Revoking Digital Licence -- possible ????

NavyLCDR said:

You can call Microsoft and ask them. There is nothing you can do about the digital license stored on Microsoft activation servers for that computer.

Yeah - this is the absurdity of digital licences. @jimbo45 is only required by EULA to wipe windows from old PC if he transfers his licence to a new PC, so is not involved in piracy.

The Charity on sells to a user, and it activates - they cannot be pirates either as they installed in good faith. Nowhere in the EULA does it say you actually have to buy a licence, just that the PC needs to be activated.

However if @Jimbo did not wipe pc, and kept it activated, then that is piracy.

Equally if he gave it away or sold it telling the buyer it would activate for free, again that is piracy.

So long as he follows the eula and wipes it, and says to buyer the OS is not included then I do not see how this can be considered as piracy as both parties will have acted in good faith. The onus is on MS to prove the point.

Great isn't it!

Only thing I can think of that "might" erase it, is to transfer it to another device via the activation troubleshooter. It will have to be a device that doesn't already have a DL for that Edition. And skip entering a key. I'm assuming this revokes it for the original device. I don't actually know if it does though? I've never done it.
If it was me, mums the word, I'd just advise that no OS is installed.

I have several computers without a user name except the generic Owner and never had a problem with activation, never asks for a name. Some have a Microsoft Account and others don't, hasn't seemed to make a difference.

Using a local account or Microsoft Account has no effect on activation with a Digital License. Other than it being "linked" to your Microsoft Account.
Local account it says "Windows is activated with a digital license".
Microsoft account it will say "Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account".
I've logged in with both on a clean install and had no issues activating with my DL.
You will need it to be logged in with a Microsoft Account with it linked to do the transfer via the activation trouble shooter though.

alphanumeric said:

Only thing I can think of that "might" erase it, is to transfer it to another device via the activation troubleshooter. It will have to be a device that doesn't already have a DL for that Edition. And skip entering a key. I'm assuming this revokes it for the original device. I don't actually know if it does though? I've never done it.
If it was me, mums the word, I'd just advise that no OS is installed.

agree - say nothing and you have what our friends across the Pond call plausible deniability.

Also be advised, that if you clean install Windows 10, it does not look for the DL until you tell it what Edition to install, and finish the install. You'll be prompted to enter a key, skip that and you'll get the Edition selection menu just like everybody else. It doesn't auto select an Edition even if there is a DL out there for that hardware. It's only at the end on the install that it tries to activate and look for a DL.
The new owner would have to install the matching Edition , and skip entering a key to activate with the existing DL. From my experience anyway.

jimbo45 said:

I've got an older Sony VAIO laptop with a digital licence -- wiped it clean because I want to donate to charity.

How old? It would have had a legitimate OEM licence tied to that machine for the OS it was originally supplied with. Which was that, Windows 7 or Windows 8?

If it was Windows 8 or 8.1 then it will have a key embedded in its firmware. This alone is sufficient to activate a clean install of Windows 10, the Setup having read the key from the bios and installed the appropriate version (Home or Pro). And as the key is built in to the PC there can be no question that it is entitled to run Windows.

Or was it supplied with Windows 7? in which case it will have an SLP marker in the bios and a CoA sticker on the PC. You should be able to clean install an OEM Windows 7 on it using the CoA key and it should activate. An activated Win7 can still be upgraded to an activated Win10 in it's own right.


ShowKeyPlus will tell you whether it has an embedded key or an SLP.

Bree said:

How old? It would have had a legitimate OEM licence tired to that machine for the OS it was originally supplied with. Which was that, Windows 7 or Windows 8?

If it was Windows 8 or 8.1 then it will have a key embedded in its firmware. This alone is sufficient to activate a clean install of Windows 10, the Setup having read the key from the bios and installed the appropriate version (Home or Pro). And as the key is built in to the PC there can be no question that it is entitled to run Windows.

Or was it supplied with Windows 7? in which case it will have an SLP marker in the bios and a CoA sticker on the PC. You should be able to clean install an OEM Windows 7 on it using the CoA key and it should activate. An activated Win7 can still be upgraded to an activated Win10 in it's own right.


ShowKeyPlus will tell you whether it has an embedded key or an SLP.

Possible "at the moment" I'm referring to the activating with a Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 key. I suspect thats going to stop at some point, when and where who knows? Well Microsoft knows but they aren't saying. My laptops OEM embedded Windows 8.0 key is no longer read by the current Windows 10 install media. Might be a glitch though? Mine hasn't been detected for several Consumer builds. Others say theirs is still read?