Win10 upgrade and a retail purchase of Win10 Pro- not the same.

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  1. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #151

    pal said:
    It is very easy. They can store whatever they want along with your hardware id (the key you upgraded with).
    pal said:
    They don't have to prove anything. They just have to invalidate the previous machine you installed it on. So when that machine talks to the activation server next time, it will no longer get status as activated.
    And apparently Microsoft has decided that to do all that would cost them too much money and negative public image.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 15,027
    Windows 10 IoT
       #152

    Mystere said:
    Because the upgrade install is the only way that the free Upgrade activation works. The way Microsoft designed it was that an upgrade installation is required to associate the hardware with the previous OS's activation status. This allows the OS to be reinstalled on the same hardware as often as you want without having to re-enter a key.

    This is why using the generic key to install results in a Blocked key error, even if you are installing clean on a machine you have already upgraded. The act of entering a key causes windows to only associate the key with the hardware, not the upgrade status of the previous OS. You must perform an upgrade to make this association.

    There has to be some way to validate that the OS is legitimately licensed, and the only way to do that by upgrading a legitimate Windows 7/8.x on the new hardware. (this is for upgrades only, obviously new retail copies will have their own key).

    Please stop confusing the installation process with the licensing process, they are two different things.

    TO make this clearer:

    When performing an upgrade install this is what's sent to MS
    * OLD OS KEY
    * New (generic) OS KEY
    * Hardware Hash

    When entering a key this is what's sent:
    * New (non-generic) OS Key
    * hardware hash

    When you skip the key, Windows sends only the hardware hash and Generic key, and looks to see if this hardware has previously been activated, so if it has, it goes ahead and re-activates.

    So, when you install clean on a new PC, there is no way to get the OLD OS KEY sent to the activation servers, because your old OS no longer exists on the machine. All you have is the generic key, and there is no way to map it back to your original OS>
    Once you've done the upgrade, you can then clean install on that PC with no need to do another upgrade. I've done it. It's not an upgrade anymore and you have the right to do a clean install. In the past you would have to do that everytime if you bought an upgrade version of Windows. Or use a trick to get around it. You don't have to do that with the free upgrade, reinstalls can be clean installs. Like you say, a clean install on new hardware that has never been activated with 10 in the past will fail. By design. I'm not saying what your proposing won't work. But IMHO, it is not a transfer, its another upgrade install on new hardware. Not the same thing in my book's. You have your opinion and I have mine, I don't think we'll ever agree on this. What say we agree to disagree?
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  3. Posts : 15,027
    Windows 10 IoT
       #153

    NavyLCDR said:
    And apparently Microsoft has decided that to do all that would cost them too much money and negative public image.
    Maybe, maybe not? Hard to say what they are doing at this point. They may be monitoring it and if it gets out of hand they may block further upgrade activations done with that same Windows 7/8 key. That would force you to do a phone activation and explain what you did and why you did it. If the 7/8 key is recorded, they could then deactivate any other PC upgraded with it and activate your new install.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 3,257
    Windows 10 Pro
       #154

    pal said:
    They don't have to prove anything. They just have to invalidate the previous machine you installed it on. So when that machine talks to the activation server next time, it will no longer get status as activated.
    Once a machine is activated, it never talks to the activation server again.
      My Computer


  5. pal
    Posts : 43
    Win10
       #155

    Mystere said:
    Once a machine is activated, it never talks to the activation server again.
    What’s the relationship between activation and genuine Windows?


    Then let us call it checking for "genuine" status.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 1,191
    Windows 11 Pro x64
       #156

    Mystere said:
    Once a machine is activated, it never talks to the activation server again.
    If that is true, and it is transferable, then how can MS prevent you from installing on two machines? How do they invalidate the first machine?
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 15,027
    Windows 10 IoT
       #157

    Mystere said:
    Once a machine is activated, it never talks to the activation server again.
    I don't believe that for a minute.
      My Computer


 

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