How to do sysprep to make a image for my users and maintain the count on KMS server ?

[Motor Wu]

Dear all,

We just build the KMS server(already activated) on Windows
2003 and want to make
it can activate the Vista clients. As Microsoft website said, we need
25 client connect to KMS to request activation then the KMS can
activate all clients.

We just a testing lab, so I just use one PC to format and
install Vista then activate it to increase the count. I don't want to
install and insatll 25 times to make KMS count to 25. So I sysprep
(sysprep /generalize)the Vista as Microsoft website said to change its
CMID.

After sysprep, I try to connect to KMS server to increase the
count, but it didn't increase, remain the same. I also try the slmgr
-rearm to reset the CMID, it doesn't work.

I can reformat again and install 25 times to increase count to
25. But after testing period, all our users will use the same vista
image (after sysprep), the KMS will fail after 30 days, because it
does not increase any more!

How to do sysprep to make a image for my users and maintain
the count on KMS server ? Thanks.

 

[Steve Maser]

Dear all,

We just build the KMS server(already activated) on Windows
2003 and want to make
it can activate the Vista clients. As Microsoft website said, we need
25 client connect to KMS to request activation then the KMS can
activate all clients.

We just a testing lab, so I just use one PC to format and
install Vista then activate it to increase the count. I don't want to
install and insatll 25 times to make KMS count to 25. So I sysprep
(sysprep /generalize)the Vista as Microsoft website said to change its
CMID.

After sysprep, I try to connect to KMS server to increase the
count, but it didn't increase, remain the same. I also try the slmgr
-rearm to reset the CMID, it doesn't work.

I can reformat again and install 25 times to increase count to
25. But after testing period, all our users will use the same vista
image (after sysprep), the KMS will fail after 30 days, because it
does not increase any more!

How to do sysprep to make a image for my users and maintain
the count on KMS server ? Thanks.

I don't maintain the KMS server here, but in talking to our admins that
do this -- just reloading an image didn't increment the count on the
KMS server to get to 25.

We had to use 25 *unique installs* of Vista to get over 25. This
either meant reformatting a computer 25 times, or loading vista on 25
computers.


The 25 install limitation is pretty dumb, IMO and caused a lot of
confusion when they tried to add another KMS server to a "pool" and
people's activations weren't happening when they hit that new machine
in the pool for a while.

Why 25? Why not 10? Why not 5? Why *any* minimum? Sheesh...

- Steve

 

[Motor Wu]

Thanks your reply, the 25 minimum is ok for us, I can spend 2 day to
build up to 25 times of reformat and install Vista. But what we
concern is that when we deploy Vista and make a image for all users in
our office, the users Vista won't contriute count to KMS, then we
should maintain the count manually...

 

[Darrell Gorter[MSFT]]

Hello,
Start with this article which talks about your issue:
KMS count not incrementing after running sysprep.

929829 The KMS current count does not increase when you add new Windows
Vista-based client computers to the network
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;929829

Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
--------------------
|>From: Motor Wu <[email protected]>
|>Subject: Re: How to do sysprep to make a image for my users and maintain
the count on KMS server ?
|>Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2007 07:01:12 +0800
|>Organization: Deloitte
|>Message-ID: <[email protected]>
|>References: <[email protected]>
<160320071033450336%[email protected]>
|>X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 3.3/32.846
|>MIME-Version: 1.0
|>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
|>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
|>Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup
|>NNTP-Posting-Host: adsl-61-56-228-94.js.sparqnet.net 61.56.228.94
|>Lines: 1
|>Path: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl!TK2MSFTNGP01.phx.gbl!TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl
|>Xref: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl
microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup:12679
|>X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup
|>
|>Thanks your reply, the 25 minimum is ok for us, I can spend 2 day to
|>build up to 25 times of reformat and install Vista. But what we
|>concern is that when we deploy Vista and make a image for all users in
|>our office, the users Vista won't contriute count to KMS, then we
|>should maintain the count manually...
|>
|>
|>
|>On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 10:33:45 -0400, Steve Maser <[email protected]>
|>wrote:
|>
|>>In article <[email protected]>, Motor Wu
|>>
|>>> Dear all,
|>>>
|>>> We just build the KMS server(already activated) on Windows
|>>> 2003 and want to make
|>>> it can activate the Vista clients. As Microsoft website said, we need
|>>> 25 client connect to KMS to request activation then the KMS can
|>>> activate all clients.
|>>>
|>>> We just a testing lab, so I just use one PC to format and
|>>> install Vista then activate it to increase the count. I don't want to
|>>> install and insatll 25 times to make KMS count to 25. So I sysprep
|>>> (sysprep /generalize)the Vista as Microsoft website said to change its
|>>> CMID.
|>>>
|>>> After sysprep, I try to connect to KMS server to increase the
|>>> count, but it didn't increase, remain the same. I also try the slmgr
|>>> -rearm to reset the CMID, it doesn't work.
|>>>
|>>> I can reformat again and install 25 times to increase count to
|>>> 25. But after testing period, all our users will use the same vista
|>>> image (after sysprep), the KMS will fail after 30 days, because it
|>>> does not increase any more!
|>>>
|>>> How to do sysprep to make a image for my users and maintain
|>>> the count on KMS server ? Thanks.
|>>
|>>
|>>I don't maintain the KMS server here, but in talking to our admins that
|>>do this -- just reloading an image didn't increment the count on the
|>>KMS server to get to 25.
|>>
|>>We had to use 25 *unique installs* of Vista to get over 25. This
|>>either meant reformatting a computer 25 times, or loading vista on 25
|>>computers.
|>>
|>>
|>>The 25 install limitation is pretty dumb, IMO and caused a lot of
|>>confusion when they tried to add another KMS server to a "pool" and
|>>people's activations weren't happening when they hit that new machine
|>>in the pool for a while.
|>>
|>>Why 25? Why not 10? Why not 5? Why *any* minimum? Sheesh...
|>>
|>>- Steve
|>

 

[Motor Wu]

Thanks Darrell. In fact, I have check this Microsoft information
before. And I have follow its step to verify the CMIDs one the Vista
before and after sysprep. The CMIDs are NOT identical. But the KMS
server count doestn't increase after we run "slmgr -ato".

brefore sysprep
(CMID): b1841a96-57cd-487c-9abc-79e669aa3e99

after syspre
(CMID): e66a9b9e-23ca-4739-b762-8aebe82994ce

Hello,
Start with this article which talks about your issue:
KMS count not incrementing after running sysprep.

929829 The KMS current count does not increase when you add new Windows
Vista-based client computers to the network
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;929829

Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
--------------------
|>From: Motor Wu <[email protected]>
|>Subject: Re: How to do sysprep to make a image for my users and maintain
the count on KMS server ?
|>Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2007 07:01:12 +0800
|>Organization: Deloitte
|>Message-ID: <[email protected]>
|>References: <[email protected]>
<160320071033450336%[email protected]>
|>X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 3.3/32.846
|>MIME-Version: 1.0
|>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
|>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
|>Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup
|>NNTP-Posting-Host: adsl-61-56-228-94.js.sparqnet.net 61.56.228.94
|>Lines: 1
|>Path: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl!TK2MSFTNGP01.phx.gbl!TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl
|>Xref: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl
microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup:12679
|>X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup
|>
|>Thanks your reply, the 25 minimum is ok for us, I can spend 2 day to
|>build up to 25 times of reformat and install Vista. But what we
|>concern is that when we deploy Vista and make a image for all users in
|>our office, the users Vista won't contriute count to KMS, then we
|>should maintain the count manually...
|>
|>
|>
|>On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 10:33:45 -0400, Steve Maser <[email protected]>
|>wrote:
|>
|>>In article <[email protected]>, Motor Wu
|>>
|>>> Dear all,
|>>>
|>>> We just build the KMS server(already activated) on Windows
|>>> 2003 and want to make
|>>> it can activate the Vista clients. As Microsoft website said, we need
|>>> 25 client connect to KMS to request activation then the KMS can
|>>> activate all clients.
|>>>
|>>> We just a testing lab, so I just use one PC to format and
|>>> install Vista then activate it to increase the count. I don't want to
|>>> install and insatll 25 times to make KMS count to 25. So I sysprep
|>>> (sysprep /generalize)the Vista as Microsoft website said to change its
|>>> CMID.
|>>>
|>>> After sysprep, I try to connect to KMS server to increase the
|>>> count, but it didn't increase, remain the same. I also try the slmgr
|>>> -rearm to reset the CMID, it doesn't work.
|>>>
|>>> I can reformat again and install 25 times to increase count to
|>>> 25. But after testing period, all our users will use the same vista
|>>> image (after sysprep), the KMS will fail after 30 days, because it
|>>> does not increase any more!
|>>>
|>>> How to do sysprep to make a image for my users and maintain
|>>> the count on KMS server ? Thanks.
|>>
|>>
|>>I don't maintain the KMS server here, but in talking to our admins that
|>>do this -- just reloading an image didn't increment the count on the
|>>KMS server to get to 25.
|>>
|>>We had to use 25 *unique installs* of Vista to get over 25. This
|>>either meant reformatting a computer 25 times, or loading vista on 25
|>>computers.
|>>
|>>
|>>The 25 install limitation is pretty dumb, IMO and caused a lot of
|>>confusion when they tried to add another KMS server to a "pool" and
|>>people's activations weren't happening when they hit that new machine
|>>in the pool for a while.
|>>
|>>Why 25? Why not 10? Why not 5? Why *any* minimum? Sheesh...
|>>
|>>- Steve
|>

 

[Steve Maser]

Hello,
Start with this article which talks about your issue:
KMS count not incrementing after running sysprep.

929829 The KMS current count does not increase when you add new Windows
Vista-based client computers to the network
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;929829

Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]

I'm wondering about this...

So, once you hit 25 activations, the KMS server won't give you back any
error messages (like not enough activations...)

So -- if you are using "skiprearm" in your unattend.xml file -- *and*
you are working with a KMS server that already has 25 activations...


Why does it matter if you don't have a unique CMID? Do the machines
not get reactivated?

Seems to me from reading the KB article, the only "problem" is the KMS
server doesn't have an active count of "activations".

But who does that hurt?

Maybe we're missing something here about this...

- Steve