** copied verbatim from my good friend Mark Dan's excellent blog http://blog.callageek.com.au **
MAK (Multiple Activation Key) product key, is the product key that is provided by Microsoft to its customers on volume licensing agreements to activate many computers running Windows Operating System/Office suite.
Corporate clients of Microsoft has a choice of activating the systems running in their organizations through KMS host or MAK product key. The MAK product key allows companies to activate against Microsoft’s server instead of having installed and maintained a server running KMS service.
One MAK product keys can potentially activate hundreds or even thousands of computers running Windows Vista or Windows 7, or Office 2010 (separate type of product keys for two different products required).
The number of activations can be done by each product key is determined by the software licensing agreements (and the money paid to Microsoft).
Once a MAK product key is been used to activate many machines, most administrators lose count of actual times of remaining activations that can be done with the serial codes.
In addition, some MAK product keys may have been “leaked” to Internet, or “shared” with outsiders, causing the numbers of remaining activation count available dwindling faster than expected.
In addition, some MAK product keys may have been “leaked” to Internet, or “shared” with outsiders, causing the numbers of remaining activation count available dwindling faster than expected.
Microsoft provides a Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) which can be used to check how many activations remain unused for a MAK product key.
If you have a MAK product key, you can check how many activations remain using Volume Activation Management (VAMT) Tool:
1.Download and install Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT).
2.Select….Product Keys in the left pane.
3.Enter….Product Key and a Remark.
4.Click….Verify button.
5.Click….Add Product Key button.
6.Highlight…. the product key in the list below
7.Click….Refresh Product Key Data Online on the right.
8.Check… the product keys listing frame for remaining activation count, which means the number of times that product key can still be used to activate a Microsoft Windows or Office system.
