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Method #2: Use a Script

You can create a WMI script that changes the volume licensing product key, and then deploy this script in a startup script. The sample ChangeVLKey2600.vbs script and the sample ChangeVLKeySP1 script that are described in this section use the new volume licensing key that you want to enter, in its five-part alphanumeric form, as a single argument. Microsoft recommends that you use the ChangeVLKey2600.vbs script on Windows XP-based computers that are not running SP1 and that you use the ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs script on Windows XP-based computers that are running SP1. These scripts perform the following functions:

They remove the hyphen characters (-) from the five-part alphanumeric product key.

They create an instance of the win32_WindowsProductActivation class.
They call the SetProductKey method with the new volume licensing product key.

You can create a batch file or a CMD file that uses either of the following sample scripts, together with the new product key as an argument, and either deploy it as part of a startup script or run it from the command line to change the product key on a single computer.

ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs

' ' WMI Script - ChangeVLKey.vbs ' ' This script changes the product key on the computer ' '*************************************************************************** ON ERROR RESUME NEXT if Wscript.arguments.count<1 then Wscript.echo "Script can't run without VolumeProductKey argument" Wscript.echo "Correct usage: Cscript ChangeVLKey.vbs ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PRSTU-WYQZX" Wscript.quit end if Dim VOL_PROD_KEY VOL_PROD_KEY = Wscript.arguments.Item(0) VOL_PROD_KEY = Replace(VOL_PROD_KEY,"-","") 'remove hyphens if any for each Obj in GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}").InstancesOf ("win32_WindowsProductActivation") result = Obj.SetProductKey (VOL_PROD_KEY) if err <> 0 then WScript.Echo Err.Description, "0x" & Hex(Err.Number) Err.Clear end if Next

ChangeVLKey2600.vbs

' ' WMI Script - ChangeVLKey.vbs ' ' This script changes the product key on the computer ' '*************************************************************************** ON ERROR RESUME NEXT if Wscript.arguments.count<1 then Wscript.echo "Script can't run without VolumeProductKey argument" Wscript.echo "Correct usage: Cscript ChangeVLKey.vbs ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PRSTU-WYQZX" Wscript.quit end if Dim VOL_PROD_KEY VOL_PROD_KEY = Wscript.arguments.Item(0) VOL_PROD_KEY = Replace(VOL_PROD_KEY,"-","") 'remove hyphens if any Dim WshShell Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell") WshShell.RegDelete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WPAEvents\OOBETimer" 'delete OOBETimer registry value for each Obj in GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}").InstancesOf ("win32_WindowsProductActivation") result = Obj.SetProductKey (VOL_PROD_KEY) if err <> 0 then WScript.Echo Err.Description, "0x" & Hex(Err.Number) Err.Clear end if Next

Example

The following example describes how to use the ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs script from a command line:

Click Start, and then click Run.

In the Open box, type the following command, where AB123-123AB-AB123-123AB-AB123 is the new product key that you want to use, and then click OK:

c:\changevlkeysp1.vbs ab123-123ab-ab123-123ab-ab123