this post was submitted on 14 Jan 2026
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[–] chraebsli@programming.dev 131 points 21 hours ago (7 children)

you can activate any windows or office by using vlmcsd (https://github.com/Wind4/vlmcsd). you can selfhost it, choose any windows version like 11 pro or enterprise or office product like office 24 enterprise. activate it using your kms server and you can enter the matching licence key every so often to activate it. doesn't cost a cent except hosting on 512mb/1cpu. i think there are public kms servers with vlmcsd too. obviously JUST FOR TESTING PURPOSES ;)

[–] blanketswithsmallpox@lemmy.world 17 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (2 children)
[–] sawdustprophet@midwest.social 14 points 10 hours ago

Does https://massgrave.dev/ not work anymore?

As of about two weeks ago, it still works.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 1 points 11 hours ago

Pretty sure I just used that when windows 10 was held hostage by microslop

[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 15 points 16 hours ago

You can, I'm barely able to read

[–] notthebees@reddthat.com 31 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Ah yes key management server server

[–] chraebsli@programming.dev 28 points 19 hours ago (3 children)

haha yes sorry! my wireless wlan had some issues with my personal pc when i was etablishing a secure ssh connection. could also be an error with my dns system or with the http protocol.

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 9 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

so this is what an aneurism feels like

[–] faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 4 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Don't worry, I can do it automatically at the ATM machine.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Now pronounce GIF. The RIGHT way....

[–] faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 4 points 13 hours ago

Jraphics Interchange Format?

[–] Malfeasant@lemmy.world 14 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Surely you mean a secure SSH shell...

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 3 points 13 hours ago

A secure secure shell shell

[–] upandatom@lemmy.world 7 points 18 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

Maculley Maculley Culkin Culkin.

[–] tordenflesk@lemmy.world 38 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

Simpler to just use massgrave, no?

[–] chraebsli@programming.dev 14 points 20 hours ago

didnt know about massgrave until now. looks promising too.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Massgrave doesn't work for Office I'm pretty sure.

[–] SalamenceFury@lemmy.world 21 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

It does now actually. Has been able to permanently activate Office for about two years or so? They did update the method from last year, however.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 26 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

kms server? massgrave? is this a dark joke i am not in on

[–] hexagonwin@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 47 minutes ago

KMS is microsoft's method of product activation mostly for organizations, they can run an activation server inside an intranet for instance. Also widely used for pirating windows since it's easy to run one of those kms emulators

https://massgrave.dev/ is a fairly recent development, they have a tool called MAS that can activate windows/office/etc using many methods including KMS

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 30 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Kms is key management services.

Why massgrave is called that, I have no idea.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 17 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

i thought kms was kill my self

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 24 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I figured that's what you thought. To be fair, using Microsoft also makes me want to kms. Luckily I don't have to.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Because you're already dead on the inside?

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 3 points 12 hours ago

That as well, but I just don't have a job requiring me to use windows.

[–] mech@feddit.org 27 points 20 hours ago (3 children)

That's the part that mystifies me. On the one hand, in an enterprise setting, it can be frustratingly difficult to license and activate your MS products, to the point where you cry out "Why do you make it so hard to give you our money?"
And on the other hand, you can easily bypass the whole thing and get all their stuff for free.
And it's been that way for decades, so it doesn't seem to be a mistake on their part.

[–] funkajunk@lemmy.world 15 points 20 hours ago

In an enterprise setting you'd use something like Active Directory-Based Activation.

You store your KMS key in Active Directory, then any machine that contacts the domain controller will be activated.

[–] chraebsli@programming.dev 9 points 20 hours ago

not sure about the legal side because when you install windows you accept eula and much more shit so im sure there is a sentence 'only keys officially bought from and provided from microsoft shall be used.'

[–] Forester@pawb.social 3 points 20 hours ago

They only expect governments to pay not citizens

[–] TachyonTele@piefed.social 2 points 20 hours ago

I understood some of that!