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KMS activation of Windows 7 using a Windows Server 2008 machine

  • Article

Hi there,

I’ve received quite a few queries on this subject recently so I believe this might be of interest :)

When activating Windows 7 through KMS, there are 3 “moving targets” you need to consider:

  1. The KMS host
  2. The KMS Volume License Key
  3. DNS

Between Windows Vista / Server 2008 and Windows 7 / Server 2008 R2, the KMS activation protocol was changed slightly and updated from Version 1.1 to 1.2. That means that the KMS host needs to be updated to support the license keys for Windows 7 / Server 2008 R2. You have 3 basic options:

Now that your KMS host is up to date (by the way, even if it isn’t explicitly noted, a reboot is usually required for those updates to actually come into effect), you need to install the right product key on your KMS host to enable it to activate your computers. KMS keys are downwards compatible, both in family and generation, meaning:

  • Family:
    • if your key can activate a Datacenter Server, it can also activate Enterprise Server
    • if it can activate Enterprise Server, it can also activate Standard Server
    • if it can activate Standard Server, it can also activate Web Server
    • if it can activate Web Server, it can also activate Windows 7
  • Generation
    • if your key can activate Server 2008 R2, it can also activate the Server 2008
    • if your key can activate Windows 7, it can also activate Windows Vista

(Full details are here: technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd878528.aspx)

Regarding DNS, if all is registered correctly, then this command should find your KMS server when executed from your clients:

nslookup -type=all _vlmcs._tcp

If not, please refer to the technet link above :)

Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Hi Daniel, thanks for this information. Very useful! Peter Forster, MVP Virtual Machine, Austria

  • Anonymous
    January 15, 2011
    Here you can get windows 7 vista or xp's activators and you can activate your windows easily in ONE click. http://windows7-activator.blog... download all version supported activators

  • Anonymous
    January 25, 2011
    www.windowsactivator.blogspot.com download from here activator for your windows 7 and for vista, windows7-activator.blogspot.com isnt functioning anymore.

  • Anonymous
    January 28, 2011
    if you want to download windows 7 activator or other windows activators than visit this link for more details ... www.windowsactivator.blogspot.com

  • Anonymous
    September 26, 2014
    What happens if you have the proper KMS key installed on the server, you get a response from the server when you do the nslookup -type=all _vlmcs._tcp, the time is correct on the client machines and you can ping the server running KMS but the client does not activate automatically? If I go in and run slmgr.vbs -skms :1688 and specify the server and then do the /ato to activate it works. Why is this not happening automatically???

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