Change Volume Licensing product key for windows 2003 server or R2

At some point you may want to change the product key of your windows 2003 server OEM version with a VLK key.

This can be done with two major steps:
1. Determine the channel that your copy of Windows Server 2003 was obtained through
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/889713/en-us
2. Change the Volume Licensing product key


Part 1. Determine the channel that your copy of Windows Server 2003 was obtained through

About Product IDs
All Windows Server 2003 products require the end user to type a Product Key during installation. A unique Product ID (PID) is generated when you run the Windows Server 2003 Setup program. After the Product Key is validated in the Setup program, the Setup program builds the 20-digit PID. The PID is assigned to the computer.
A PID contains the following information:
The first five characters of the PID indicate the Microsoft Product Code (MPC).
The three characters after the MPC indicate the channel ID.

To find your current PID:
Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
On the General tab, the PID appears in the Registered to box.

Some MPC codes for Windows Server 2003
Standard Edition 32 bit retail, 69712-000
Standard Edition 32 bit volume licensing, 69712-640
Standard Edition R2, 32 bit volume licensing, 69712-650
Standard Edition 32 bit OEM, 69712-OEM
Enterprise Edition 32 bit retail, 69713-000
Enterprise Edition 32 bit volume licensing, 69713-640
Enterprise Edition R2, 32 bit volume licensing, 69713-650
Enterprise Edition 32 bit OEM, 69713-OEM

More MPC codes please refer to MS KB:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/889713/en-us


Part 2: change Volume Licensing product key for windows 2003
From part 1 you know what you currently have, then you can change it to the correct VL Key.

KB article 328874 explains how to do it for XP, the good news is, same method works for any version of 2003. So check this out:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328874

Here are the steps:

Deactivate Windows

Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
In the navigation pane, locate and then click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\WPAEvents
In the topic pane, right-click OOBETimer, and then click Modify.
Change at least one digit of this value to deactivate Windows.

Reactivate Windows and add new product key

Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type the following command, and then click OK.
%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a
Click Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows, and then click Next.
Click Change Product key.
Type the new product key in the New key boxes, and then click Update.If you are returned to the previous window, click Remind me later, and then restart the computer.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 to verify that Windows is activated. You receive the following message:
Windows is already activated. Click OK to exit.
Click OK.