Implementing OEM Activation

OEM activation uses the resources of the Microsoft OEM partner or system builder to activate each operating system as it is installed. OEMs can install images based on both OEM and volume-licensed media during the installation process. Most systems that OEMs sell include a standard build of Windows Vista preactivated by the manufacturer. Additional scenarios present themselves for large companies that negotiate system imaging with the OEM. This guide presents these scenarios for completeness, but they have no bearing on deployment using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 (MDT 2008), which is designed to use volume-licensed media and applications.

Drawbacks of OEM activations include reliance on the OEM for system-imaging ...

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