Local, offline backup and restore of Windows 10 activation token

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  1. Posts : 3
    Win10 Pro
       #1

    Local, offline backup and restore of Windows 10 activation token


    My company provides two Windows PCs along with our industrial equipment, where the 2nd computer serves as an offline, unpowered backup. If the first PC fails, say the power supply goes out, we pull the removable drive, slide it into the backup, and power up.

    The only hitch with this strategy was that Windows would detect the hardware change and ask for re-activation.

    We solved this (under Windows 7) using the Advanced Tokens Manager app (Josh Cells):

    Purchase 2 PCs, each with their own OEM Win7 Pro-64 license key.

    Activate each online, backup the activation token with ATM.

    When swapping a single drive from one PC to the next, use ATM to restore the activation for the correct PC upon first boot. Note that these are offline industrial systems, so online activation is not an option. Phoning in to Microsoft is not ideal either, and we would like to make this restore process as seamless and easy as possible.

    Now we are moving from Win7 to Win10 and I would like to keep this procedure, but have found that ATM latest version is 3.5 for Win8 and no longer supported.

    Can you suggest a replacement app to locally backup and restore a Win10 activation token, when a drive image is switched to different hardware? Or is there a better way to do what I want?

    Thanks for the help!
    Eric
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 42,734
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #2

    we pull the removable drive,
    - from your question about activation, it sounds like this is the system disk.

    If so, your strategy would depend on this never failing itself. That leaves me puzzled as to the apparent backup strategy.. could you clarify that please? Thanks!

    Why can you not simply swap the entire PC? Is there data that has changed that is essential for continuity? If so, could that data not be backed up and then transferred to the 2nd PC?

    Why would it be essential that the active PC always have exactly the same license?
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 8,057
    windows 10
       #3

    Most of Jssupo tools are not supported but they still work fine on Windows 10 even uncleaned so there should be no problems
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 3
    Win10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #4

    dalchina said:
    - from your question about activation, it sounds like this is the system disk.

    If so, your strategy would depend on this never failing itself. That leaves me puzzled as to the apparent backup strategy.. could you clarify that please? Thanks!

    Why can you not simply swap the entire PC? Is there data that has changed that is essential for continuity? If so, could that data not be backed up and then transferred to the 2nd PC?

    Why would it be essential that the active PC always have exactly the same license?
    dalchina, thanks for the response. Yes, this is the system drive, in a mirrored hot-swappable enclosure. You are also correct that the data and configuration needs to be retained if the PC fails. this is a full time data acq system where it is important to minimize downtime. Moving the entire hard drive into a new PC lets us boot back up within minutes as if nothing changed.

    Samuria, what Jssupo tools do you recommend? Not familiar with that term.

    Thanks!
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 8,057
    windows 10
       #5

    Should say Josh Cells its andriod auto correct
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 3
    Win10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Thanks, I will keep trying with ADM. Are there any similar apps that people like? Or a MIcrosoft provided way to backup and restore the activation?

    Thanks,
    Eric
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #7

    jacobsee said:
    Thanks, I will keep trying with ADM. Are there any similar apps that people like? Or a MIcrosoft provided way to backup and restore the activation?

    Thanks,
    Eric
    @Superfly might know a way to backup the activation tokens.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 3,453
       #8

    There are two tokens.dat files, one for SPP (key activation) and one for digital licences - you can back them up with MS' own utility

    Use this script

    Code:
    $CabFile = -join ($env:TEMP, '\', $env:computername, (Get-Date -UFormat "_%Y-%m-%d_"), "diag.cab")
    $Extracted = Join-Path $env:TEMP -ChildPath "\Extracted"
    Remove-Item $Extracted -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Remove-Item $CabFile -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Invoke-Expression -Command (Join-Path $env:SystemRoot -ChildPath "\System32\licensingdiag.exe -q") | Out-Null
    # Create a folder and extract cab file
    New-Item $Extracted -Type Directory | Out-Nul
    Invoke-Expression -Command ('expand -F:* $CabFile $Extracted') | Out-Null
    Invoke-Item $Extracted
    The Clip folder contains the Digital licence tokens and the SPP folder the key licence tokens
    I have not yet been able to restore the Clip tokens off-line as Windows has a built-in corruption protection that restores the default tokens when removed.

    The app you are referring to uses SPP tokens which is not applicable to DL's
    Local, offline backup and restore of Windows 10 activation token Attached Files
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 9,765
    Mac OS Catalina
       #9

    Personally I would look at using the same brand and type of machine, use a Volume license to get away from having to reactivate.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 1
    Windows 10
       #10

    Superfly said:
    There are two tokens.dat files, one for SPP (key activation) and one for digital licences - you can back them up with MS' own utility

    Use this script

    Code:
    $CabFile = -join ($env:TEMP, '\', $env:computername, (Get-Date -UFormat "_%Y-%m-%d_"), "diag.cab")
    $Extracted = Join-Path $env:TEMP -ChildPath "\Extracted"
    Remove-Item $Extracted -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Remove-Item $CabFile -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Invoke-Expression -Command (Join-Path $env:SystemRoot -ChildPath "\System32\licensingdiag.exe -q") | Out-Null
    # Create a folder and extract cab file
    New-Item $Extracted -Type Directory | Out-Nul
    Invoke-Expression -Command ('expand -F:* $CabFile $Extracted') | Out-Null
    Invoke-Item $Extracted
    The Clip folder contains the Digital licence tokens and the SPP folder the key licence tokens
    I have not yet been able to restore the Clip tokens off-line as Windows has a built-in corruption protection that restores the default tokens when removed.

    The app you are referring to uses SPP tokens which is not applicable to DL's
    Is there an automatic script to restore it?
      My Computer


 

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