MS License re-activation prompts

[Peter_Channing]

I know the issue is more likely MS related, but wanted to see if anyone out there has experienced the same issues and if so if there was anything that they did to fix or suppress the prompts or if they could be safely ignored.

After deploying Microsoft Server 2003 or 2008 virtual servers from our golden image, patching and completeing the license activation procedure, some machines begin to prompt for windows license re-activation. I havent determined a patern as of yet, but I suspect that it occurs after a VMware Tools upgrade.

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

Peter

[jdptechnc]

Windows might prompt to reactivate if it detects a significant hardware change, but an update of VMware tools shouldn't trigger that.

When you deploy from a template and sysprep, it will want to activate at that time as well.  Windows 2008 gives you 3 days, I think, before it will force make you activate.  Even if you activated your gold template, your new VM is a new insance of Windows, and it will want to activate it.