By Val Bakh
2.3.1 Deployment images
Compared to installing earlier versions of Windows, installing Windows 7 on your home computer is almost a breeze, especially if the computer is new and you don’t need to worry about preserving your data or the applications that you’ve been using with an older operating system. Just insert the Windows 7 installation DVD that you have purchased, click Install Now, answer a few simple prompts, and less than half an hour later, it’s ready to go. But if you are an IT pro and you need to deploy Windows 7 to dozens or, perhaps, even hundreds of computers, it becomes a bit more complicated. Even if all the installations were the same and all target computers were identical, their sheer number would make at-home-style, individual installations impractical. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could install and configure everything on just one computer and then clone the installation to the rest?
By Val Bakh
2.2.2 A product key in an answer file
Suppose you have a custom WIM image of Windows 7 Enterprise, and you have a Multiple Activation Key (MAK). How can you assign the MAK to all target computers? Going around and personally typing in the MAK on each computer would be so-o-o uncool! You can specify the MAK in an answer file and use the answer file for the deployment.
2.2 Activation
2.2.1 Volume Activation
Each installation of Windows 7 must be activated. It is a legal requirement for ensuring that an instance of the operating system is legitimate. There is a 30-day initial grace period, during which you can make up your mind. If you are using Windows 7 for evaluation, testing, or software development and you need to frequently reinstall it and start afresh, you can extend the grace period up to three times by running the following command:
By Val Bakh
2. Windows 7
2.1 Windows 7 Editions
2.1.2 Support for multiple languages
Don’t breathe a sigh of relief; the fun may not be quite over yet. This depends on your linguistic requirements. It is easier if you are a home user. You simply buy any consumer edition of Windows 7 in your preferred language and enjoy the ride. But if you are an IT pro responsible for deploying and maintaining Windows 7 in a multilingual environment, then you are entitled to some more fun.