Problem:
A client recently asked me to setup several VMs using the evaluation copy of Windows Server 2016. After they had put lots of data on the servers and decided to use them for production purposes they decided they wanted to keep the existing server setup. When inputting a purchased Volume Licence Key they were presented with the error ‘That key can’t be used to activate this edition of Windows. Please try a different key’.
Microsoft WDS Machine Naming Issues
The most common cause of a machine image failing in WDS is that the machine naming process is not configured correctly. You may get the dreaded ‘Windows could not parse or process unattend answer file’ error when you are 100% certain that your answer file is in fact valid and works on some machines but not others.