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| Author |
Can I use an MSDN version of Win Server 2003 as a base for customer image
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| Hi, I was just wondering if I could use the MSDN version of Windows
Server 2003 to create images that would be shipped to customers. The
customer would still need to purchase the appropriate license key from
a Microsoft Rep. to activate it. Can I do this or would this be seen
as being evil on Microsoft's part? If I can't do this, is the solution
then to get a commercial copy of Server 2003, install it on a server,
sysprep it and make the image from that version?
Thanks for your help.
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| Carey Frisch [MVP] 2005-10-24, 6:55 pm |
| No, you cannot use MSDN CDs and make copies for customers
as it would violate your MSDN license agreement. You'll
have to purchase a conventional Windows Server 2003 license
and include the COA, the original Microsoft holographic CD, and all
documentation for shipment to a customer.
--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/
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"Pasc" wrote:
| Hi, I was just wondering if I could use the MSDN version of Windows
| Server 2003 to create images that would be shipped to customers. The
| customer would still need to purchase the appropriate license key from
| a Microsoft Rep. to activate it. Can I do this or would this be seen
| as being evil on Microsoft's part? If I can't do this, is the solution
| then to get a commercial copy of Server 2003, install it on a server,
| sysprep it and make the image from that version?
|
| Thanks for your help.
| |
|
| Thanks for your speedy reply!
I'm not sending a copy of the MSDN disc per say, what I would do is
install the MSDN on a server, install certain additional drivers and
programs and do a sysprep on the server. I would then use a program
like Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost to generate a disc that the
customer would use to install. However, they obviously need to
activate it and so would need to buy the full MS disc with product key.
They would never need to use the genuine MS disc, just its product
key. Sorry about that, I guess I should have been clearer. So can I
do this? I need this so that the customer will not have a chance to
blow the installation and to keep things as simple as possible for him.
| |
| Carey Frisch [MVP] 2005-10-24, 6:55 pm |
| No you cannot do that. You would need to purchase a
conventional Windows Server 2003 CD and license before
making an image.
--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/
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"Pasc" wrote:
| Thanks for your speedy reply!
|
| I'm not sending a copy of the MSDN disc per say, what I would do is
| install the MSDN on a server, install certain additional drivers and
| programs and do a sysprep on the server. I would then use a program
| like Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost to generate a disc that the
| customer would use to install. However, they obviously need to
| activate it and so would need to buy the full MS disc with product key.
| They would never need to use the genuine MS disc, just its product
| key. Sorry about that, I guess I should have been clearer. So can I
| do this? I need this so that the customer will not have a chance to
| blow the installation and to keep things as simple as possible for him.
| |
|
| I guess I'm going out to purchase Server 2003.
Thanks for your time Carey
| |
| Thomas Tomiczek [MVP] 2005-10-25, 3:55 am |
| Let's just forget the crap of licensing here - if you ahve a license, this
is all that is needed, technically. If MS does a license check, they
comparen umbers of servers with nmumbers of licenses, not whether a specific
server was based / built using an MSDN license or not.
There STILL are reasons not to do it. This basically is that you run your
MSDN installs out of a limited number of installations that you have. While
it may be grey area if the customer basically ackquires the licenses, the
main issue is that:
* You give the customer your install key, which he can use to install more,
and it maybe tracked to you, and...
* You use one of the limited number of installs you have, which limits your
use of the MSDN subscription - purely on the technicality of limited
activations.
It is not advisable.
--
Regards
Thomas Tomiczek
THONA Software & Consulting Ltd.
(Microsoft MVP C#/.NET)
(CTO PowerNodes Ltd.)
---
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"Pasc" <alt_pasc@yahoo.ca> wrote in message
news:1130188223.971531.78500@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Thanks for your speedy reply!
>
> I'm not sending a copy of the MSDN disc per say, what I would do is
> install the MSDN on a server, install certain additional drivers and
> programs and do a sysprep on the server. I would then use a program
> like Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost to generate a disc that the
> customer would use to install. However, they obviously need to
> activate it and so would need to buy the full MS disc with product key.
> They would never need to use the genuine MS disc, just its product
> key. Sorry about that, I guess I should have been clearer. So can I
> do this? I need this so that the customer will not have a chance to
> blow the installation and to keep things as simple as possible for him.
>
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