Unattended install with variable OEM keys and PC names

[xof]

Hi,

I need to install Windows 7 to a whole bunch of PC's. As these Windows 7 licenses are all OEM's I have a different key for every PC. All PC's have also been labeled and that label should correspond with a certain OEM key. I would like to use PXE for distribution of the Windows 7 image.

I have been playing around with WDS, WAIK and MDT but I'm overwhelmed and I'm stuck.

I think it's time to start all-over and really understand now what I'm doing :-).

All I want to achieve is to install Windows 7 unattended (no fancy customisations) through PXE and to have the PC assigned a specific PC name and corresponding OEM key. For that I have used a Deployment database but no settings seem to pick-up from the database.

So what would be the best way to achieve this?

[grabben]

This is probably against MSFN Rules but there are kits out there..

If you mean autoactivating scripts for example.. How to label them i dont know..

Probably using scripts that checks biosbrand and then apply name for it.. Problem if theyre all the same.

Edited September 14, 2010 by grabben

[xof]

Hmm, let me rephrase.

I have a PC with MAC address x1 that needs to have a standard Windows 7 install without user interaction. During the installation the 'procedure' should match MAC address x1 to PC-name y1 and OEM key z1 which it will find in a list (database, file, ...) and use these variables when installing Windows 7. Nothing fancy. I think this can be achieved by using a database in MDT, right?

Auto-activation seems cool but is not required. Let's start easy :-).

[urie]

This is probably against MSFN Rules but there are kits out there..

If you mean autoactivating scripts for example.. How to label them i dont know..

Probably using scripts that checks biosbrand and then apply name for it.. Problem if theyre all the same.

I maybe getting mixed up here but xof is saying OEM not OEM:SLP but they could be OEM:SLP just he hasn't mentioned it

[xof]

I maybe getting mixed up here but xof is saying OEM not OEM:SLP but they could be OEM:SLP just he hasn't mentioned it

I see what you mean now. Nothing illegal going on here (if that's what you're getting at). I have here 15 custom built PC's and 15 OEM boxes of Windows 7. They all have a different key and need online activation. Does that clear that part up?

If I say auto-activation is not needed I mean that I will do that later on manually... Online activation is indeed needed whatsoever.

Edited September 15, 2010 by xof

[urie]

I maybe getting mixed up here but xof is saying OEM not OEM:SLP but they could be OEM:SLP just he hasn't mentioned it

I see what you mean now. Nothing illegal going on here (if that's what you're getting at). I have here 15 custom built PC's and 15 OEM boxes of Windows 7. They all have a different key and need online activation. Does that clear that part up?

If I say auto-activation is not needed I mean that I will do that later on manually... Online activation is indeed needed whatsoever.

I wasn't implying anything illegal, it was when grabben mention autoactivating scripts for windows 7. People on MSFN have been working with OEM SLP cd for years just look at OEMScan - Automated Multi Manufacture Pre-Activation Utility

[Tripredacus]

What I would do is create an unattend file that has everything but computer name or product key filled out. For the WinPE side, you can use the default installation key, but do not put one in the OOBE section. This is only if you are not booting to audit mode. Then what happens is that after the install is done, when Windows Welcome comes up, it will ask you for Computer Name and Product Key only and then go to the desktop.

[IcemanND]

As I don't use MDT I'm not sure exactly where you would put this, but you could have a script run after the image is dropped but before reboot to do a look up on the MAC address and then update the answer file with the computer name and corresponding license number.