Windows 10 imaging rights
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Now that Windows 10 is out I've been wondering what process businesses were going to have to jump through to upgrade their machines.
I assumed (probably foolishly) that the old rules would apply. The old rules being - You have let's say 100 or 1000 computers all with Windows Pro OEM licenses on them. Under Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1 allowed you to purchase one (1) Software Assurance license for a machine you own which gave you access to the Volume License version of the install media and a KMS key. You were then allowed to use that media on all machines that qualified (i.e. if all of your OEM licenses were 8 or 8.1 Pro you could deploy VL images of Win 8/8.1/7 Pro to all of those machines).
Someone on Titter is telling me that MS did away with SA licenses for Windows Pro. Assuming that's true, does that mean that once my current SA expires, I no longer have imaging rights?
Furthermore, to the heart of this post - MS is giving free upgrades to all activated OEM Home and Pro versions of Win7/8/8.1.
My original question to Twitter was - Since I've deployed my 100 PCs using a KMS key and a VL image via my VL imaging rights, how do I go about getting Windows 10 Pro on all of my machines?
Which of the following (or possibly non of them) will I have to do?
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Simply build a new Windows 10 image and deploy it, wiping out the current image on the machine?
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manually upgrade every machine in it's current state to Windows 10 so that each machine registers with MS, assuming that my VL KMS key will allow this?
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Reinstall the OEM software to the PC, then manually upgrade to Windows 10, then create an image of Windows 10 VL and deploy that?
I looked in my VLSC web console and I see MAK keys there, but no KMS keys - are those gone?
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@Dashrender said:
I looked in my VLSC web console and I see MAK keys there, but no KMS keys - are those gone?
The KMS keys are gone for your current stuff? Or just no KMS key for Windows 10?
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None for Windows 10,
And I double checked, the KMS is still there for my Windows 8.1 licenses.
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Found this
If not running a Server 2012 R2 KMS server, rebuild a fresh server. If on Server 2012 R2 already, proceed with steps below (2008 R2 is not supported now for Windows 10)
- Once on 2012 R2, install this update: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3058168
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Go to VLS site, under licenses for your agreement (won't find it in media list yet since media isn't out til the 1st) and grab this key: Windows Srv 2012 DataCtr/Std KMS for Windows 10
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install and Activate the key from above with the SLMGR.vbs scripts like always.
You now have a KMS server that can activate windows 10, as well as all of your existing server and desktop client OS's. Of course if you are replacing an existing KMS server like I was, your would handle that in between steps 2 and 3 to remove the old server and switch names/IP addresses, etc.
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Possible additional helpful link.
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/jj612867.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396
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I don't have any actual information on imaging rights, but I have done the following:
Windows 7 Pro machine deployed using KMS based image, activated via KMS.
Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro using ISO. Windows 10 Pro automatically activated.
Formatted that same machine, and installed Windows 10 Pro from scratch, Windows 10 Pro automatically activated again.
Seems that this is a viable way to upgrade the base OEM license for business machines that have currently been deployed via KMS based images.
Sadly I'm guessing this process will be a requirement. Assuming all other imaging rights remain unchanged (i.e. you purchase one VL Windows Pro license granting you a KMS key and VL media, you can deploy images using that KMS key and VL media), you'll need to upgrade the OEM license through the above process to be legal - otherwise, while I'm sure you could just deploy Windows 10 Pro based VL images after you've updated your KMS key on your KMS server, you probably won't be legal, because the OEM license hasn't been upgraded.
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@Dashrender said:
Sadly I'm guessing this process will be a requirement. Assuming all other imaging rights remain unchanged (i.e. you purchase one VL Windows Pro license granting you a KMS key and VL media, you can deploy images using that KMS key and VL media), you'll need to upgrade the OEM license through the above process to be legal - otherwise, while I'm sure you could just deploy Windows 10 Pro based VL images after you've updated your KMS key on your KMS server, you probably won't be legal, because the OEM license hasn't been upgraded.
I would think that this is likely right based on how they lock the free upgrade key into the hardware ID that it generates.