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Effects of deploying a pre-installed image on a PC and its implication on WGA RRS feed

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    Hi

    We are looking at buying 22 Vista Business licenses with the intent to downgrading to XP Pro. We will be installing XP on 22 identical platforms.
    What we want to do is install the system on 1 PC with all its application, settings, accounts, etc, and then create a Hard disk image, via a 3rd party app, and then deploy that onto other PCs with the same function. This methods is also used for redeployment in cases where we get hardware failures, and require a quick turn around time to deploy a new image.
    Now what implications does that have on WGA? We intend to buy Retail version of Vista Business, so the license isn't tied down to any particular machine, but does that still cause WGA to flag that the system has changed and require us to get the license reactivated? Would we have to get a XP Pro Retail CD as well to implement the downgrade? or will an OEM one do?
    If we do have to ring up, is there anyway to get around this, since we have purchased Retail packs? Is it possible to install Windows on every PC, and get the data out regarding the computers unique configuration that WGA recordes and then deploy that onto the PC once an image has been deployed?

    In our previous implementation we use to do this on Windows 2000, where we didn't have WGA to contend with. We are currently doing a hardware upgrade, and must upgrade the OS as well.

    Regards
    Taniel
    Friday, May 22, 2009 4:23 AM

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    Hello Taniel,

    Thank you for visiting our forum today. Unfortunately this falls outside our support scope for the WGA Program. Please reference the following Microsoft sites for guidance:

    http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/licensing-options/spla-program.aspx

    http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/default.aspx


    You may call and ask for details regarding licensing. 


    Thank you Taniel,


    Stephen
    Attention All Forum Users: Please Do Not post your issue in someone else's Thread...Create your own which will help minimize confusion. If any post fixes your issue, please click the "Post was Helpful" button for that post. This will help us showcase the threads that best help our customers. Thank you, Stephen Holm
    • Marked as answer by Stephen Holm Friday, May 22, 2009 5:32 PM
    Friday, May 22, 2009 5:32 PM

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     Owners of the OEM editions of Vista Business and Vista Ultimate can downgrade to Windows XP Professional, including Tablet PC Edition and x64 Edition. Only the OEM editions qualify for a downgrade, so if you purchased a new PC with either Business or Ultimate preinstalled.

     All users of Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium, and anyone who upgraded to Vista using a retail edition of any of the operating system's SKUs will need to buy a Windows XP licence 

    How to downgrade:

         Install a copy of Windows XP Professional with the product key that came with the copy, and then when you hit the activation screen -- which is near the end of the installation process, select the activate by phone option rather than the online method. You'll end up talking with a live rep, tell him that you're downgrading from Vista to XP, and give him the Vista product key. The rep is supposed to walk you through the rest.



    In your specfic circumstance, you would install windows XP pro from a copy you already have. choose to activate later, prepare the computer with your SOE, sysprep the computer, take the image.

    when you put the image onto another computer, go through initial setup, choose the activate by phone and provide the rep with the Vista Key for that particular PC.


    Hope this helps.

    Atomic.

    Friday, May 22, 2009 5:53 AM
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    Hello Taniel,

    Thank you for visiting our forum today. Unfortunately this falls outside our support scope for the WGA Program. Please reference the following Microsoft sites for guidance:

    http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/licensing-options/spla-program.aspx

    http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/default.aspx


    You may call and ask for details regarding licensing. 


    Thank you Taniel,


    Stephen
    Attention All Forum Users: Please Do Not post your issue in someone else's Thread...Create your own which will help minimize confusion. If any post fixes your issue, please click the "Post was Helpful" button for that post. This will help us showcase the threads that best help our customers. Thank you, Stephen Holm
    • Marked as answer by Stephen Holm Friday, May 22, 2009 5:32 PM
    Friday, May 22, 2009 5:32 PM