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        Specifying MAK Keys in Answer Files

Section(s): Deployment
Published on Sep 16, 2008.
Last Modified on Jul 03, 2008.
Last Modified by Mitch Tulloch.
Rating: Not Rated

Where do you specify a MAK key in an answer file for automating installation of Vista?

If you are deploying the volume-licensed Enterprise edition of Windows Vista, your computers can be activated either using a KMS server or by specifying a MAK key. But if you want to activate Windows by specifying a MAK key, where do you specify the MAK key in your answer file? The problem is, there are two places in an answer file you can specify a product key:

In the Microsoft-Windows-Setup\UserData\ProductKey component, which can be added to the windowsPE configuration pass section of your answer file.
In the Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup\OOBE\ProductKey component, which can be added to the specialize configuration pass section of your answer file.

For MAK keys, you can leave the windowsPE value blank and specify your MAK key in the specialize value.

For more information on deploying Vista, see my series of articles titled Deploying Vista right here on WindowsNetworking.com.

About Mitch Tulloch

Mitch Tulloch was lead author for the Windows Vista Resource Kit from Microsoft Press, which is the book for IT pros who want to deploy, maintain and support Windows Vista in mid- and large-sized network environments. Mitch was also the author of Introducing Windows Server 2008 and technical project lead for the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Resource Kit, both books also from Microsoft Press. For more information on these and other books by Mitch, see www.mtit.com .