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Mordecai Kipng’etich

IT Support

·5 mins
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WIP: Still updating this post whenever something comes up.

Download Windows/Office Images

For Windows disk images, you can get the latest versions directly from Microsoft via these links:

Alternatively, you can download Windows/Office using sites that host the image files. Microsoft provides consumer ISOs for free on their site, but other versions, and crucially older ISOs are locked behind paywalls thus various sites have popped up that host the files on their servers such as:

Activating Windows/Office

It’s a constant game of cat and mouse between Microsoft and unofficial activators and as such the information below may easily get outdated. For the latest activation scripts, check massgrave.dev (MAS).

Windows

  1. Disable your third-party antivirus if applicable. For ESET, this will mean disabling real-time protection and HIPS.
  2. Windows will re-enable Windows Security, so we will need to disable it.
    • Head over to virus and threat protection settings, disable all the options
    • Head over to app and browser control, then into reputation based settings and disable all the options
    • For Windows 8/8.1, open Windows Defender and disable real-time protection.
  3. Open KMS Auto Net (no need to unzip)
  4. Run the executable
  5. Select activation and pick Windows
  6. After activation, re-enable Windows Security
  7. Re-enable your third-party antivirus

Office

For Office 2016, follow the same instructions as Activating Windows but upon running the KMS software, select Office.

For Office 2019, open Powershell as an administrator and run this command:

irm https://massgrave.dev/get | iex

From there, follow the guide selecting relevant numbers to activate Office.

For Office 2021:

  • Copy the script below into notepad and save it.
@echo off
title Activate Microsoft Office 2021 (ALL versions) for FREE - MSGuides.com&cls&echo =====================================================================================&echo #Project: Activating Microsoft software products for FREE without additional software&echo =====================================================================================&echo.&echo #Supported products:&echo - Microsoft Office Standard 2021&echo - Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2021&echo.&echo.&(if exist "%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office16\ospp.vbs" cd /d "%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office16")&(if exist "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Office\Office16\ospp.vbs" cd /d "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Office\Office16")&(for /f %%x in ('dir /b ..\root\Licenses16\ProPlus2021VL_KMS*.xrm-ms') do cscript ospp.vbs /inslic:"..\root\Licenses16\%%x" >nul)&echo.&echo =====================================================================================&echo Activating your product...&cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ckms >nul&cscript //nologo ospp.vbs /setprt:1688 >nul&cscript //nologo ospp.vbs /unpkey:6F7TH >nul&set i=1&cscript //nologo ospp.vbs /inpkey:FXYTK-NJJ8C-GB6DW-3DYQT-6F7TH >nul||goto notsupported
:skms
if %i% GTR 10 goto busy
if %i% EQU 1 set KMS=kms7.MSGuides.com
if %i% EQU 2 set KMS=e8.us.to
if %i% EQU 3 set KMS=e9.us.to
if %i% GTR 3 goto ato
cscript //nologo ospp.vbs /sethst:%KMS% >nul
:ato
echo =====================================================================================&echo.&echo.&cscript //nologo ospp.vbs /act | find /i "successful" && (echo.&echo =====================================================================================&echo.&echo #My official blog: MSGuides.com&echo.&echo #How it works: bit.ly/kms-server&echo.&echo #Please feel free to contact me at msguides.com@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.&echo.&echo #Please consider supporting this project: donate.msguides.com&echo #Your support is helping me keep my servers running 24/7!&echo.&echo =====================================================================================&choice /n /c YN /m "Would you like to visit my blog [Y,N]?" & if errorlevel 2 exit) || (echo The connection to my KMS server failed! Trying to connect to another one... & echo Please wait... & echo. & echo. & set /a i+=1 & goto skms)
explorer "http://MSGuides.com"&goto halt
:notsupported
echo =====================================================================================&echo.&echo Sorry, your version is not supported.&echo.&goto halt
:busy
echo =====================================================================================&echo.&echo Sorry, the server is busy and can't respond to your request. Please try again.&echo.
:halt
pause >nul

  • Rename the file to change the file extension to .cmd (instead of .txt).

    If you can’t see the file extension, head over to File Explorer and enable file extensions.

  • Run the script as administrator

If it fails to reach a server, try it over and over. When successful, it will prompt you to read the MS Guides blog. Type Y if you’d like to read it or N for no.

Resolve ‘Get genuine Office’ Warning

If Office prompts you to get genuine office, copy the command below, paste into text document and save it with a .cmd file extension.

"C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\ClickToRun\officec2rclient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=16.0.13801.20360

What it does is downgrade the office to an older version that doesn’t have this warning. After which you can disable office updates otherwise it will upgrade back to a higher version with the same banner.

To avoid the banner in the first place, then activate office using MAS.

Read ‘Get genuine Office’ banner for more info.

Burn Windows Onto a USB Stick

All Windows Version

  • Connect USB stick to computer
  • Run Rufus software
  • Ensure the program has selected the correct external storage (your USB stick)
  • Click SELECT to pick your Windows ISO file
  • Choose between GPT or MBR partition scheme depending on the computer you want to install Windows. General rule of thumb, pick GPT for newer computers and MBR for older ones
  • Leave the remaining options as is.
  • Click START
  • Once complete you can eject the USB stick (except for Windows 8.1, continue with the guide below)

Windows 8.1 skip product key

By default, there is no option to skip adding a product key during Windows 8.1 installation but we can bring it back.

After flashing Windows 8.1 onto a USB stick, open file explorer and head over to /sources folder in the USB stick. Create a text file called ei.cfg and paste this.

[EditionID]

[Channel]
Retail
[VL]
0

Source: Elmo on StackExchange

Useful Tools

  1. Rufus
  2. Ventoy
  3. Winget