No. You will have to activate manually or add the key in an answer file during the install if you need it to be "automatic".

Are you trying to activate an already installed OS? or are you trying to install but are stopped by a license key message?

Hi

the OS is already installed, but the motherboard was never sold with server2008 from new. and i need a board that activates on it own.

ive have 2 other boards than will activate but they have other issues.

thanks

It can't be added post-production. You will need to activate manually.

is it possible to use a system that came with server 2012an d use 2008?

Yes, 2012 can be downgraded to 2008. You can install any OS you want, regardless of what it came with.

Hi the OS is already installed, but the motherboard was never sold with server2008 from new. and i need a board that activates on it own. ive have 2 other boards than will activate but they have other issues. thanks

With Dell PE T610 BIOS, the SLIC table is either locked if the system is sold without an OS or it is unlocked if sold with an OS. If the BIOS SLIC table is unlocked, then it can be used in conjunction with a matching Dell  xrm-ms licence certificate file and Dell SLP product key that is part of the Dell OS install disks. In this way the OS is self activated without needing internet access.

As such, there are Dell proprietary utilities that can perform the SLIC table unlocking but these are not something that can be publiclly downloaded and i'd guess not something to discuss on a Dell forum.

And if a PE server has a motherboard fault where the motherboard is replaced under warranty, then the technician would have the tools to add all the required system specific data and unlock the SLIC table as appropriate.

So if your system came with an OS and you replaced a mobo due to fault, then Dell Support may be able to help but i don't think you can get this help from this forum.

another question

so if i load server 2008 on a system that came with 2012 should it still auto activate?

It will not activate automatically, but you can activate it. A system that shipped from Dell with 2012, if ordered with recovery media, would have shipped with 2008 and 2008 R2 media with accompanying keys for activating the downgrade. If you don't have the media and keys, you will have to obtain them - either OEM media ordered from Dell or using your own.

Hi

Normally when a board has been faulty, i buy another one in and the system just activates. im using a pre created image created from dell oem media. i think the last one i tried never had server 2008 sold with it so wont ever auto activate.

Vista, 7 & 2008R2 use similar mechanisms to auto activate the OS. Namely the BIOS contains a SLIC table and a matching xrm-ms license certificate file and OEM SLP volume license key are installed during OEM OS install process (via slmgr.vbs commands). However, i'm not sure about Win10 & 2012 OS family but IIRC these use a OEM product key that is embedded in the BIOS and teh install process checks for it.

Whether a specific BIOS can contain both a SLIC table (for 2008r2) and OEM product key (for 2012) i do not know.

If you've been able to simple buy a replacement board and install it into an existing system with OS auto activating, possibly you have been lucky as it's not a forgone conclusion that it will always work, especially if it's a new mobo without the required OEM licensing data having been added to BIOS .

Buying second hand mobo is pot luck but if it ran a OEM version of 2008R2 and you bought it to replace a faulty mobo that also ran 2008R2, it should auto activate (but it's not a forgone conclusion that the mobo is as described by the seller).

Bottom line is that if your machine is licensed, it will have a COA (if pre Win2012) and the COA will have a product key that you can use to activate an install (as long as the correct media was used)...

I've not bought a system with 2012 so don't know where product keys are documented but i'd trust what theflash' said :emotion-5:

Cheers.

Hi All

Thanks for info.