Hi all,Up until now we've been using MAK activation for our server and desktop machines but, with W7 and W2K8R2 around the corner it seems like a good time to move to KMS.No problem so far but, what I can't quiteunderstand is that, if I install a KMS server what will happen: Will existing Vista MAK activated boxes reactivate using KMS? If I don't get 25 machines KMS activated by the end of the 30 day grace period for the first machine, will this machine then go into reduced functionality until we reach critical mass? These a probably very basic questions but, so far, I haven't seen an obvious answer in the documentationThanks for your helpP

Hi, Let me try to answer your questions: Q: Will existing Vista MAK activated boxes reactivate using KMS? A: Yes, after you install the KMS client key on the MAK client, you can activate this KMS client. For detailed steps, please refer to the Convert a MAK Activation Client to a KMS Client section in the following article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc303280.aspx#_Convert_a_MAK To activate Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, please install KB968912 on the KMS host first. After that, please Start and stop the service from an elevated cmd prompt: net stop slsvc net start slsvc Then your Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 KMS clients can be activated. Q: If I don't get 25 machines KMS activated by the end of the 30 day grace period for the first machine, will this machine then go into reduced functionality until we reach critical mass? A: You must have at least 25 KMS clients (Windows Vista + Windows Server 2008) or none of them will be activated. Related information: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925582 Hope it helps. Tim Quan - MSFT

Hi Tim,Sorry - I didn't get the notification of a reply (anti-spam problem).Well, I've realised that I'm not in a position to use KMS for desktops. We've been forced to stick with XP due to 3rd party apps and, being the only IT person here, I just don't have enough machines ready to be converted to KMS to hit the 30 day activation limit. I'll upgrade a few from XP to Win 7over the next few months (using MAK) so that I've got enough. Once I've hit the 20 needed (if you take servers into consideration) I'll convert them over a couple of days.Servers are a different matter - I'll use KMS for these as soon as I've set it up on an "old" DC.Thanks for your help! :)Cheers,P

Hi, Thanks for the response. Tim Quan - MSFT