Why cant I use KMS activation to activate Windows 7 on my Samsung laptop purchased with Windows 8?

Problem

Windows 7 KMS Product Activation may not work on Samsung laptops purchased with Windows 8 (non-Pro). You may not be able to activate Windows 7 machines using a Key Management Server (KMS) on these models. KMS Activation is a common method of performing Microsoft Product Activation on large numbers of machines (more than 25) in an organisation.

Cause

This is caused by the Windows 8 BIOS of the Samsung machine not having the necessary SLIC tables for Windows 7 activation. As Windows 8 (non-Pro) does not have any downgrade rights to Windows 7, these SLIC tables have not been included.

Windows 7 KMS activation requires that the machine was purchased with an eligible version of Windows. Windows 8 (non-Pro) is not eligible as Windows 8 does not have downgrade rights.

Work Around

• Purchase machines that have downgrade rights to Windows 7 (for example, purchase machines which include a Windows 8 Pro license)
• Use a Multiple Activation (MAK) key instead of KMS. Please note that you will need to check your licensing agreement for the eligibility and availability of a MAK key for Windows 7 for your organisation. You may need to adjust your software image or image deployment method for the replacement method. Ensure that you are licensed to use this method.
• Purchase machines that already have a suitable Windows 7 license for you to upgrade to your intended Windows 7 product.

Additional Information

• See Microsoft KB Article 942962

Applies to:

• Samsung branded notebook products sold with Windows 8 (non-Pro)
• Potentially other branded notebooks, such as Toshiba, sold with the same operating system