• chraebsli@programming.dev
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    28 days ago

    you can activate any windows or office by using vlmcsd (https://github.com/Wind4/vlmcsd). you can selfhost it, choose any windows version like 11 pro or enterprise or office product like office 24 enterprise. activate it using your kms server and you can enter the matching licence key every so often to activate it. doesn’t cost a cent except hosting on 512mb/1cpu. i think there are public kms servers with vlmcsd too. obviously JUST FOR TESTING PURPOSES ;)

    • mech@feddit.org
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      28 days ago

      That’s the part that mystifies me. On the one hand, in an enterprise setting, it can be frustratingly difficult to license and activate your MS products, to the point where you cry out “Why do you make it so hard to give you our money?”
      And on the other hand, you can easily bypass the whole thing and get all their stuff for free.
      And it’s been that way for decades, so it doesn’t seem to be a mistake on their part.

      • funkajunk 🇨🇦@lemmy.world
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        28 days ago

        In an enterprise setting you’d use something like Active Directory-Based Activation.

        You store your KMS key in Active Directory, then any machine that contacts the domain controller will be activated.

      • chraebsli@programming.dev
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        28 days ago

        not sure about the legal side because when you install windows you accept eula and much more shit so im sure there is a sentence ‘only keys officially bought from and provided from microsoft shall be used.’