Windows 10 install - key never asked for.

mrg9999 · 04 Oct 2015

KACI said:

Am I missing something? Are we talking about doing a clean install from the iso or just using it to do an upgrade?

I'm not on a domain.
I did a clean install from the ISO, deleting all partitions first. I ran slmgr /xpr and got the permanently activated message.

NavyLCDR · 04 Oct 2015

mrg9999 said:

I'm not on a domain.
I did a clean install from the ISO, deleting all partitions first. I ran slmgr /xpr and got the permanently activated message.

and the computers never had Windows 10 on them before? I would love to see the results of "slmgr /dlv" from command prompt.

Rocky · 04 Oct 2015

KACI said:

Am I missing something? Are we talking about doing a clean install from the iso or just using it to do an upgrade?

Sorry, I did not read the OP's response.

Mansome · 04 Oct 2015

mrg9999 said:

I'm not on a domain.
I did a clean install from the ISO, deleting all partitions first. I ran slmgr /xpr and got the permanently activated message.

You either had Windows 10 on that PC or you did the move the genuine ticket trick or you are on a network with a kms server if the edition was pro. There is no other explanation as to why it activated.

Superfly · 04 Oct 2015

There's something funky about that key:

Windows 10 install - key never asked for.-capture1.png

Windows 10 install - key never asked for.-capture.png

Showkey doesn't recognise it either...

mrg9999 · 05 Oct 2015

Superfly said:

There's something funky about that key:

Showkey doesn't recognise it either...

Dear Mr. Fly
I'm not saying this is the key

But how did you get that or see under the Xs?

I just did a slmgr / xpr on an enterprise machine, and it shows an expiration of 02/04/2016 07:58:19 . and the key is very different. I'm not going to post any of it here!

Are you proposing that my machines aren't actually activated and slmgr /xpr is giving incorrect information?
here is the screenshot

Windows 10 install - key never asked for.-act-10.png

dlv output obfuscated

Windows 10 install - key never asked for.-slmgr-slash-dlv-obfuscated.png

I've spent 1.5 hours of my life talking to Microsoft support in India, and North America (when Microsoft UK is 10 mins walk from me), and then UK they say "If it's permanently activated", then "It's activated".. don't worry.. So I won't.

Answer [SOLVED sort of]

The script sent me by Microsoft all those months ago is incorrect!
They said use VAMT
Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) Technical Reference (Windows)

I'm going back to my linux day job.

Superfly · 05 Oct 2015

Nope, apologies if I'm assuming that the key was a well publicized one...

The expiration date on Enterprise is due to KMS activation.

Note too that even Previews show as permanently activated when running /xpr, but that's beside the point - Insiders get activated based on HwID irrespective of key.

NavyLCDR · 05 Oct 2015

mrg9999, it isn't supposed to be possible for people to do clean installs of Windows 10 on computers that have never had Windows 10 before, and do not have Windows 10 Product Keys to have activated Windows 10. That's the only reason we are raising our eyebrows. We are trying to figure out what the undisclosed little secret there is that made this happen.

But if you say you just took two ordinary computers and did clean installs on them with official unmodified ISOs and they activated automatically....well, ok. It's kind of like the virgin birth of Windows 10.

mrg9999 · 05 Oct 2015

NavyLCDR said:

mrg9999, it isn't supposed to be possible for people to do clean installs of Windows 10 on computers that have never had Windows 10 before, and do not have Windows 10 Product Keys to have activated Windows 10. That's the only reason we are raising our eyebrows. We are trying to figure out what the undisclosed little secret there is that made this happen.

But if you say you just took two ordinary computers and did clean installs on them with official unmodified ISOs and they activated automatically....well, ok. It's kind of like the virgin birth of Windows 10.

It's 4 computers (2 x FJ, 2 x Dell ) and 2 VMs.

The ISO is what the tool produced from the media creation tool on oem.microsoft.com. I did have some problem getting the single X64 to work, but the 32 and combined 32&64 worked fine.

I'll generate sha256sum and md5 hashs and post them here. I don't remember the tool giving me the option, and if you do likewise, we can see if they are the same.

My end goal is
write a guide for someone to download an ISO, build and activate X number of standalone Windows 10 pro workstations, and then install an AV and VPN, Citrix package, that may be joined to a domain at a later point, so that they can receive a GPO.

Mark91 · 07 Oct 2015

It is simple. If you're on Windows 7/8/8.1 and have got OEM activation and if you run the Windows 10 setup on that machine, the machine checks your system and CONVERTS your previous OS OEM license to an OEM license for W10, that's why you get genuinely activated after the installation and it won't even ask for the key during the setup.

Yesterday, I installed Windows 10 Pro on my Windows 7 Ultimate machine and it was already activated after the installation.

Apparently, we both have the same OEM key.