How to transfer Terminal Services CAL from one client computer to another

This article describes how to transfer a Terminal Services (TS) client access license (CAL) internally from one client computer to another in the same company within Terminal Services Licensing.

The TS CAL End User License Agreement is a per-seat license that allows for a one-time permanent transfer of the license to another client computer.

If you want to reissue the license, contact a Microsoft customer services representative in the Terminal Services Licensing Customer Service Center and request a reissue of the necessary number of TS CALs. For Windows-based Terminal Services, you can complete this reissue process only by using the telephone. You can complete this process on a periodic basis, retrieving multiple licenses in one call, and making use of the 90-day temporary client license if necessary.

A reissued set of TS CALs is displayed in the Terminal Services Licensing administrative tool as another license key pack installation. Other than being a separate license key pack installation, reissued TS CALs are not distinguishable from an original installation.

The procedure that is described in this article is not necessary for clients that run Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional. Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, and Windows XP Professional do not receive a TS CAL from the TS server because a TS CAL is included with all versions of Windows 2000 and Windows XP Professional.

Windows XP Home Edition does require a TS CAL.

Reissuing the TS CAL

Follow these steps to find the phone number for the CSC nearest you and to install your reissued licenses:

1. Start the Terminal Services Licensing tool on your Windows 2000-based server.
2. On the View menu, click Properties.
3. Click the Connection Method tab.
4. In the drop-down box, click Telephone, and then click your country.
5. Click OK.
6. On the Action menu, click Install Licenses to start the Licensing Wizard and obtain the telephone number.
7. Call the CSC, and describe your need to reissue licenses.
8. The customer services representative guides you through the process.

Physically removing the TS CAL

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
If you want to physically remove the TS CAL from the original client computer, you can delete the local registry key that contains the license. This ensures that in the future, the client cannot connect to a Terminal server without receiving a new license.

Microsoft recommends that only system administrators who are knowledgeable about the Windows XP registry make this change. Note that deleting this key only removes the license from the client; deleting the key does not remove the issuance history that is contained in the Terminal Services License server.

1. Click Start, click Run, type Regedit.exe, and then click OK.
2. Locate the following key in the registry:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSLicensing\Store\
3. Delete the TS CAL key, probably LICENSE001.
   
   NOTE: Typically, LICENSE000 is the license for the operating system and LICENSE001 is the TS CAL. To verify this information, check to see whether the ProductID value is present; this value indicates the license for the operating system.
4. When the client attempts to reconnect to the Terminal server, it will request a new TS CAL.

If deleting the LICENSE000 or LICENSE00x key to troubleshoot connection failures does not let a client connect to a Terminal server, back up the whole MSLICENSING key, and then delete the whole key. Try to connect to a Terminal server. This causes the generation of a new hardware ID. This enables the client to request a new license, and to successfully connect. The MSLICENSING key and all subkeys are recreated.