This post shows you how to activate Windows 11 without product key (Windows 11 activation txt) or with an activation code or KMS. Or you can run Command Prompt as administrator, type slmgr /xpr, and press Enter. I do remember I only had one key for both server and client systems though, so Im pretty sure the only key you need to install is the 2016 enterprise key. Two ways to check Windows 11 activation status: Go to Settings > System > Activation > Activation state. Doing so alleviates the need to specify a MAK in an unattended installation file,” Microsoft added. When I recently setup a new 2012R2 KMS server to activate Windows 10 clients I had to install a patch first, I believe it was KB3172614 but my notes are a little unclear.
A MAK key can be installed on a reference image of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 to make all installations from that image use MAK activation instead of the default KMS activation.
If the organization has more than one KMS host or the network does not support DDNS, additional configuration tasks may be necessary,” Microsoft explained.īy contrast, “MAK activation is used for one-time activation through Microsoft’s hosted activation services, with no renewals required. If the network environment has Dynamic Domain Name System (DDNS) and allows computers to publish services automatically, deploying a KMS host can require very little effort.
To install a client setup key, open an administrative commandprompt on the client, type slmgr /ipk“KMS activation works with minimal administrative intervention. If you are converting a computer from a KMS host, MAK, or retail edition ofWindows to a KMS client, install the applicable setup key (GVLK) from thefollowing tables. The video features Ram Rathnam, the director for product marketing for Windows activation, and Kalpesh Patel, Microsoft lead program manager on activation. The Redmond company has published the Volume Activation Deployment Guide for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 on TechNet, offering examples of Windows 7 KMS Client Setup Keys (included at the bottom of this article), in addition to a detailed insight into Volume Activation.Īt the bottom of this article you will be able to find an embedded video focused on what exactly Microsoft brought to the table in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in terms of Volume activation compared to older releases of Windows.
This is where Microsoft Volume Activation comes in, with its two technologies, Key Management Service (KMS) and Multiple Activation Key (MAK). The plain vanilla activation process offered for retail or OEM versions of the operating system, with a single product key per license, doesn't meet the requirements of corporate infrastructures, where multiple copies of Windows 7 need to be activated and managed. Windows 7, just as its precursor, Windows Vista, comes with different activation options for end users and for business customers.