what happen if not using bought Windows activation for too long?

Superfly said:

Code:

[Environment]::GetFolderPath("Desktop")

On my PC, the above gets the correct path. So does the following:

(New-Object -ComObject Wscript.Shell).SpecialFolders(4)

I have seen a post saying that GetFolderPath is not always reliable, so I use SpecialFolders.

Superfly said:

You will see these entries from event log - these are the digital licence renewals.

I see no such entries below:

Code:

--------- Clip Event log data ---------
 
------------ Clip Event log errors ------------
No Digital License errors found!

Superfly said:

post the full diagnostic report

Code:

------------------ Licensing Data ----------------


ToolVersion             : 10.0.19041.1
LicensingStatus         : SL_LICENSING_STATUS_LICENSED
LicensingStatusReason   : 0x4004F401
LocalGenuineState       : SL_GEN_STATE_IS_GENUINE
LocalGenuineResultP     : 1
LastOnlineGenuineResult : 
GraceTimeMinutes        : 0
TotalGraceDays          : 0
ValidityExpiration      : 
ActivePartialProductKey : 8HVX7
ActiveProductKeyPid2    : 00326-10000-00000-AA585
OSVersion               : 10.0.19042.2.00010300.0.0.101
ProductName             : Windows 10 Home
ProcessorArchitecture   : x64
EditionId               : Core
BuildLab                : 19041.vb_release.191206-1406
TimeZone                : China Standard Time(GMT+08:00)
ActiveSkuId             : 2b1f36bb-c1cd-4306-bf5c-a0367c2d97d8
ActiveSkuDescription    : Windows(R) Operating System, RETAIL channel
ProductUniquenessGroups : 55c92734-d682-4d71-983e-d6ec3f16059f
ActiveProductKeyPKeyId  : aae1191f-7f47-05b8-8319-664b3ee8c42e
ActiveProductKeyPidEx   : 03612-03261-000-000000-00-1033-19042.0000-3532020
ActiveProductKeyChannel : Retail
ActiveVolumeCustomerPid : 
OfflineInstallationId   : 149112410113363678056611364197251541985536206567363975922402486
DomainJoined            : false
ComputerSid             : S-1-5-21-2255404670-975868924-3751273859
ProductLCID             : 1033
UserLCID                : 1033
SystemLCID              : 1033
CodeSigning             : SIGNED_INFO_PRS_SIGNED
ServiceAvailable        : true
OemMarkerVersion        : 
OemId                   : 
OemTableId              : 
OA3ProductKey           : OEM key not present in firmware
ActivationScenarioCode  : 
ProductKeyCode          : 
Manufacturer            : Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
Model                   : H81M-DS2
InstallDate             : 20201219141831.000000+480

Result        : PASS
TamperedItems : 

ServerProps : 
              OA3xOriginalProductId=
              OA3xOriginalProductKey=
              SessionId=LicensingDiag
              TimeStampClient=2022-01-02T02:54:17ZNEWM6I00prPYzM4JwcbBllszkFT+GAoCy/mCWojkfwdK9Ou73v
              y8SivBE+ehNc2hNzKEUq3/Ca5ODg3Yt9zl15AjS71nWqM1APNUXRmM7k3XA+SIUezl08kGoFqnRSF4grGZk4dr
              UW8H0uDbybbpoSNtnGh4g+hWLNGA0o6zjZQ=



--------- SPP Event log data ---------
License Activation (slui.exe) failed with the following error code:
hr=0x800704C7
Command-line arguments:
3
Time Created: Thursday, 15 July 2021 9:04:18 PM0
 
--------- Hardware Data ---------
+Registry: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
  BuildLabEx: 19041.1.amd64fre.vb_release.191206-1406
  DigitalProductId: Encoded info redacted
  DigitalProductId4: Encoded info redacted
+Registry: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DefaultProductKey
  DigitalProductId: Encoded info redacted
+Registry: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform
  BackupProductKeyDefault: *****-*****-*****-*****-8HVX7
+Registry: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SQMClient
  MachineId: {2538876F-60C1-49D5-A0BF-A7482C738DA1}
+Registry: SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ProductOptions
  OSProductContentId: ad9169ca-526d-6e3f-44df-c5ce7fa59a5c
  OSProductPfn: Microsoft.Windows.101.X19-98868_8wekyb3d8bbwe
  SubscriptionPfnList: "Microsoft.Windows.Core.Addon_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
+Registry: HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\BIOS
  BiosMajorRelease: 4
  BiosMinorRelease: 6
  ECFirmwareMajorRelease: 255
  ECFirmwareMinorRelease: 255
  BaseBoardManufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
  BaseBoardProduct: H81M-DS2
  BaseBoardVersion: x.x
  BIOSReleaseDate: 08/06/2015
  BIOSVendor: American Megatrends Inc.
  BIOSVersion: F2
  SystemFamily: To be filled by O.E.M.
  SystemManufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
  SystemProductName: H81M-DS2
  SystemSKU: To be filled by O.E.M.
  SystemVersion: To be filled by O.E.M.
+Registry: SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ClipSVC\Parameters
  LastBiosKey: 
  ProcessBiosKey: 1
+ClipHWID: 
+SMBIOS: 
  #text: Encoded info redacted
+LegacyHWID: 
  #text: Encoded info redacted
 
--------- Clip Event log data ---------
 
------------ Clip Event log errors ------------
No Digital License errors found!

Superfly said:

are you disabling services like Windows update?

I have never disabled the "Windows Update" service (i.e. wuauserv) but have all along been using the following scripts:

Using CMD script and VBScript to control Windows Update

Superfly said:

I would rather you not suggest Sledgehammer - we had an activation issue before which could have been prevented w/o the use of that program.

Sledgehammer disables the "Windows Update" service. That could have caused the activation issue.

NavyLCDR said:

@BLaZiNgSPEED,
Proof: I give you an Asus ROG motherboard that I previously activated Windows 10 on. You clean install Windows 10 Home on it with no product key and only a local account. Your Windows 10 Home is not activated because there is no product key. You install the generic Windows 10 Home retail product key and Windows 10 Home activates on the retail activation channel - with absolutely no information provided regarding the initial source of the digital license. Well, you are going to ask, what about OEM. Let's change the product key to the generic OEM Windows 10 Home product key. Guess what happens? The same Windows 10, on the same motherboard, with the same local user account now activates on the OEM channel.

Ok, so all of this seems very clear. If you give me your motherboard and I am aware that the version in your case is Windows 10 Home and I install Windows 10 Home and enter a generic home key it will activate fully as the digital license of the motherboard is stored in their MS servers, so it instantly activates and I basically get to use Windows 10 for free based on this logic without even knowing your original key.

The question I still want to know is what will then happen to the Retail key, will this affect the activation as it was previously used to activate and create a digital license for that particular mobo? Assuming that the person that activates Windows 10/11 for free with that motherboard. The MS server then gets the information that this motherboard that was previously activated with the original key.

Will it not cause a clash with the other computer that also attempts to reactivate windows with the original key? Because if 2 users are online and MS detects that 2 of the computers are now activated with digital licenses from the same original key with Windows 10 will it not revoke the activation for at least one of the computer?

For example in the old days of Call of Duty 4 and Far Cry 2 Retail PC DVD versions in online multiplayer those CD Keys weren't permanently registered to a particular account even though you could login. It was freely usable. If multiple users attempted to login with the same key the server will simply boot you out as it will detect that the same key is currently under use. But if it was one at a time the server will not protest and log you out.

My concern is if the same mechanism applies here. Because if you are claiming that a digital license is created for the mobo and it lets you reactivate windows by entering a generic key and then a new computer can also activate with the same retail key. Isn't this simply a loophole to reactivate multiple PC's and thus create digital licenses using the same key? I still find it hard to believe that this is possible. If it is then it is a major flaw and isn't really in Microsoft's pecuniary interest.

BLaZiNgSPEED said:

The question I still want to know is what will then happen to the Retail key, will this affect the activation as it was previously used to activate and create a digital license for that particular mobo? Assuming that the person that activates Windows 10/11 for free with that motherboard. The MS server then gets the information that this motherboard that was previously activated with the original key.

Will it not cause a clash with the other computer that also attempts to reactivate windows with the original key? Because if 2 users are online and MS detects that 2 of the computers are now activated with digital licenses from the same original key with Windows 10 will it not revoke the activation for at least one of the computer?

For example in the old days of Call of Duty 4 and Far Cry 2 Retail PC DVD versions in online multiplayer those CD Keys weren't permanently registered to a particular account even though you could login. It was freely usable. If multiple users attempted to login with the same key the server will simply boot you out as it will detect that the same key is currently under use. But if it was one at a time the server will not protest and log you out.

My concern is if the same mechanism applies here. Because if you are claiming that a digital license is created for the mobo and it lets you reactivate windows by entering a generic key and then a new computer can also activate with the same retail key. Isn't this simply a loophole to reactivate multiple PC's and thus create digital licenses using the same key? I still find it hard to believe that this is possible. If it is then it is a major flaw and isn't really in Microsoft's pecuniary interest.

You still don't get it, and I don't know how differently I can explain it. When a digital license is created for Windows 10 or 11, it is completely separated from the product key used to create it. Think of the Product Key as a credit card. You use the Product Key once to get the digital license. Think of the digital license as a lifetime membership to a club or a lifetime season ticket to a sports team. Once you use the credit card (product key) once to buy the season ticket (digital license), that ends the credit card's use in the transaction. To get into the club or the sporting event you use your season ticket, not your credit card. Windows 10 and 11 are activated by digital licenses, not by product keys.

You can activate 1,000 new installs of the same edition of Windows 10 or 11 on the same motherboard and it has no effect on the product key, because the digital license is completely separated from the product key used to obtain it once it is created. Once again, as I have already stated, Microsoft does keep track of how many new computers are activated the first time with a product key and how often. If you activate too many new computers within a certain period of time with the same product key, Microsoft will block its use - first blocking it from automatic online activations, and then with further uses (by using telephone activation) blocking it permanently, because Microsoft feels that there can be no legitimate reason for a single user to be using the same product key to activate 100 different computers in a day (for example). But you use a retail product key to activate a computer and then six months later get a new computer and use the same product key to activate it - no problem. And since the digital license is not tied to a product key once it is issued, it does not matter how many computers are activated with a digital license at the same time. There are millions of computers out there right now "activated" with the same product keys - the generic product keys.

Once the digital license is established, though, Microsoft could not care less how many times that digital license is used to activate the same edition of Windows 10 or 11 on the same motherboard. There is no "clash" with other computers because the digital license is completely disassociated from the product key once it is created. I have no idea how I could possibly make that any clearer.

Finally, Microsoft does not make the majority of profits from the sale of the OS. Microsoft makes profits from advertising that the OS facilitates, and by selling marketing data. And the more advertising that can be facilitated by their OS installed on computers, and the more data they can collect on users' usage habits, the more money MS makes. It is in Microsoft's best interest to have as many computers running Windows 10 and 11 as possible, even if some of those installs are not paid for by the user.