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  • 1.  Windows 2003 asks for registration after migration

    Posted Oct 17, 2012 05:53 AM

    Hi all,

    I migrated my windows 2003 from physical to ESXi 5 with VMware Converter. After the system started the network interfaces got screwed up, so there was no internet connectivity for the VM. At the same time it doesn't let me to login to fix things because Windows requires registration over Internet. What to do???

    Thank you!



  • 2.  RE: Windows 2003 asks for registration after migration

    Posted Oct 17, 2012 07:23 AM

    Welcome to the Community,

    please check which virtual NIC type is configured for the VM. It should be an "E1000" NIC. If this is not the case you may either remove the NIC from the VM's hardware settings and add a new E1000 NIC or - if you prefer - edit the VM's configuration (.vmx) file and replace/add

    ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000"

    After editing the .vmx file you need to reload the VM (e.g. remove from inventory and add to inventory).

    If this does not help you may need to re-activate WIndows by phone.

    André



  • 3.  RE: Windows 2003 asks for registration after migration

    Posted Nov 29, 2012 04:38 AM

    thank you for the reply! That didnt' fix the problem... I needed to register it over the phone which was not straitforward because no serial... If you curious - read my full answer in another reply to this thread. :smileyhappy:



  • 4.  RE: Windows 2003 asks for registration after migration

    Posted Nov 29, 2012 06:43 AM

    the problem was the original VM was a P2V of a physical machine using an OEM license and not a volume licensed OS is you are not allowed to virtualize or move to new hardware as the OEM license died with the physical hardware.

    Lucky you were able to get it fixed...as you found out, normally you'd be told you are SOL and to reinstall with a volume license edition of Windows and since its OEM they can't help you.



  • 5.  RE: Windows 2003 asks for registration after migration

    Posted Nov 29, 2012 06:52 AM

    That would be areal bummer.. Imagine a 10 y.o. web server with hundreds clients, data, configs.... Reinstall????



  • 6.  RE: Windows 2003 asks for registration after migration

    Posted Oct 17, 2012 08:20 AM

    Do you have the local administrator user details for the server?



  • 7.  RE: Windows 2003 asks for registration after migration

    Posted Nov 29, 2012 04:35 AM

    Thank you for the reply!

    Long story short - I needed to use special Windows 2003 s/n for vendor installations. Then I was able to register it over the phone! The numbers are here:

    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/library/dd727762.aspx

    Now, long story :smileyhappy::

    Yes, I had admin credentials, but this beast didn't let me to login! The only way was to register it over the phone - but I didn't have license number to generate installation ID (the server was installed about 10 years ago!).

    Answering another guy's message - to change interfaces in VMware didn't work either. the problem was not in interface type (default one was OK), but these interfaces were recognized by windows as new interfaces and it assigned default network configuration to them (DHCP etc...) :smileysad: I didnt' have DHCP on external network!

    So, I installed program on original hardware server to rip the serial number - I got it. used it for installation but phone lady in M$ told me that wrong installation ID was generated (you know this zillion digit-alphabet number which you need to read aver the phone). She said it is a vendor problem - call them. (The original servers were DELL)

    I called DELL, they said - Windows is not our problem - call M$!

    I started feeling pi$$'d 0ff!

    finally after few more phone calls somebody in M$ directed me to the page I gave above. This serial worked fine and provided correct installation ID.