RDP not accepting 2003 volume key

[DanYarrow]

Hi everyone

I am trying to deploy a windows 2003 server via RDP and all goes well apart from the fact that the unattended install is not accepting our volume key.. ?

I have tested and it accpets an eval key but not our MS provided volume key. Is there some option I have to add to the default.txt to enable the install to validate volume keys ?

- Dan

[pasquino bocci_1]

Hi,
probably you're using the wrong W2k3 CD!!!
it's not an RDP problem; with RDP you can just insert the cd key, no more.
pasquino

[DanYarrow]

I should have put this in the original post... I have used multiple ORIGINAL Volume CDs from Microsoft.

[Adrian Clint]

Dan

It should just work. But are the keys entered in RDP or have you typed them direct into the default.txt ?

Have you copied the default.txt from a windows 2000 to use on 2003? In your default.txt do you have
ProductKey=%w52productkey% (Windows 2003) or
ProductID=%w50productkey% (Windows 2000)

Are you editing the default.txt in osconfig\w52s and copying the files into \osdist\w52s? Or w52e for enterprise.

or do you have
ProductKey="HFGSH-FKSYS......." etc
A good check is to manually put the key IN DOUBLE QUOTES in the ProductKey key.

Are you putting an enterprise key in for a standard CD - or vice versa?
Are you putting an SP1 key in for a CD without a service pack - or vice versa?
Is it a volume key with a retail CD, or a volume key with an OEM CD?
All above can cause failure.
Are you sure the key works with the CD media you have? Have you tried using a key with the CD and just trying to do a manual install?

All the above I have seen be problems.

Adrian

[DanYarrow]

Hi Adrian

Thank you for your detailed reply. The problem was that we had an ISO made from an original volume CD which then had been slipstreamed with Service Pack 1.

This ISO works manually .. i.e boot off it and install manually with the volume key. What caught me was why didn't this work when we were using the same install files off this in the RDP lib\osdist ..... dir...

So today I when and found our original media and copied that in.. all worked fine.

I can't explain why it would work manually but not via unattended ..

Thanks again for your replies everyone.

[DanYarrow]

The problem has been resolved