Same product Id after Sysprep cloning in KMS environment

[sja]

Hi guys,

I have to setup 30 identical systems, with Windows 7 Enterprise edition for my lab. I decided to setup a machine, install all the required software in windows audit mode and clone it using Sysprep with an answer file. For the activation part my university uses KMS. The cloning was successfully completed using sysprep and imagex. The image was applied to another machine, booted it up and activated it with the KMS.

The problem i'm facing is that both the machines have same product id, but Client Machine IDs(CMID) issued by the KMS are unique. Is there a workaround to eliminate Product Id duplication??

I used sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:answerfile.xml in the audit mode to generalize the installation.

 

[Berton]

Is there a workaround to eliminate Product Id duplication?

This is quoted from
https://www.microsoft.com/resources...all/proddocs/en-us/wpa_overview.mspx?mfr=true
[I had to use my Microsoft ID to log in for it.]

During software installation, the setup wizard prompts you to enter a product key usually located on the back of the Windows CD-ROM folder. The product key is a 25 character alphanumeric code shown in five groups of five characters each (for example, BCDFG-12345-HJKLM-67890-NPQRS). Keep the product key in a safe location and do not share it with others. This product key forms the basis for your ability to install and use Windows.
The product key also forms the basis for the product ID that is created when Windows XP is installed. Each licensed instance of Windows XP has a unique Product ID. The Product ID has 20 characters arranged like this: 12345-123-1234567-12345. It is listed in the properties for My Computer.
For purposes of product activation only, a non-unique hardware identifier is also created from general information that is included in the system components. At no time are files on the hard drive scanned, nor is personally-identifiable information of any kind used to create the hardware identifier. Product activation is completely anonymous. To ensure your privacy, the hardware identifier is created by what is known as a "one-way hash". To produce a one-way hash, information is processed through an algorithm to create a new alphanumeric string. It is impossible to calculate the original information from the resulting string.
The hardware identifier is used together with the product ID to create a unique installation ID. Whether you choose to activate by using an Internet connection or by speaking with a Microsoft customer service representative, the installation ID is the only piece of information required to activate Windows XP.

 

[sja]

Thanks Berton for replying. In the article it says the product Id is unique for every system and when I clone, the product Id of reference system is copied over to new system. I want to know whether it will be any problem when I update the system or face any activation errors like "Windows is not Genuine" later on.