Applying a product key via WIM manager vs. Autounattend Answer File

[yogurt]

What is the difference between applying a Product Key via WIM manager and Applying a product key via the Unattended Tool?

If their is a difference, what is difference in the in mechanics behind the two methods?

Any one?

* Bump *

Edited November 4, 2012 by Legolash2o

[Legolash2o]

No idea, sorry. I'm sure the answer is on Google somewhere Unattended is definitely not my strong area.

[yogurt]

Lego, thanks for your insight. I have searched google, but my keywords to not yeild any answers pertaining to how the Win Toolkit WiM Manager tool which is where I found the option in question. Nor does searching the forum at WinCert yield any info.

I was just curious as to why Win Tool Kit has two sections to apply a Product Key. one section in Unattended Tool and the other in WIM Manager Tool.

I'll leave the question open for anyone else who might have some further insight.

Edited November 4, 2012 by dotfusion

[myselfidem]

Using WIM Manager integrate the Key inside the image and we don't need to add the key inside Autounattend.xml file.

If the key isn't integrate with WIM Manager, we must add the key inside Autounattend.xml file for the silent installation.

HTH

Edited November 4, 2012 by myselfidem

[yogurt]

Thank you for your response myselfidem. The spontaneous question that comes to min is, when integrating the key using WIM Manager, where on the image is the key saved? More importantly, is the key integrated to the WIM encrypted or is stored in a plain text file?

Edited November 4, 2012 by dotfusion

[myselfidem]

However I not tested to integrate the key using WIM Manager with WinToolkit.

I made many times using DISM /Set-Productkey to create SetProductKey on my sig below.

However I don't know where is saved the key inside install.wim image and if this one is crypted...

But we can try, and after the key is integrated, mounting a new time the image to look where is located the key!

*Edit: I'm trying a new test to see where the key is located. Maybe this can be found inside the dism.log file inside the mounted image. I tell you later, if I found!

Edited November 4, 2012 by myselfidem

[yogurt]

le document en question de votre compte mediafire sont mis à privé. vos autres documents intéressant de regarder. Puis-je avoir un coup d'oeil?

[myselfidem]

Of course (bien sûr)!

You can click on my sig below: SetProductkey to download the file. I just tested and works fine. And all the files you can see are available to download. Try again and let me know. Thanks

However, you can try this download link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?uss84mzbqo91q

Edited November 4, 2012 by myselfidem

[myselfidem]

After looking at the key inside the mounted image, I see that the integrated key using: DISM /Set-ProductKey is inside the registry of the selected image with hexadecimal values!

How to know that?

1 - We can mount the customized image inside a temp folder (example Windows 7 Starter)

2 - We need to load the hive WIM_Software using a batch file:

Hive.cmd

@echo off
Color 0A
echo.
"C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\x86\Servicing\Dism.exe" /Mount-Wim /Wimfile:"C:\Se7en\sources\install.wim" /index:1 /MountDir:"C:\zMount"
echo.
pause
reg.exe load HKLM\WIM_Software "C:\zMount\Windows\System32\config\SOFTWARE"
echo.
pause

Once done, we can use Powershell with this code to convert the DigitalID Product of Windows 7 Starter Key:

Open Powershell and copy/past this code (available for the loaded hive:WIM_Software):

function Get-ProductKey {
$map="BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
$value = (get-itemproperty "HKLM:\WIM_Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion").digitalproductid[0x34..0x42]
$ProductKey = ""
for ($i = 24; $i -ge 0; $i--) {
	 $r = 0
	 for ($j = 14; $j -ge 0; $j--) {
	 $r = ($r * 256) -bxor $value[$j]
	 $value[$j] = [math]::Floor([double]($r/24))
	 $r = $r % 24
	 }
	 $ProductKey = $map[$r] + $ProductKey
	 if (($i % 5) -eq 0 -and $i -ne 0) {
	 $ProductKey = "-" + $ProductKey
	 }
}
$ProductKey
}
Get-ProductKey

We can see the result matching the key integrated using DISM /Set-ProductKey with Powershell.

Help found here:

http://powershell.co...roduct-key.aspx

Images (Loaded WIM_Software hive, and Powershell matching the integrated key).

Edited November 5, 2012 by myselfidem

[yogurt]

@myselfidem

Bravo, excellent work my friend. thank you for sharing this command.

en français :: Bravo, excellent travail mon ami. merci pour le partage de cette commande

[myselfidem]

Thanks dotfusion!

We can also use this batch file to know the Windows key inside runing Operating System using powershell:

Get-Productkey.cmd

;@echo off & Title Get-Productkey
;Findstr -rbv ; %0 | powershell -c -
;goto:sCode

Function Get-ProductKey
{
$map="BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
$value = (get-itemproperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion").digitalproductid[0x34..0x42]
$ProductKey = ""
for ($i = 24; $i -ge 0; $i--) {
	 $r = 0
	 for ($j = 14; $j -ge 0; $j--) {
	 $r = ($r * 256) -bxor $value[$j]
	 $value[$j] = [math]::Floor([double]($r/24))
	 $r = $r % 24
	 }
	 $ProductKey = $map[$r] + $ProductKey
	 if (($i % 5) -eq 0 -and $i -ne 0) {
	 $ProductKey = "-" + $ProductKey
	 }
}
$ProductKey
}
Get-ProductKey


Get-ProductKey >C:\Productkey.txt

;:sCode
;echo.
;echo = Windows Key saved at C:\Productkey.txt file =
;echo.
;pause & goto :eof

Found help here:

http://dmitrysotniko...e/#comment-4047

We can also change the reg key path to know the key inside the mounted image and change the reg key to:

HKLM:\WIM_Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

Enjoy!

Get-ProductKey.rar

Edited November 7, 2012 by myselfidem

[Legolash2o]

I was just curious as to why Win Tool Kit has two sections to apply a Product Key. one section in Unattended Tool and the other in WIM Manager Tool.

Some people prefer the unattended file method whilst others prefer just to enter a command for the serial key, it's in there because someone requested it.

[myselfidem]

Thanks Legolash2o for the two methods!

Integrating keys is useful if we want choose the image customised to install without adding the keys inside the Autounattend.xml file.