Below you will find an overview of the new requirements for reporting electronic licenses, along with our comments and suggestions.

“Partners must implement the latest mandatory version of OA3Tool (build number 22000) to generate Hardware Hash from all devices on which electronic licenses are installed. OA3Tool must run on a full Windows operating system with all drivers.“

In the process of installing electronic licenses, the MARXpress tool software uses the OA3Tool.exe program to download licenses from the KPS (Key Service Provider) server and to generate an installation report. The entire procedure is automated and takes place in the background. In your daily work, you send reports created in this way, either via the MDOS SC program or the DOC platform. From time to time, the manufacturer changes the method of generating hardware identifiers, adapting their structure and data scope to currently manufactured devices. OA3Tool was last changed in May 2022 (Build 22000) and this is the version you should be currently using. Although in the past the requirement to update OA3Tool did not apply to MAR partners and the TPRs cooperating with them, according to the latest announcements, a change to the current version is required.
The whole procedure is very simple and involves copying one file to the appropriate folder. The OA3Tool program can be downloaded from our FTP server: /Digital MAR/OA3Tool/amd64 or from the current ADK package – with the default installation, the program is located in the folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\ Deployment Tools\amd64\Licensing\OA30
The OA3Tool file should be copied to the MARXpress Tool folders: …\MARXpress_(…)\OA3Tool\amd64
Of course, we are here to help and we can do it remotely, it will only take a few minutes.
Another driver requirement is discussed later in the article.

“Partners are responsible for providing timely, accurate and complete data when submitting CBR documents to Microsoft.”

There is no need to comment on this point in detail: we finish work for a given day and send reports. The completeness of the report is ensured by the MARXpress Tool or our XDE (eXpress Deployment Environment) solution: XDE – introducing new version 23H2 – Serwis dla partnerów MAR | NETLAND
It is unacceptable to interfere with the structure of the report before it is sent – such practices may be detected by Microsoft, which may impose additional fees.

“Partners must submit a CBR-compliant CBR document to Microsoft in advance of:
(i) within 24 hours of the date the Company distributes the Customer’s System; or
(ii) 4 hours before being made available to the End User for activation.“

This point will certainly raise a lot of controversy, but unfortunately we have no choice but to comply with its provisions. In the case of shipment to the customer, there will be no problems with meeting these requirements, as we will manage to send the report during transport and the required 4 hours for activation will have passed. The situation will be worse in the case of personal collection of equipment by the end customer, as activation in such a case may take place before sending the CBR report.
Currently, Microsoft only reports missing reports, but as announced from January 1, 2024, activation before sending the report may be subject to additional fees.
A related topic is the practice used on websites to run the computer in user mode after installing the electronic license. Often, service technicians run devices in end-user mode (by completing the OOBE wizard) to install drivers and additional software before delivery to the end customer. In this case, activation is performed automatically if the device is connected to the Internet.

It should be emphasized that such practices are unacceptable for many reasons:
– all drivers must be installed BEFORE installing the electronic license and generating the CBR installation report,
– this practice is inconsistent with the software manufacturer’s production documentation and may result in a violation of license provisions,
– this method of preparing the equipment prevents the end user from properly completing the OOBE (Out Of Box Experience) procedure, an integral part of which is the acceptance of the license agreement,
– it is unacceptable to accept the license agreement on behalf of the end customer in such a case.
To ensure full compliance with Microsoft procedures, drivers and software should be installed in audit mode, and the installation of the electronic license should be the last step before sealing the system with SYSPREP. Our proprietary XDE solution ensures not only full compliance with the above-mentioned requirements but also wide possibilities of personalization and installation of additional software… and what’s more, it is completely free for our partners.

“Partners can also receive incompatibility notifications that clearly identify each Windows device that has:
– CBR generated using a lower version of OA3Tool than the mandatory version,
– CBR quality issues, such as inaccurate or incomplete CBR data,
– activation performed, but does not correspond to the previously sent CBR.“

All violations of installation procedures detected by the manufacturer and not limited to those mentioned above will be reported to MAR partners on a weekly basis. The report contains a detailed description of the problem and a license number, based on which you can clearly identify the partner affected by the problem. If we are charged additional fees related to failure to complete the procedures for installing electronic licenses, we will be forced to charge these costs to the partners affected by these violations. At the same time, we will monitor all problematic situations and develop solutions and tools to avoid them in the future.
To ensure compliance with the requirements described in this point it is necessary:
– using the current OA3Tool,
– installation of all device drivers before installing the electronic license,
– refraining from any attempts to manipulate report files.

“From July 1, 2023, failure to comply with the CBR message may result in a late fee being charged.
– Starting with a grace period of December 31, 2023, partners will have two weeks to submit missing CBRs after receiving the first notification. If no report is provided, an additional fee will be charged.
– From January 1, 2024, any product key activated from that date without prior CBR submission will be subject to an additional fee.“

For example, currently the additional fee for missing a CBR report is USD 2.82 for Windows 10/11 Home and USD 5.52 for Windows 10/11 Pro, but they may change without prior notice. We do not know the fee for activating the system before sending the CBR report. The best way to avoid such surprises is to develop appropriate procedures for working with electronic licenses.
Please contact us and consult – we are ready to help you develop the right solutions to avoid problems in the future. At the same time, we would like to inform you that we will be forced to charge any additional costs related to violations of the rules introduced by Microsoft to the partners affected by these violations – we simply have no other choice.