Microsoft Says Windows 10 Activation Should Now Work as Expected

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    Microsoft Says Windows 10 Activation Should Now Work as Expected

    Microsoft Says Windows 10 Activation Should Now Work as Expected


    Posted: 10 Aug 2015

    Windows 10 comes as a free upgrade for those running genuine Windows 7 or 8.1 on their computers, and Microsoft tells everyone to perform the upgrade directly to Windows 10 in order to activate the new operating system and then be able to reinstall as many times they wish with automatic re-activation.

    But according to many users who attempted to do this, while Windows 10 activates fine after the upgrade, it fails to do so when performing a re-install, so many are stuck with a copy of the operating system that cannot be activated.

    Previously, Microsoft said that these issues were caused by some servers problems, which were more or less expected, given the fact that so many people attempted to activate their copy of Windows 10 at the same time, but now everything should work normally.

    What's more, even if you replace some hardware in your computer and attempt to re-activate, it should complete the process successfully, according to Microsoft's Gabe Aul.
    Some still having problems

    Despite Microsoft claiming that the issues have been fixed, some users are still having problems trying to activate Windows 10 after a re-install, and their messages speak for themselves.

    “I have done the same procedure as mention above I upgrade from windows 8.1 OEM to windows 10 and then see the windows activated in the setting section. Only then I download the bootable windows 10 copy to have clean install. But after installing the windows 10 on my hard disk to have clean install it did not activate. I have install it may be 5 times now but it's not activating,” one user explains on the Microsoft Community forums.
    Source
    labeeman's Avatar Posted By: labeeman
    10 Aug 2015


  1. Posts : 2,068
    Windows 10 Pro
       #1

    I was thinking about this as it relates to machines I have at work.

    We purchase our computers via Dell, and we just buy them with the OEM OS license for Windows 8.x pro. Reinstalling the OS is a cakewalk in 8.x, as I can install, then run sysprep, capture the image with an imaging tool using /generalize and an unattended.xml file with retained drivers. I can then put that image onto any of my Dell's with the embedded OS license and it will simply activate.

    However, now that I have 35 deployed machines, and 10 new laptops in boxes, I have to "upgrade" them to 10 within a year, to get their hardware values recorded by MS, or just forsake moving them off 8.x. Well, not everybody wants 10 right now. We haven't verified it to work across our systems, etc. It will just get messy 2 years from now tracking which computers "will" run Windows 10 and activate and which ones will not.

    Why, oh why, won't Windows 10 simply read the embedded 8.x license key and just use it. Obviously if you have a machine with a key embedded in the BIOS, you are a legit licensed user? Probably because you only have a year in which to do it. Just remove the 1 year restriction and let people move when they are ready..


    So, I'm onto testing. I loaded Windows 10 clean to a machine that was NOT upgraded to 10 and it would not activate.


    Now, I am putting my 8.1 image back onto the box, will upgrade, and get it activated. Then clean install 10 and see what happens.
      My Computers


  2. Posts : 15,024
    Windows 10 IoT
       #2

    pparks1 said:
    I was thinking about this as it relates to machines I have at work.

    We purchase our computers via Dell, and we just buy them with the OEM OS license for Windows 8.x pro. Reinstalling the OS is a cakewalk in 8.x, as I can install, then run sysprep, capture the image with an imaging tool using /generalize and an unattended.xml file with retained drivers. I can then put that image onto any of my Dell's with the embedded OS license and it will simply activate.

    However, now that I have 35 deployed machines, and 10 new laptops in boxes, I have to "upgrade" them to 10 within a year, to get their hardware values recorded by MS, or just forsake moving them off 8.x. Well, not everybody wants 10 right now. We haven't verified it to work across our systems, etc. It will just get messy 2 years from now tracking which computers "will" run Windows 10 and activate and which ones will not.

    Why, oh why, won't Windows 10 simply read the embedded 8.x license key and just use it. Obviously if you have a machine with a key embedded in the BIOS, you are a legit licensed user? Probably because you only have a year in which to do it. Just remove the 1 year restriction and let people move when they are ready..


    So, I'm onto testing. I loaded Windows 10 clean to a machine that was NOT upgraded to 10 and it would not activate.


    Now, I am putting my 8.1 image back onto the box, will upgrade, and get it activated. Then clean install 10 and see what happens.
    Issuing a new unique to that machine Windows 10 Product code would have been another option. Windows 7 PC's don't have embedded keys and they also qualify for the free upgrade. There would be no key to read on a clean install on a Windows 7 OEM PC.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 2,068
    Windows 10 Pro
       #3

    ^ Yeah, our Windows 7 boxes were much older. Many were under a Microsoft EA and we terminated our Software Assurance before Windows 8 was out. So, we never did upgrade them to Windows 8. The only way people had Windows 8 in our organization was to get a new box that came with an 8.x license. And now that is basically just about all of our employees at this point. Our old laptops were 5-6 years old, so nearly everybody was up for a refresh. All new employees get new boxes.

    So, now i have a bunch of boxes that are only a year old or less (some new in boxes). But now I have to address these within a year. PITA.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 15,024
    Windows 10 IoT
       #4

    pparks1 said:
    ^ Yeah, our Windows 7 boxes were much older. Many were under a Microsoft EA and we terminated our Software Assurance before Windows 8 was out. So, we never did upgrade them to Windows 8. The only way people had Windows 8 in our organization was to get a new box that came with an 8.x license. And now that is basically just about all of our employees at this point. Our old laptops were 5-6 years old, so nearly everybody was up for a refresh. All new employees get new boxes.

    So, now i have a bunch of boxes that are only a year old or less (some new in boxes). But now I have to address these within a year. PITA.
    Get a sheet of those sticky orange paper dots at Staples and put one on each PC you do the free upgrade on. Hide in under the battery compartment. Something like that? Or write every serial model number etc down. I know PITA.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 2,068
    Windows 10 Pro
       #5

    I have confirmed that I can install the Windows 8.1 image, then upgrade to Windows 8.

    Then, clean install Windows 10, it will ask for the key during the install, I keep hitting skip. It will boot up, and once connected to the Internet, it says "Windows is activated".

    I keep an asset inventory spreadsheet, so I can track the units that I run the upgrade process on. The real pain is that I should do the upgrade on everything to ensure later that I "can" upgrade them...but it's time and effort now. Maybe in a few months when things are stable and such, moving everybody won't seem so daunting.
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 421
    Windows 10
       #6

    I did the upgrade from windows 7 on my laptop (using the tool on the microsoft site). I then used that same tool to make an iso and burned a dvd...I then used the product key program to get the windows 10 product key that was assigned to the activated upgrade install.

    Lastly, using that product key, i installed windows 10 clean (using the iso dvd i burned) on the same laptop (using the product key) and got a clean installed windows 10 which shows as activated....

    I used the tips in this article to do all that and in worked like a charm :)
    Windows 10 Updating, Reinstalling And Activation Guide: Essential Advice To Avoid Problems - Forbes
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 2,068
    Windows 10 Pro
       #7

    @Craig,

    Yes, you can actually do this same thing without ever having to find out what your Windows 10 key is. You can simply hit SKIP when it asks for a key during the install. When your box comes online and checks in with MS servers, they will know that it matches the machine that previously upgraded and it will automatically activate.
      My Computers


  8. Posts : 421
    Windows 10
       #8

    Didn't know that pparks1...good to know...in case, if for any reason, it doesn't activate using the method you mentioned, then the way i did it appears to be a "sure fire" way because you know as soon as you enter the new key that all will be well at the end
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 15,024
    Windows 10 IoT
       #9

    pparks1 said:
    I have confirmed that I can install the Windows 8.1 image, then upgrade to Windows 8.

    Then, clean install Windows 10, it will ask for the key during the install, I keep hitting skip. It will boot up, and once connected to the Internet, it says "Windows is activated".

    I keep an asset inventory spreadsheet, so I can track the units that I run the upgrade process on. The real pain is that I should do the upgrade on everything to ensure later that I "can" upgrade them...but it's time and effort now. Maybe in a few months when things are stable and such, moving everybody won't seem so daunting.
    Yeah, lots of time, doing each PC to reserve the hardware ID on the activation server, then go back to 8.1. Just so you can go back to 10 latter on and not have to pay to do it.
      My Computer


 

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