Re: How To Activate Windows Server Without Product Key
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How to activate Windows Server without product key
Windows Server is a server operating system developed by Microsoft that provides various features and functionalities for businesses and organizations. To use Windows Server, you need to activate it with a valid product key or a digital license. However, there are some scenarios where you may not have a product key or a digital license, such as:
- You are using a volume licensing edition of Windows Server and you want to activate it with a Key Management Services (KMS) host on your local network.
- You are using a trial version of Windows Server and you want to extend the evaluation period.
- You are using a pre-installed version of Windows Server on a virtual machine (VM) and you want to activate it with Automatic VM Activation (AVMA).
In this article, we will show you how to activate Windows Server without product key in these scenarios.
Activate Windows Server with KMS
KMS is a service that allows you to activate multiple computers running Windows Server or Windows client with a single KMS host. The KMS host is a computer that runs a special software and has a KMS host key. The KMS clients are the computers that run Windows Server or Windows client and have a Generic Volume License Key (GVLK). The GVLK is a product key that tells the KMS client to look for a KMS host on the network for activation.
To use KMS, you need to have a KMS host available on your local network. You can create a KMS host by installing the Volume Activation Services role on a computer running Windows Server and entering the KMS host key. You can get the KMS host key from the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) if you have a volume licensing agreement with Microsoft.
Once you have a KMS host, you need to install the GVLK on the computers that you want to activate as KMS clients. You can find the GVLKs for each version and edition of Windows Server and Windows client in [this article]. To install a GVLK, open an administrative command prompt on the KMS client, and run the following command:
slmgr /ipk <product key> Replace <product key> with the GVLK for your version and edition of Windows Server or Windows client. For example, to install the GVLK for Windows Server 2022 Datacenter edition, run the following command:
slmgr /ipk WX4NM-KYWYW-QJJR4-XV3QB-6VM33 After installing the GVLK, the KMS client will try to contact the KMS host on the network and request activation. The activation will be valid for 180 days and will be renewed automatically every seven days as long as the KMS client can reach the KMS host. You can check the activation status of your KMS client by running the following command:
slmgr /dlv Extend Windows Server trial period
If you are using a trial version of Windows Server, you can extend the evaluation period up to three times, for a total of 180 days. To do this, you need to run the following command in an administrative command prompt before the trial period expires:
slmgr /rearm This command will reset the licensing status of your Windows Server and extend the trial period for another 60 days. You can check how many times you can run this command by running the following command:
slmgr /dlv Look for the value of "Remaining rearm count" in the output. If it is zero, you cannot extend the trial period anymore and you need to activate your Windows Server with a product key or a digital license.
Activate Windows Server on VM with AVMA
AVMA is a feature that allows you to activate Windows Server running on a VM without requiring any additional configuration or management. To use AVMA, you need to have a Hyper-V host that runs Windows Server Datacenter edition and is activated with a product key or a digital license. The Hyper-V host will act as an activation server for the VMs that run Windows Server.
To activate Windows Server on a VM with AVMA, you need to install the AVMA key on the VM. You can find the AVMA keys for each version and edition of Windows Server in [this article]. To install an AVMA key, open an administrative command prompt on the VM, and run the following command:
slmgr /ipk <product key> Replace <product key> with the AVMA key for your version and edition of Windows Server. For example, to install the AVMA key for Windows Server 2022 Datacenter edition, run the following command:
slmgr /ipk NTBV8-9K7Q8-V27C6-M2BTV-KHMXV After installing the AVMA key, the VM will try to contact the Hyper-V host on the network and request activation. The activation will be valid for 180 days and will be renewed automatically every seven days as long as the VM can reach the Hyper-V host. You can check the activation status of your VM by running the following command:
slmgr /dlv Conclusion
In this article, we showed you how to activate Windows Server without product key in three scenarios: using KMS, extending the trial period, and using AVMA. We hope this article was helpful for you and you were able to activate your Windows Server successfully. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below.
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