ShowKeyPlus

Thanks Navy I did eventually get the app to run more by luck than judgement though.

So today, as I needed a new Windows 10 Pro licence, I found a (really) cheap W7 Pro licence, installed w10, used W7 key and it worked fine and activated ok.

After that, I checked the key using Showkeyplus, and whilst I was prepared for key to be invalid, it turned out to be a MAK key.

So I went back to W10, to double check activation, and clearly has a digital licence but showkeyplus shows it having a mak key.

How is this possible - I thought volume licence keys do not get a digital licence?

cereberus said:

So today, as I needed a new Windows 10 Pro licence, I found a (really) cheap W7 Pro licence .... it turned out to be a MAK key.
So I went back to W10, to double check activation, and clearly has a digital licence but showkeyplus shows it having a mak key.
How is this possible - I thought volume licence keys do not get a digital licence?

KMS keys don't, but apparently MAK ones do. I once bought in good faith a cheap(ish) W10 Pro licence, which also turned out to be a MAK key. I didn't find out until after I had used it to do a clean install. I then promptly restored its Macrium image of Win10 Home. I found that I could now upgrade from Home to Pro using the generic Pro key, and it would be activated with a digital licence.

Bree said:

KMS keys don't, but apparently MAK ones do. I once bought in good faith a cheap(ish) W10 Pro licence, which also turned out to be a MAK key. I didn't find out until after I had used it to do a clean install. I then promptly restored its Macrium image of Win10 Home. I found that I could now upgrade from Home to Pro using the generic Pro key, and it would be activated with a digital licence.

Thanks - I have never used a mak key before (I have used legitimate KMS keys before). Since I posted, I did a test - installed W7 in a vm, and key failed to activate but I went through the palaver of telephone activation and to my surprise it activated.

I have now read up more about mak keys, and I see they do not need to check in like KMS keys but eventually key will reach limit of activations. I understand for an individual user, that would allow a number of reinstalls, and eventually you need to contact MS to reset the installation counter, or use telephone activation.

I am guessing as this same key has been sold to multiple users, it will eventually run out of activations (sooner rather than later).

In fact thinking about it, that probably explains why it failed to activate but telephone activation worked. I assume sooner or later MS will catch up and the key will get banned if the installation counter is reset too many times.

However, I presume that as I now have a digital licence, the pc will always activate in future if I reinstall same edition. I suppose technically I have been scammed, as the website stated W10 Pro Retail (but I only paid £10 LOL).

I do not care about V7 vm - so will delete it of course.

NavyLCDR said:

I would switch your product key to the generic product key to remove the MAK product key.

Yeah good plan. I will do that. Thanks.

I was at one time a Microsoft MVP, then a Windows Insider MVP. A perk of that was a free MSDN subscription, also know as a Visual Studio Enterprise Subscription. My Windows 10 MAK keys, when used, got a Digital License. Even when used on multiple devices. I have always been of the opinion that, that shouldn't happen. But I don't work for Microsoft, or make the rules on usage. It's what happens with those special keys.
One of the rules / conditions of the subscription is you can't resell your keys. unfortunately not everybody follows the rules.

Well I have been watching videos from this channel (6867) How to Get Windows 10 Pro Key For Under £12 - YouTube for a long time now and it gives the way to get a reasonably priced activation code. Now you can also get Windows 11 activation codes from this site as well. I have not had to use it yet but would if I have to.
The site is this one Buy MS Windows 10 Pro OEM CD-KEY GLOBAL-Lifetime at cdkeysales.com

ICIT2LOL said:

.... Now you can also get Windows 11 activation codes from this site as well....

There is actually no difference between Windows 10 or Windows 11 as far as keys or digital licences are concerned. A key will activate either, and if the PC has a digital licence for 10 then that will activate an install of 11 too. Microsoft now refer to the keys as being for 'Windows 10/11', as seen at the bottom of this screenshot from the Store.