Now that OEM-SLP offline activation is feasible, can it be done after install (still offline)? that will save preparation of install media. present method is doing well. but need to prepare install media onto USB drive.
Am I doing some thing wrong? Win10 MRP test, the expected offline activated NOT shown up. today I was trying Win10 32-bit install on the same HP computer (yesterday did Win7 MRP test), using ver144 made USB drive using ISO downloaded from MSFT Windows 10 x86 (HP hdd is MRB, 32-bit test is good) Windows 10 indeed no OEM folder. I had to make a new OEM folder under 'Sources'. placed the extracted '$oem$' folder into there. boot and installed Windows 10 in BIOS CSM, when pop up to input Windows key, I did skip. <-- per mxman2k MDL Developer, this is NOT right. shouldn't be requested. when completed, verify computer activation, brand, , , <-- showing "unable to reach Windows activation servers". no offline activation? but HP brand is shown up. I tried several times on HP today. no luck so far. either the clean ISO install or the USB drive mod by v144, requested Windows key. (but on ASUS and Lenovo, Win10 doesn't request. i.e. the BIOS MRP passed. This HP has been running Win7. Never installed Win10. I have some HP upgraded to Win10, however no chance to get them today)
For Vista/7/Servers It can be activated offline, but, if you are going to have several brands like MRP does it can get complicated. For one or two brands in a install medium it fairly easy as all info is about on MDL, you just need to put it all together in a script with the certs etc. For w8.x-->w1x offline activation is not possible unless KMS emulator is used.
The 'OEM' folder will not work in this respect as it is the $OEM$ folder structure that is required because it is special as the Setup.exe copies that over in a certain way. Look inside the $OEM$ folder and you will see: $OEM$\$$\Setup\Scripts The $$ folder means to Windows Setup to copy the contents to '\Windows' then to 'Setup\Scripts' folders on the installed OS. You will need to read up on what it all means as i not have time to write it all out sorry. The instructions for MRP are correct in where it is placed, mess about and it will not work as Setup has a specific way in which it wants things. As per info on the first page of this thread: Simply copy the $OEM$ folder that you extract from the MRP archive into the Sources folder of your install medium, anywhere else and Setup will not find it.
As mentioned above for Windows 8.x and above there is no offline activation , apart from using a KMS emulator. I will not go into other methods as that is not part of this project.
You can always use Windows Loader by Daz after installation, if the SKU is OEM:SLP capable (Windows 7 Enterprise isn't). Does the computer have a valid MSDM table (with a valid OEM:DM key)? As it asks you probably haven't. Even then, this type of Windows OEM activation (OA3) still needs contact to MS servers to activate.
As for the OEM directory ($OEM$) in Sources, I'll leave that here for the few special cases where it applies: If you have a multi-DVD distribution (using split WIM aka SWM), the OEM directory must be on the last media. Otherwise, it won't be processed. That doesn't apply to multiple SWM parts on one media.
I knew the OEM folder (not to be confused with $OEM$) had some meaning but could not remember I was not sure if it was to to with a spanned WIM file system of some kind or that some OEM makers used it for their 'added *junk* extras' that are installed via other scripts.
To clarify, I'm referring to the $OEM$ directory holding the project. WIndows Setup will copy SWMs first to HDD and join them, then process the joined WIM. After copying, the last media stays in the drive and if the $OEM$ is not on that one, there is no MRP. Found out the hard way.
For the Query Tool v122 - i have lost my complete notes for what has been done so when it is released (very soon) the changelog will only have a few lines. Most is internal updates and would be boring reading anyway
1. Windows 7 OEM-SLP key is not stored in the BIOS. it is entered on install by a script in the custom branded OEM install media. (I am using Dell media but working for HP) 2. The SLIC table, if present, only has OEM identifier info, there is no key in that code. Factory Windows 7 OEM install does not activate online, it activates against the BIOS SLIC table. To obtain a valid digital license, my test has shown, If you upgrade first, you won't have to enter any key and you'll get a digital entitlement. After that you can clean install that same version of Windows 10 and just click skip when prompted for a key. If you clean install first (my test did, without upgrading first), you will be requested a Windows key and have to install the correct version for the key. My test is completed. It was to verify how to correctly upgrade OEM computer. Thanks for MRP's help.
Slic or software licence is a part of the bios that is set aside to allow the oem maker to use their own royalty product key and certificate for the purpose to activate the windows installation for vista,7 and servers. Later m$ used the msdm method which like slic contained the license table but also an embedded key which binds the key to the motherboard. This does away with the coa sticker with a key and also makes it harder to bypass. There are ways to get around it but that is nothing to do with the mrp project and won't be discussed here. Mrp reads the msdm key if present and inserts it during install only if the key is for the w8.x/w1x edition being installed and is a match, if not then you will probably be asked for a key during install or later on. Depending if a pid.txt or the ei.cfg file is used. Info about that is in the read me. As i mentioned before activation can be a complex thing, i not know the ins and outs of it all but enough for this project to function. The methods used in the project are nothing magical it is all based on the mechanisms that are easy to find on the ms documentation sites, it all just put together in scripts to automate the processes to theme/brand etc.
To clarify: Windows XP and Server 2003: OEM:SLP 1.0, that's a vendor text string in the DMI, some specific OEMBIOS files on the install media (making it brand-specific) and the matching OEM key. Windows Vista (except Enterprise) and Windows Server 2008: OEM:SLP 2.0, with a SLIC marker 2.0 table in BIOS, an OEM certificate and the OEM:SLP key. The latter is not brand-specific, the former two must match. Windows 7 (except Enterprise) and Windows Server 2008 R2:OEM:SLP 2.1, same as Vista but with the SLIC marker table being 2.1. Windows Server 2012: The same, with a SLIC marker 2.2. Windows Server 2012 R2: Same, but SLIC marker 2.3. Windows Server 2016: Dito, SLIC marker 2.4. Windows Server 2019: SLIC marker is 2.5. Windows Server 2021 (latest so far): SLIC marker 2.6. Next Server will possibly be SLIC 2.7. BUT Windows 8, 8.1, 10 and 11 (most Editions) support OA3.0 (MSDM), not OEM:SLP. This uses an MSDM table in BIOS/UEFI, with an embedded key that is unique for each machine. In your post you mentioned "Win10 MRP test" and expected offline activation. OEM offline activation is impossible for Windows 10 consumer Windows, as OEM:SLP is restricted to Servers, now. The one and only easy-to-use offline activation available for Windows 8 and beyond is KMS. But, that's Volume, not OEM, and MRP doesn't cover it..
about OA3xOriginalProductKey, is it key from MSDM ? or 'OEM' ? my laptop come pre activate with 'OEM' key.
OA3 key is the one from the MSDM table. There are also other OEM keys, like OEM:NSLP from a classic label, coming with the System Builder licenses or the Refurbished ones. You can check the key channel in any key checking tool. But "preactivation" is usually done by using the OEM:DM/OA3/MSDM key read and inserted during OOBE. It is not actually activated when you get it, in most cases, the activation is done automatically while you finish setting it up.