Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Licensing

Taken from Microsoft Site:


Brief Description
Volume licensing editions of Microsoft Office 2010 suites and applications, Microsoft Project 2010 and Microsoft Visio 2010 require activation. Key Management Service (KMS) is a local volume activation method. To activate your Office 2010 client installations with KMS, you will need to set up a KMS host. KMS Licensing is recommended if you have 50 or more workstations.


Overview
An Office 2010 KMS host is required if you want to use KMS activation for your volume license editions of Office 2010 suites or applications, Microsoft Project 2010 or Microsoft Visio 2010. When Office 2010 volume edition client products are installed, they will automatically search for a KMS host on your organization’s DNS server for activation. All volume editions of Office 2010 client products are pre-installed with a KMS client key, so you will not need to install a product key.

The download contains an executable file that will extract and install KMS host license files. Run the file on either 32-bit or 64-bit supported Windows operating systems (Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2008 R2). These license files are required for the KMS host service to recognize Office 2010 KMS host keys. It will also prompt you to enter your Office 2010 KMS host key and activate that key. After this is done, you may need to use the slmgr.vbs script to further configure your KMS host.

Microsoft Office KMS clients are only activated when five or more than five computers with MS Office installed attempt to get activated using the KMS host. In case of operating systems (e.g. Windows Vista and Windows 7), activation starts after 25 or more than 25 computers with Windows client request for activation.


Instructions
Follow these steps to set up a KMS host:

1. If you are running Windows Server 2003, you will need to perform this extra step. You will need to download and run the files below:
   Windows Server 2003 32-bit 
   Windows Server 2003 64-bit
2. Download and run the KeyManagementServiceHost.exe file on this page on a supported operating system.
3. Enter your Office 2010 KMS host key when prompted. 
4. Click OK to continue with activation. 
5. Open port 1688 and allow the KMS host service through the firewall.
   Windows 7 volume editions or Windows Server 2008 R2.
   Open Control Panel and click on the Windows Firewall icon.
   Click on the “Allow a program through Windows Firewall” link.
   Click on the Change Settings button.
   Check the box for Key Management Service. 
6. Read the documentation to learn more about configuring your KMS host (including activation by telephone) with slmgr.vbs at TechNet.

Associated link: Office 2010 Administrative Template files (ADM, ADMX/ADML) and Office Customization Tool 

Adding Network Shares as a Library Location

Is it possible in, Windows 7, to add a network share as a library location?

If you have your music files stored on a server on your network. When you try to add the share \\ServerName\Share as a libray location you get the error ”This folder cannot be included because it is on a share that is not indexed.”

The help link in the error message does not provide usefull information regarding this.

If you have you media files stored on a Microsoft Server you can add the share to the library if you install Microsoft Windows Search 4.0.

Once installed do not try adding the share to the library until the indexing has been completed. (You get a glowing magnifying glass in the right of the task bar.

If you use a NAS device that can not run the latest Windows Indexing service then the following may help.

Make a bootable USB drive to install Windows 7

Update for previous blog, from the following garyshort.org

Step 1 – Create a bootable USD Drive

1. The first thing you need is a USB drive. (Ensure you backup an existing USB drive as you will be wiping the drive.)
2. Open a command prompt as administrator.
3. Get the drive number by typing:
   diskpart
   list disk
   On my machine the USB disk was number 1.
4. Format the drive by typing:
   select disk 1
   clean
   create partition primary
   select partition 1
   active
   format fs=NTFS
   assign
   exit
5. Mount the Windows 7 iso using Daemon Tools or similar.
6. Navigate to the boot directory cd E:\boot
7. Using bootsect, make the USB drive a bootable NTFS drive, ready for a Windows 7 image (my drive was labeled G):
   bootsect /nt60 G:
8. We are finished with the command prompt now, so you can close it.

Step 2 – Copy the installation files from the mounted Windows 7 iso to the USB drive. (All files)

Step 3 – Install on the Netbook

1. Plug in the USB drive and turn on the netbook
2. On start up press to select the bootable drive (On ASUS Eee PC press Esc at boot up for Boot selection.)
3. Select the USB drive and press return
4. The netbook will boot from the USB drive and the installation will begin
5. Install as normal.

Links:

See this blog for additional information on Windows 7 on Asus Eee PC 901.

Installing Windows 7 via USB or SD Media

You can install Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista from USB or whatever other removable media your computer can boot from? Insert your removable media into a Windows XP or Vista PC and run the following commands from an elevated command prompt.

1. diskpart
2. list disk (find the disk number for the removable media)
3. select disk #
4. clean
5. create partition primary
6. select partition 1
7. active
8. format fs=fat32
9. assign letter=y (or any free drive letter)
10. exit

Once that is complete mount the ISO and run the following command.

xcopy x:\*.* /s/e/f y:\

Where “x” is the drive letter of the mounted ISO. Once complete boot off the device and install the OS. When a new Windows 7 or 2008 R2 build is released, simply delete the contents, rerun the xcopy command and you are ready to go again.

Link: http://thelazyadmin.com/blogs/thelazyadmin/archive/2009/01/08/installing-windows-7-via-usb-or-sd-media.aspx

Windows 7 and Asus Eee PC 901

Problem with the Black screen during boot up.

There is a conflict with the Asus BIOS and Windows 7. This occurs because the Operating system does not use the Netbooks screen as the first option during the login phase.

Quick Fix:
When the black screen has been displayed for a short while, lightly press the power button. This puts the Netbook to sleep. Lightly press the power button again wakes the Netbook and displays the login box.

Longer term fix:
Set the User account to auto login (Not recommended for secure systems.) and run a script to display the screen on the monitor.

Auto Login For Window 7 (and Windows Vista)

1. Go to start
2. Type netplwiz in the search box
3. Select the user from which you want to login automatically and uncheck the box “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer”.
4. Enter the password of the account in the box.
5. Click ok

Setup the display script

1. Just open notepad and save this code as a .bat file in the startup folder found in the start-menu:
   
   displayswitch /extend
   displayswitch /internal
   
   
2. Start menu location:
   C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Links: http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=58307