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Question about Windows KMS (Key Management System)

Adam8281

Adam8281

Platinum Member
Through my university I can get a free copy of Windows 7 Enterprise. I am thinking of installing it on my laptop. I see that Enterprise's method of activation is through a KMS: a Key Management System. My understanding of what this means is that my installation of Windows will authorize itself by connecting to a KMS server run by my university.

My question is this: do Windows installations that are authorized by a KMS have to reauthenticate regularly in order to not lose their "activated" status. I'll graduate in a year, so it would be a real pain to install an OS that will die on me once I am not connecting to the school network.
 
Thanks for the info. So why in the world would a school ink a M$ deal where students install OS's that have to reconnect every 6 months or die? I mean, the school has sent out e-mails advising students to buy laptops with the "cheapest" version of Windows they can get, since they can upgrade to Win7 for free through the school. But if the Win7 install is going to die 6 months after graduation, well, that seems like a non-ideal situation.
 
Well, I called my university's IT department and asked for an MAK key and they gave it to me, so issue solved. Thanks everyone.
 
Congrats on the MAK key, but I'm assuming this is through MSDNAA? If so, the terms of the agreement are that the OS is to be used while being a student. After that, you're supposed to surrender the license, so in that case a KMS key would actually be a good move for MS as it would be easier for them to enforce the end of the academic license.
 
That's true. I'm not sure if it's through MSDNAA. It's a deal M$ and Duke University just signed (http://www.oit.duke.edu/news/2...9_06_29_microsoft.php). If it is a license that is supposed to expire when one is no longer a student, it seems kind of crummy for IT to be recommending students to "buy a computer with the cheapest version of windows" so that they can upgrade for free. If non-computer savvy people do that, and then their OS expires after they graduate, they might not know what to do.
 
It's tough to tell from that article whether it's MSDNAA or not. But the fact that it's a site license leads me to believe that it's academic of some sort, meaning that it's probably licensed for students and faculty. This would most likely fall back on the MSDNAA licesnse. But hey, congrats on the MAK key again!
 
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