Volume License and Activation

I have installed (dual boot) Vista Business on my laptop. I have a product
code but was never asked for it during the installation process. This is a
volume license situation. I am unable to activate the program and get the
"DNS not known" message. From reading postings in this newsgroup, I suspect
I need something called a MAK key (from the college? from Microsoft?).
Assuming this is my problem, how would I apply such a key if I obtained one.

Peter

Windows Vista Volume Activation 2.0:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/win.../plan/faq.mspx

Peter wrote:
> I have installed (dual boot) Vista Business on my laptop. I have a
> product code but was never asked for it during the installation
> process. This is a volume license situation. I am unable to
> activate the program and get the "DNS not known" message. From
> reading postings in this newsgroup, I suspect I need something
> called a MAK key (from the college? from Microsoft?). Assuming this
> is my problem, how would I apply such a key if I obtained one.

Contact those who gave you the DVD to install with.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Hi,

Vista Business is not a volume license product, Vista Enterprise is. If you
have the latter, then you need to contact your IT people for the proper
server address for their KMS key. A MAK key will activate against
Microsoft's servers.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

"Peter" <> wrote in message
news:5C347BCF-E1DD-4556-91D4-...
>I have installed (dual boot) Vista Business on my laptop. I have a product
> code but was never asked for it during the installation process. This is
> a
> volume license situation. I am unable to activate the program and get the
> "DNS not known" message. From reading postings in this newsgroup, I
> suspect
> I need something called a MAK key (from the college? from Microsoft?).
> Assuming this is my problem, how would I apply such a key if I obtained
> one.
>
> Peter

"Rick Rogers" <> wrote:
> "Peter" <> wrote:

>> I have installed (dual boot) Vista Business on my laptop. I have
>> a product code but was never asked for it during the installation
>> process. This is a volume license situation. I am unable to
>> activate the program and get the "DNS not known" message. From
>> reading postings in this newsgroup, I suspect I need something
>> called a MAK key (from the college? from Microsoft?). Assuming
>> this is my problem, how would I apply such a key if I obtained one.

> Vista Business is not a volume license product, Vista Enterprise is.

Um...that's not quite right. Volume license agreement (VLA) customers with the appropriate agreement in place have the right to use a volume license version of Vista Business. (Demo: it's available for download from Microsoft's volume license server.) Vista Enterprise is available only to volume license customers who have additionally signed on the dotted line (and paid!) for Software Assurance. Interestingly, Microsoft does not offer Windows Ultimate to its volume license customers.

The OP's experience suggests that he has installed a volume-license copy, since the reference to DNS indicates that it's looking for a KMS (Key Management Server) system to obtain a product ID and activation. With volume licenses you don't have to provide a product ID at installation, but it must be provided -- either by manually entering a VLA product ID manually, or by KMS -- before the box will activate.

> If you
> have the latter, then you need to contact your IT people for the
> proper server address for their KMS key. A MAK key will activate
> against Microsoft's servers.

The end user shouldn't need to know the IP address (and port!) of the KMS service if the IT staff have allowed the KMS box to publish its information to the DNS server, or have manually set up the SRV entry for the MKS box on DNS. (Interestingly, Microsoft doesn't use proprietary DNS extensions for this; any DNS server that supports SRV records per RFC 2782 should work.) The MS documentation notes that an installation may need to punch holes through any firewalls that stand between the client and the KMS system.

In any case, if if the OP was provided with a VLA disk the IT staff should have provided instructions on how to activate it. That's where the OP needs to go, either (as you (Rick) said) to get the MAK for the account, or to get their attention (or company management's attention) on the subject of how to reach the KMS box.

Joe Morris

Thanks Joe.

I have a product key. How can I enter it manually?

Peter

"Joe Morris" wrote:

> "Rick Rogers" <> wrote:
> > "Peter" <> wrote:
>
> >> I have installed (dual boot) Vista Business on my laptop. I have
> >> a product code but was never asked for it during the installation
> >> process. This is a volume license situation. I am unable to
> >> activate the program and get the "DNS not known" message. From
> >> reading postings in this newsgroup, I suspect I need something
> >> called a MAK key (from the college? from Microsoft?). Assuming
> >> this is my problem, how would I apply such a key if I obtained one.
>
> > Vista Business is not a volume license product, Vista Enterprise is.
>
> Um...that's not quite right. Volume license agreement (VLA) customers with the appropriate agreement in place have the right to use a volume license version of Vista Business. (Demo: it's available for download from Microsoft's volume license server.) Vista Enterprise is available only to volume license customers who have additionally signed on the dotted line (and paid!) for Software Assurance. Interestingly, Microsoft does not offer Windows Ultimate to its volume license customers.
>
> The OP's experience suggests that he has installed a volume-license copy, since the reference to DNS indicates that it's looking for a KMS (Key Management Server) system to obtain a product ID and activation. With volume licenses you don't have to provide a product ID at installation, but it must be provided -- either by manually entering a VLA product ID manually, or by KMS -- before the box will activate.
>
> > If you
> > have the latter, then you need to contact your IT people for the
> > proper server address for their KMS key. A MAK key will activate
> > against Microsoft's servers.
>
> The end user shouldn't need to know the IP address (and port!) of the KMS service if the IT staff have allowed the KMS box to publish its information to the DNS server, or have manually set up the SRV entry for the MKS box on DNS. (Interestingly, Microsoft doesn't use proprietary DNS extensions for this; any DNS server that supports SRV records per RFC 2782 should work.) The MS documentation notes that an installation may need to punch holes through any firewalls that stand between the client and the KMS system.
>
> In any case, if if the OP was provided with a VLA disk the IT staff should have provided instructions on how to activate it. That's where the OP needs to go, either (as you (Rick) said) to get the MAK for the account, or to get their attention (or company management's attention) on the subject of how to reach the KMS box.
>
> Joe Morris

Hello,
Where did you get the key from and you need to check with them as to
whether the key is a MAK or a KMS VL key?
If it's a KMS key you are setting up a KMS server and that is not what you
want. The person who gave you the key should know that.
You install the key from an elevated cmd prompt.
then run slmgr -ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
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|>Subject: Re: Volume License and Activation
|>Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:03:47 -0700
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|>
|>Thanks Joe.
|>
|>I have a product key. How can I enter it manually?
|>
|>Peter
|>
|>"Joe Morris" wrote:
|>
|>> "Rick Rogers" <> wrote:
|>> > "Peter" <> wrote:
|>>
|>> >> I have installed (dual boot) Vista Business on my laptop. I have
|>> >> a product code but was never asked for it during the installation
|>> >> process. This is a volume license situation. I am unable to
|>> >> activate the program and get the "DNS not known" message. From
|>> >> reading postings in this newsgroup, I suspect I need something
|>> >> called a MAK key (from the college? from Microsoft?). Assuming
|>> >> this is my problem, how would I apply such a key if I obtained one.
|>>
|>> > Vista Business is not a volume license product, Vista Enterprise is.
|>>
|>> Um...that's not quite right. Volume license agreement (VLA) customers
with the appropriate agreement in place have the right to use a volume
license version of Vista Business. (Demo: it's available for download from
Microsoft's volume license server.) Vista Enterprise is available only to
volume license customers who have additionally signed on the dotted line
(and paid!) for Software Assurance. Interestingly, Microsoft does not
offer Windows Ultimate to its volume license customers.
|>>
|>> The OP's experience suggests that he has installed a volume-license
copy, since the reference to DNS indicates that it's looking for a KMS (Key
Management Server) system to obtain a product ID and activation. With
volume licenses you don't have to provide a product ID at installation, but
it must be provided -- either by manually entering a VLA product ID
manually, or by KMS -- before the box will activate.
|>>
|>> > If you
|>> > have the latter, then you need to contact your IT people for the
|>> > proper server address for their KMS key. A MAK key will activate
|>> > against Microsoft's servers.
|>>
|>> The end user shouldn't need to know the IP address (and port!) of the
KMS service if the IT staff have allowed the KMS box to publish its
information to the DNS server, or have manually set up the SRV entry for
the MKS box on DNS. (Interestingly, Microsoft doesn't use proprietary DNS
extensions for this; any DNS server that supports SRV records per RFC 2782
should work.) The MS documentation notes that an installation may need to
punch holes through any firewalls that stand between the client and the KMS
system.
|>>
|>> In any case, if if the OP was provided with a VLA disk the IT staff
should have provided instructions on how to activate it. That's where the
OP needs to go, either (as you (Rick) said) to get the MAK for the account,
or to get their attention (or company management's attention) on the
subject of how to reach the KMS box.
|>>
|>> Joe Morris
|>

"Peter" <> wrote:

> Thanks Joe.
>
> I have a product key. How can I enter it manually?

Assuming that you have an appropriate Windows product ID (key), open the
System control panel. The opening window will have the heading line "View
basic information about your computer"; scroll to the bottom of this window
and you'll find a subhead "Windows activation"; the last line in the window
shows your current product ID (hardwired on volume media) and a hyperlink
labeled "Change product ID". Click that link and follow the prompts to
change the key to one which can be used during activation.

Joe Morris

Thanks again Joe.
That did the trick.
Peter

"Joe Morris" wrote:

> "Peter" <> wrote:
>
> > Thanks Joe.
> >
> > I have a product key. How can I enter it manually?
>
> Assuming that you have an appropriate Windows product ID (key), open the
> System control panel. The opening window will have the heading line "View
> basic information about your computer"; scroll to the bottom of this window
> and you'll find a subhead "Windows activation"; the last line in the window
> shows your current product ID (hardwired on volume media) and a hyperlink
> labeled "Change product ID". Click that link and follow the prompts to
> change the key to one which can be used during activation.
>
> Joe Morris
>
>
>