Activate a Device Automatically Using a Direct Internet Connection After OOBE (Standard 8)
7/8/2014
Learn how to automatically activate your Windows Embedded 8 Standard (Standard 8) device by using a direct Internet connection after OOBE.
You can set up your image to automatically activate by using a direct Internet connection after it is deployed. To activate your image this way, set a registry key on the master or reference image before it is generalized for deployment.
The activation process is as follows:
- Add registry key for auto activation to your image.
- Sysprep generalize the image for deployment to manufacturing.
- Deploy the image on the device.
- Start the device for the first time. The device contacts the Microsoft activation server over the Internet.
- The device is activated.
Prerequisites
- Direct Internet connection for your device.
- Your device’s master image has been created with a valid product key.
- Administrator user rights to the master or reference image.
To activate a device automatically using a direct internet connection after OOBE
On your master or reference device, open a command prompt with administrator user rights.
Type the following to add the registry key to cause auto activation:
Reg add HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce /v autoActivate /t REG_SZ /d “<system drive>:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato”In the command prompt window, navigate to the %systemdrive%\Windows\System32\Sysprep folder and generalize your image by typing
sysprep /generalize /oobe.
Deploy the generalized image to manufacturing. When this image is deployed to a device and the device is started for the first time, it will automatically activate when an Internet connection is available.