****, you beat me to it. I just got done downloading the Dell OEM WS2008 iso (it took 12 hours to download) so that I could get the key from it. Anyways, the key was found inside PID.TXT file. The certificate was also found inside the $OEM$ folder. The certificate was the same used with other Dell SLICs.
My understanding So KEY plus the SLIC cert = Standard Server Activated Or am I missing something here?
As long as you have the BIOS mod to add the SLIC table, it will activate, mine is now activated with the DELL OEM with the ASUS Bios mod, and ASUS cert. Works perfectly
What you mean by that, Do you say that we just require the slic info in BIOS from ASUS and not Dell to Activate? Can you work it out for me, its been long since I came to this Forum, so I need to get update..... Did you activated Server 2k8 with Asus Cert and Asus bios mod? thanks sorry for buging you....
Let me just simplify things here a little bit. The OEM SLP method to activate WS2008 is the same as it is for Vista. 1. Have your BIOS modded with any SLIC table of your choice. 2. Apply the corresponding certificate (e.g. if you had your BIOS modded with HP SLIC table then apply the HP certificate). 3. Apply the WS2008 key.
Find the motherboard you need on here, I have the Maximus Formula ASUS, They had a modified BIOS that added the ASUS SLIC information to it. Once I updated my BIOS it added that information. I downloaded the DELL OEM Sever 2008 Standard edition, and added the ASUS certificate, that activated Windows Server instantly. The OEM key is not what Microsoft looks at, what they look at is that the CERT and the BIOS match. Once they do, wallah Windows Server is activated and Genuine.... So if you know the make of your Motherboard, go to the forums and search for a modified SLIC Bios and you will add the SLIC table needed for your system... Its risky, but ASUS has crash free bios installed so if the update fails then I can reimage the BIOS. It worked perfectly, and now Windows Server is activated. I used the OEM DEll Standard Server 2008 x64, installed the ASUS bios mod for my computer, and then added the ASUS certifcate to activate. Worked perfectly. Windows activated almost a few seconds after installing the cert. To change the cert open a command prompt type Slmgr -ilk (location of the cert) the OEM key do not change they are not OEM specific, I quickly learned. Beyond that Windows Server should state it is activated, and will run pretty fast without disabling the SLU services, or deleting the SL keys in the System 32 directory. The bios mod is the riskiest part of the whole transition, if you fail your MB will be nothing more then a bunch of electronics with nothing to it. It took me awhile but now everything works perfectly. Worth the wait unless you want to spend 1000s of dollars on a Server system.
Not bugging anyone, I stumbled across this site like everyone else, and this has been the best site for Server 2008! Most of the BIOS mods out there will be for ASUS due to checksum errors with other OEMS. Traditionally you will find ASUS in the SLIC mods. Once that happens on your system and you use Everest or something to verify SLIC in the APCI then you are ready to go. Install windows Server 2008 install the key for Whatever BIOS mod you used (hp, ASUS, dell, etc....) the install the matching cert, once done Windows Server should be activated. hope this helps.
Found ISO link @ demonoid Thanks for info!!! Would be awesome if Hyper-V was included but there are other software out there!!
I got ASUS SLIC Working already. Well thanks for clarifying this matter, As I thought you need to have a Dell slic string added into your bios, and use the cert for Dell and the key for activating Dell SLIC modded bios But thank god is way easy now, I have a server computer modded with Asus Slic Using the Cbrom Comand and worked fine with Asus Slic modd, but becouse I thought this Key would work only with Dell Specified Bios I tried to Add Dell SLIC into this MOBO, what happened was that the system would hang on boot up, So I had to do A how Swapping proccedure and recover my Bios that worked and that one has the ASUS slic Mod working: So what I am going to do its mod a DVD dic with the server 2k08 standard server and install.... Thanks peaps for the headups.