Windows 10: Question on MDT imaging & activation with OEM licensed laptops.

We’re looking to create a ‘gold image’ for easier deployment and refreshing of hardware for our users. All of our laptops come pre-installed with an OEM Windows 10 64-bit Pro operating system.

I’ve read through quite a bit of the licensing documentation, but I want to confirm I’m understanding the process correctly.

We already have access to the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center from purchasing other licenses. But, am I correct in saying, that to obtain imaging rights, we need a single copy of Windows 10 Pro Upgrade?

And when it comes to activating these laptops, do we simply pull the embedded OEM key provided with the purchase of these laptop’s and enter them into the key field to activate them?


Thank you.

:)

 

Not able to activate Windows 10 using the Windows 7 OEM key after up gradation through MDT tool.

Hi Gerry,

Thanks for the reply.

We used MDT tool bcoz, we have to upgrade 3000 laptops and clients are not ready to use SCCM. Hence we had to try MDT.

We had a OEM licence key for windows 7, currently we activated Windows 10 using the volume licence available manually. However, we are not sure why we were not able to activate Windows 10 with the genuine Windows 7 OEM licences key.

 

Deploying Windows 10 using MDT and a OEM key?


Hi,

First off, I will apologize for the complicated nature of this thread.

I have several machines that have OEM licenses of Windows 8.1 Pro. What I would like to do is do the following:

1. Install Windows 8.1 Pro onto them.
2. For each machine, I will need to activate using their own product key that is tied to the BIOS, as I don't have a VL or individual licenses.
3. Install an in-place Windows 10 Pro installation.

Preferably, I would like to do this all with a MDT Task Sequence.

From what I have read, Microsoft will not let people use OEM licenses with deployment. However, what I gather is that MS misunderstands what people want to do, and they think that they want to install Windows using a single OEM product key off a machine to multiple other PCs, and that's not what I want to do at all.

A MS Rep was asked about this on the website Spiceworks, and he responded with this:

What I am trying to do (for each of the machines individually, so not using a single OEM activation key to activate multiple PCs) is install Windows 8.1 on a computer that already had it on it, activate it using the legit key it came with installed into the BIOS, and upgrade to Windows 10 in a single task sequence.

Any advice?

 

Can I run virtual windows with my OEM license?

1. Backup your Windows installation.
   
2. Uninstall Windows from your hard drive.
   
3. Install Windows in a VM.
   
4. Ensure the Windows installation has internet access.
   
5. Attempt to activate the installation. You may need to call Microsoft to complete this step over the phone.
   

If they ask you why your are re-activating, tell them you have removed the old installation and changed your system configuration and that you are now reinstalling. (All true.)

Don't volunteer that the Windows 7 key is OEM. Your Windows 10 entitlement may or may not be marked as originating from OEM. If they say that it is OEM and that you cannot use it to activate, then you know. Say thanks and end the call. Restore your backup from step 1 and stick with dual boot, or purchase a copy of Windows 10 and activate yours that way.

Of course, you could always install Hyper-V component of Windows 10 and run your Linux inside. No licensing issues that way. And it may be installed and running by default.

Also, before step 2, you might try to find some sort of P2V solution. This basically takes an 'image' of your physical system and converts it to a virtual machine. VirtualBox wiki article. This may trigger a reactivation due to the significant change in the HAL (hardware abstraction layer).