Windows 10: Syspreped computer is staying activated. Wont ask for key. Why?

As the title states I Syspreped a computer, the image is staying activated when I deploy it to a different machine, the desktops I'm using have Windows Key tags on them(their not burned in to the MB) and those are the keys I want to use to activate each windows install. But it wont ask for a key. All I want is to be able to image other computers with this image.

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From Audit Mode from 100% clean install media located on USB.
OS: Windows 10 Pro. 1909, very latest version as I made sure all updates are done before syspreping.
and the only customizing I have done is install Adobe Reader, Chrome, Java, TeamViwer, MMS(WindTerm).

Then I set Reader and Chrome as default but after deploying the image to a new machine the defaults don't seem to stay and windows claims there was an "error"*really so it reverts to its recommended defaults which I don't want.

I also center the company logo as the desktop background image and then set background color as the logo dose not fill the screen. Then I set the Icons where I want. These setting stay after Syprep like I want.

From this forums Sysprep tutorial I use this command to start the sysprep process:
"sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:E:\customize.xml"

After Sysprep I use Clonezilla to image the drive and deploy it to a new computer which works but. It will not ask for a windows key, Which I need it to do, but it will ask for language and keyboard layout etc.
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Here is what my unattend.xml looks like:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
<settings pass="specialize">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>
</component>
</settings>
<cpifflineImage cpi:source="wim:e:/install.wim#Windows 10 Pro" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>


What am I doing wrong, the last time I used Sysprep was back in college on Windows 7. What am I doing wrong? Can somebody fill me on what I'm doing wrong and what steps I need to add or subtract from my process for it to let me enter a key.

It asks for the Install key before going in to audit mode and I give it one. Would clicking skip on that step solve my issue and make it ask for the windows key after I deploy the Syspreped image. Please be detailed as I have not used sysprep in years.

Thanks in advance.
- Matt, IT Manager

:)

 

SysPrep Advice

Hi Joseph,

The topic that you raised is beyond the scope of support for this site which focuses more on home and personal end users. Here's what I found about SysPrep:

• What Is Sysprep?
• How To Sysprep – Sysprep is a Great And powerful tool And Easy
  Too If You Know How (Step-By-Step).

However these are old articles and the process may have been changed already. You may re-post this question in

TechNet Forums for further assistance.

All the best.

 

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It will not beep out of your stereo speaker. It would beep from the motherboard's built-in tiny speaker (like the one on a 56K modem). The reason why I asked you to remove the MEM sticks to see if there's beeps come out from MB so that it narrows down the steps and get us one step closer to the solution.

 

windows 8 activation key

You can use a Windows key as many time as you want provided it's only on one computer at a time. If the automated activation fails, just call the number it provides. Six minutes later, you're activated again. If it asks you how many computers it's on, just say "one" and you're golden.