Is AutoKMS legit or not?

pintree3 · 27 Jul 2016

I just received a laptop from my school. I teach here. And here happens to be in China, whereby not all that should be legit is necessarily so. Along with my Dell laptop I could see Office 2010 Pro had been installed and, having installed Avast antivirus, it detected and took care of "AutoKMS.exe" A search shows it to be a hack tool in some cases and perfectly legit in other cases. For the time being I have uninstalled the Office 2010 (If it is a legit copy I could always have it reinstalled--I would assume), Anyhow, though the 'exe' has been quarantined by Avast the folder, found in the 'Windows' directory, along with 2 files still exist. One file is 'AutoKMS.ini' and the other is 'AutoKMS.log'.
So is it legit or what? Meanwhile as I wait for a reply here I am upgrading my laptop's OS to Windows 10.
Thanks

derekimo · 27 Jul 2016

Not legit in any instance I've ever seen, besides being an activation crack it can carry malware depending on it's source.

I know you said you are upgrading to 10, if that has not actually started you can post this log,

Windows Genuine and Activation Issue Posting Instructions

Overall, I'd say something is fishy on your laptop.

pintree3 · 27 Jul 2016

Hi derekimo

OK so I was right in my assumption. Thanks. I am also assuming then that the copy of Office 10 was not legit so was right in uninstalling it. And I could easily delete the kms folder holding those 2 files, correct?
Should I give you guys these 2 extra files (the ini and log files) so you can see what is inside them?

As to Win 10, it is in the process of downloading. I had done so overnight and when I woke up it had stopped. I had to restart it since the connection here is very, very slow. It is now at 85% as we "speak"

Thanks again.
[derekimo: I remember you.

It has been a while since I've come here.]

derekimo · 27 Jul 2016

Hi there,

Yeah, deleting those files is a good idea, we don't need them so you can just get rid of them.

The only info I was curious about was the log from those instructions but it is a moot point now.

If it was mine, I would be concerned about the validity of the OS too, just to make sure.

I'm sure some others will come along with more info.

You're welcome, I remember you too. :)

Barman58 · 27 Jul 2016

Just to clarify ...

Volume licensing of Microsoft products requires that a set number of purchased licences are distributed amongst the companies users so that only the correct number of licences are in use at any one time. This means that they are issued to specific systems and checked regularly to ensure that only legitimate licenses ire in use.

To cover for laptop use where these are not in contact with the server for long periods there is a delay of up to 90 days before the licence expires automatically.

For systems that will likely be away from base for longer periods there is also the option of using a Multiple Access Key, (MAK), which works a normal retail Key but with a set number of concurrent activations, (Microsoft are aware of these keys and their use and could take action against the company if it was found to be using more activations than it had licences, up to and including blacklisting specific keys.

There are a number of these blacklisted keys around on the internet a quick search of the last eight characters of the key will often alert you to such keys should you be offered one or find one on your system after a re-install by some unscrupulous stores or individuals

The KMS, Key Management Server, is a legit Microsoft service that runs on The server and controls the allocation, revocation, and regular checks for the Keys for volume licence versions of Microsoft licensed products.

There are various illegal versions of this service that is used to pirate Microsoft software by running on the local system to either spoof a key and renew it, or some even modify the system code to have the system contact an illegal KMS server, (often in China or the former soviet block), with all the known potential for malware, key-logging and other issues to be expected from these sources

There is no legitimate version of a KMS server that runs on a local system.

pintree3 · 27 Jul 2016

Ok so here I am back to square one I guess since the KMS could be legit as it can be not legit. The question now remaining is how do we verify this? Or is there a place where I can get a legal copy of this KMS to make sure all is as it should be.

The other question would be is the KMS for Office, for the OS or for both?
I assume the OS is legit but this too is only an assumption. I say I assume it is only because it is a Dell laptop (yes, many were bought at the same time, I think 35) and shouldn't Dells be automatically with a legit OS?

Win10 (without the KMS.exe present) installed fine. Though my Avast keeps on getting alert having to do with some web address such as 128.9.345. but it does not show under the quarantined items.
Still there under the quarantined items are:
OEM8Srv.exe
AutoKMS.exe
ISSetup.dll
iusb3monsrv.exe
MSVCR71.DLL

I also got a svchost.exe (or one of those) stopped as well-- though this too does not appear under the quarantined items.

I would think, at this point perhaps getting an ISO of Win 10 and doing a complete reinstall from scratch perhaps is the best option.
I am hoping this would be able to tell if my OS and all else is legit or not, won't you agree?

[BTW if you can provide a link as to where I could get a copy for a complete reinstall I would appreciate it.] I don't want to find myself going to the wrong place to download it.

Thanks again

Barman58 · 27 Jul 2016

I would call those noted executables as part of an illegal install, as I stated, there is not any KMS software that legally runs on the "local" system It has to be running on the server and all checks are performed over the network, ( with the allowance for systems used away from the office ). The KMS server is an option of the various server licences available it can be run on a specific dedicated server in large organisations but is more often used as an option on a server used for other purposes

There is no legit KMS executable that can be installed on anything other than a server.

The fact that you are trying to get legit is refreshing, especially as this was supplied by your "employer" - I would agree that a fresh install would be the safest option

There are legitimate copies of the win10 Pro installer available direct from Microsoft but these would need a valid key to activate, (this can be an unused Windows 7 or 8/8.1 key or a purchased Win10 key), Enterprise is not available to other than business customers or select developers, but from your posts I do not believe you are actually using any Enterprise specific options - if your time in China is limited you can always run for 30 days before the activation is required and then sort things out when you get home

wasnotwas · 27 Jul 2016

pintree3 said:

Ok so here I am back to square one I guess since the KMS could be legit as it can be not legit. The question now remaining is how do we verify this? Or is there a place where I can get a legal copy of this KMS to make sure all is as it should be.

AutoKMS emulates a legit KMS server on the local machine, and is used to activate both pirated volume licensed Windows and pirated volume licensed Office. It is 100% illegal.

RoasterMen · 27 Jul 2016

Your school condones piracy? I'm not suprised. In our school we're paying for "Software License" that are pirated.

Barman58 · 27 Jul 2016

RoasterMen said:

Your school condones piracy? I'm not suprised. In our school we're paying for "Software License" that are pirated.

If those who ~~Pirate~~ steal software, paid for it then the price of the software would be a fraction of the price now and all the security and so called spying would not be needed so software would function better too