at 20:34

Then it activates just the same? How does it know that it is on the same PC, is the cdkey tied to something. What is stopping me moving the OEM to another pc. This is why i think i would have to call MS to activate or how else would they prevent it? Have you done this with windows 7 yet, with the oem keys?

Raumarik · 27 Jan 2011 at 20:39

groen people have been doing it this way for years with various versions of Windows, I can't see it being any different with Windows 7. Sysprep is made by MS after all purposely to make this sort of thing easier. What stops you moving the OEM to another PC is the legality around it, not much else.

Burnsy2023 · 27 Jan 2011 at 20:54

groen said:
Then it activates just the same? How does it know that it is on the same PC, is the cdkey tied to something. What is stopping me moving the OEM to another pc. This is why i think i would have to call MS to activate or how else would they prevent it? Have you done this with windows 7 yet, with the oem keys?

You can do it two ways. When you deploy the image someone actually uses their eyes to see what code is on the side of the machine and types it in.

Or you can script it such that it is tied to the MAC, Hostname or GUID.

anything I don't mind · 27 Jan 2011 at 21:07

Ok well then we will just type it in, manually. That saves a load on vol license cost. Don't know why this guy i worked with thought that we have to call ms to activate.

brainchylde · 27 Jan 2011 at 21:42

Burnsy2023 said:
I'm pretty sure you are mistaken. As far as I am aware, all VL Client Windows Licences are upgrade only, no exceptions, that includes subscriptions. Even subscriptions with SA require a qualifying OS in retail or OEM form.

This is correct. The "Package" referred to in an earlier post is just a desktop package which allows office etc. Windows VL is an upgrade only.

anything I don't mind · 28 Jan 2011 at 09:17

We had issues with our VL upgrade open license. We or our dealer did not process the order within the three months specified by MS so they rejected it.

Burnsy, what is the best way to script the oem cdkey install. Do you have to turn all the pcs on then use software to scrape the cdkeys out or something?

I have not seen windows 7 ask for a cdkey is it something that you would enter after install or do you force it to prompt with sysprep ?

Burnsy2023 · 28 Jan 2011 at 09:50

Burnsy, what is the best way to script the oem cdkey install. Do you have to turn all the pcs on then use software to scrape the cdkeys out or something?

The way I've seen it done before is to have a list of product keys in a master file with matching MAC addresses for the machines on which they reside. The script looks up the MAC, and then inputs the relevant key.

groen said:
I have not seen windows 7 ask for a cdkey is it something that you would enter after install or do you force it to prompt with sysprep ?

Have you used sysprep before? If not there are a few guides telling you about all the options it can use, but essentially it strips all machine specific information out of the registry etc. This means that on startup you get a mini installation procedure, asking for machine name, product key etc. This information you can script using VBscript. Some of it used to go in an answer file in RIS, but I've not fully automated it in WDS with 7 yet.

Ev0 · 28 Jan 2011 at 15:24

brainchylde said:
This is correct. The "Package" referred to in an earlier post is just a desktop package which allows office etc. Windows VL is an upgrade only.

The package will be the 'Desktop Pro' bundle, Microsoft SKU A07-00041.

This gives you licenses for Windows Client and Office Professional Plus.

Also gives you CALs for Widows Server, Exchange, SCCM and Sharepoint.

Checked with our account manager who says the windows client licenses on this package are full licenses up to XP, no previous license required, then Windows 7 client is upgrade only.

So if you're sticking XP on with this bundle you don't need a license already there. But if it's Windows 7 then you do, apparently