claudetools/.claude/memory/reference_windows_edition_upgrade_rmm.md

name, description, metadata

name	description	metadata
reference_windows_edition_upgrade_rmm	Verified fleet procedure to upgrade a Windows machine Home->Pro/Pro-for-Workstations via RMM, with the three gotchas (DISM error 50, shutdown /t drop, PfW MAK auto-upgrade).	type reference

Verified on ACG-Tech03L 2026-07-06 (Home 26200 -> Win 11 Pro for Workstations, permanently activated).

Procedure (all steps as SYSTEM via /rmm, byte-exact via -EncodedCommand):

1. Probe: EditionID/LicenseStatus (.rmm-key-probe.ps1 pattern), confirm no logged-in user (query user) so a reboot is safe.
2. Flip edition: changepk.exe /ProductKey VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T (generic Pro key). Flips EditionID Core->Professional live (registry) + sets CBS RebootPending. exit 0.
3. Reboot to finalize (see gotcha #2).
4. Install MAK + activate: slmgr /ipk <MAK> then slmgr /ato; verify slmgr /xpr = "permanently activated" and WMI SoftwareLicensingProduct LicenseStatus=1.

Gotcha 1 — DISM is a dead end for online edition change. DISM /online /Set-Edition:Professional returns Error 50 "Setting an edition is not supported with online images" even though /Get-TargetEditions lists Professional. Use changepk.exe, not DISM, for online Home->Pro.

Gotcha 2 — shutdown /r /t N is silently DROPPED in the SYSTEM service session. The command returns exit 0 but the box never reboots (verified twice on tech03l). Also shutdown /c "comment" fails outright because the RMM->cmd.exe layer strips the quotes (feedback_windows_quote_stripping). Reboot reliably with Restart-Computer -Force (encoded PS) or shutdown /r /t 0 /f (no comment). NOTE: on a fast SSD the edition-upgrade reboot can be <30s of downtime — a 30s-interval last_seen monitor can miss the gap entirely; confirm the reboot by LastBootUpTime advancing, not by catching the offline window. is_connected is null fleet-wide — track last_seen age, never that flag.

Gotcha 3 — the ACG MAK infrastructure/windows-pro-mak is a Pro-for-WORKSTATIONS MAK (mislabeled "Pro"). slmgr /ipk of it on a Professional machine AUTO-UPGRADES the edition to ProfessionalWorkstation (a strict superset of Pro). If a client genuinely needs plain Pro, this key will over-shoot to PfW — there is no plain-Pro MAK in the vault. Billing: each activation consumes one MAK count = $99 to the customer (ACG-internal machines: no invoice, still burns a count).