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The first time (no joke) after virtualizing an old Windows Server 2003 machine (as part of a consolidation effort), it is trying to force me to activate.

Normally, it was letting me get in with a "activate in 3 days" warning, which was fine since I could reconfigure the new virtual NICs with their static IPs. However, without being able to configure the new NICs, I can't activate.

How can I configure the NICs via safe mode or command line before the activation strong-arms me to logoff? Or should I give up and call Microsoft every time this happens with one of these old servers?

Matt Beckman
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1 Answers1

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If the vNICS are new to the VM then they will be configured in DHCP mode by default in the OS. Set up a temporary DHCP server and scope to assign the VM the correct ip address, subnet mask, DNS server(s) and default gateway. That will allow the VM to have the connectivity needed to activate over the internet.

joeqwerty
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  • Thanks. I think this is a nice, simple approach. However, I tried last night, and I couldn't get the VM to pick up the scoped IP (or any IP from the other DHCP server). Not sure if it wasn't querying properly, but I'll get back to you if I can get it working. – Matt Beckman Sep 25 '13 at 17:36
  • I was finally able to acquire a DHCP address and now it's activated. Thanks! – Matt Beckman Sep 25 '13 at 18:51
  • Glad to help... – joeqwerty Sep 25 '13 at 18:53