Activates Windows against kms8.msguides.com before Windows Update runs so WU sees correct license state. Uses cscript //NoLogo to route slmgr output to stdout (dialogs hang in WinRM sessions). Best-effort: activation failure emits a warning but does not abort Setup — CI builds function within the grace period. Placed between Step 3 (WinRM/network confirmed) and Step 4 (user creation).