Untie digital license from a motherboard

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  1. Posts : 3
    xp, 7, 10
       #1

    Untie digital license from a motherboard


    Hello!
    Win 10 pro using now.
    So long story short: I bought a motherboard from a friend who have digital license on the motherboard that now i have.
    I want to untie the motherboard from that digital license and register it with my MS account.
    Win is now registered, but with his MS account and he have a couple more PC's registered in the same account.
    Before i register the motherboard with my account i want to untie it from his account.
    I made a research and find out that this digital license is tied with the motherboard serial number, system ID and other stuff.
    Further I found out that this info is stored in the motherboard bios. (Or can be stored somewhere else on motherboard and all my work to be useless?)
    The motherboard is Asus, and I found a tool that can edit bios image files for Asus motherboards.
    So I made image file of the bios with that tool and software that can copy/write/erase data to bios chips.
    Untie digital license from a motherboard-bios-info.jpg
    As on the picture now I can see bunch of stuff written in the bios covered with green.
    Basicly I want to change everything and rewrite the bios on motherboard.
    What and will anything happen if lets just say I change something from the first 5 green lines, but keeping the structure as it is?
    Just changing the letters and/or numbers, but keeping the same lenght and symbols if there are any.
    For example: BIOS date: 2010.01.01 (original) and change it to: BIOS date: 2015.05.05.
    Or: ME version: 9.9.2001 (1.1) and change it to: ME version: 3.4.2005 (1.7).
    I care only of the functionality of the motherboard.
    I understand that there can be some issues with the motherboard if I want to update the bios or something like that, but I'm not gona do that or upgrade the motherboard.
    It will stay as it is.
    It doesn't even have external video card Just for some very basic gaming for the kids, thats all.
    It works just fine for the job I need it.
    So I will change System UUID keeping the same number of digits and spaces, because i read Windows is using that info to connect digital license to this motherboard, also motherboard serial number.
    Also Motherboard S/N keeping the same 15 digit number, but just different.
    And this question pop up just now, can Microsoft detect my motherboard by Primary card MAC address?
    If yes I will change that too, I have 2 lan cards from old pc that for some reason are not working, but i can read their MAC address, so I will just copy the MAC address from one of these lan cards, will it work that way?
    I know MAC address you can't just type any random, so I will use one of the broken lan cards.

    I have recovered many bricked motherboards in the past 2-3 years, but I never changed any of these info in the bios image files.

    I don't have Win 10 license now but I will buy one after I resolve this "problem", also it will be my first one.
    I just don't want to see this "Activate windows" watermark anymore.
    Also another interesting for me question, can he see my MAC address or IP from his account when he log in there?

    So, after all this, what I have to change in bios to completely untie the motherboard from his digital license?
    I just don't want any connection with his account.
    He may have an option to remove this PC or delete this digital license or transfer it to another machine, but I want it to be just as if I bought a new motherboard from a store with no connections at all, lets just say Microsoft may keep history ...

    Long story short? Sorry, that just gone too long.

    Thanks in advance!
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 1,612
    11, 10, 8.1 and 7 all Professional versions, and Linux Mint
       #2

    Just the motherboard or the motherboard and CPU
    Presumably your friend did NOT unlink the device from his Microsoft account
    Remove a device from your Microsoft account
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...9-f708582062e4

    Go to https://account.microsoft.com/devices, sign in, and find the device you want to remove.

    Select Show details to see info for that device.

    Under your device's name, select More actions > Remove.

    Review your device details, select the box for I'm ready to remove this device, then select Remove.

    ===================================================================================
    He should now do that he does not require the actual computer in question to do so

    You then do a clean install
    However you must link the device to your Microsoft account first
    In Windows 10 (version 1607 or later), you must link your Microsoft account to the Windows 10 digital license on your PC before you can reactivate Windows. For more info, see "Associate your Windows 10 license with your Microsoft account" in Reactivating Windows 10 after a hardware change.


    THIS will only work of course IF the friend who sold it to you has NOT used the licence on another computer by notifying a hardware change
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...d-fb3fc72b6665

    and then presuming the friend has NOT used the digital licence you activate against your microsoft account
    Reactivate Windows 10 after a hardware change.
    Same link as above
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...d-fb3fc72b6665

    In summary if the digital licence is available it will then activate to you
    This also presumes it is not a digital licence from what was originally an OEM computer (Dell HP etc)when it is doubtful it will activate to you - using ONLY the motherboard

    However one never really knows until you try it


    More detail here
    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...1-beda067e057e

    Finally re this
    He may have an option to remove this PC or delete this digital license or transfer it to another machine, but I want it to be just as if I bought a new motherboard from a store with no connections at all, lets just say Microsoft may keep history ...
    He cannot have the option to transfer it to another machine - can he?, because as I said above, if he did or has - it cannot then be available for use by you.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 3
    xp, 7, 10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Sorry, I forgot to mention.
    I will use the motherboard as it is.
    The cpu it came with and ram memory.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 1,612
    11, 10, 8.1 and 7 all Professional versions, and Linux Mint
       #4

    So - that is the procedure you follow - that I posted
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 3
    xp, 7, 10
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Yes, now i understand everything.
    And tomorrow im on it.
    Thank you!
    Cheers!
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 1,612
    11, 10, 8.1 and 7 all Professional versions, and Linux Mint
       #6

    Cheers
    Pleased to have helped and welcome to the site
      My Computer


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

    Clearly there is a misunderstanding regarding the digital licensing of Windows 10 in this thread. The only thing resembling a digital license for Windows 10 stored in the firmware of a motherboard is if a computer manufacturer of an entire computer system put a product key for Windows 8 or Windows 10 in the firmware when they manufactured the entire computer system. Windows 7 was a bit different. If you purchase a retail motherboard, not a full computer system, there should be no product key or license for Windows stored in the firmware, and there will be nothing that ever writes any kind of digital license to the motherboard firmware. The digital license is stored 100% on Microsoft activation servers and there is nothing that an end user can do to remove it.

    When Windows 10 was installed with that motherboard, a unique ID was sent to Microsoft along with the edition of Window 10 (Home, Pro, etc.). That digital license is there at Microsoft basically forever and the user can do nothing about it. So anytime that same edition of Windows 10 is installed with that motherboard, the digital license will be retrieved from Microsoft activation servers to activate it.

    There is no digital license actually stored on any person's Microsoft account. When a person logs into any computer using a Microsoft Account, a link is created on that persons account. All the link does is point to the digital license that is stored on Microsoft's server. You can certainly delete the link in a person's Microsoft account, but that accomplishes very little, the digital license for that edition of Windows 10 for that motherboard will remain on Microsoft activation servers.

    What the user purchasing a second hand motherboard really needs to do is install a new clean copy of Windows 10 which no longer has the old user's Microsoft account on it. They should then just make sure they reinstall the same edition of Windows 10 that was on it before (Home or Pro) and enjoy the free activation that they got in the deal compliments of Microsoft.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 15,441
    Windows10
       #8

    All this advice is way overcomplicated and unecessary. The digital licence is tied to the mobo id.

    The link to an MS account is only temporary and only remains in force if user logins with same MS account. The digital licence itself does not care if pc is using a local or MS account.

    The link to MS account is only for enabling you to reactivate Windows 10 on a NEW mobo if the existing mobo fails.

    So all you have to do is install Windows 10, skipping key entry but install as a local account.

    The new pc will activate automatically, and the link to any MS account will be gone.

    Then you can change to MS account, and the digital licence will get linked to your MS account.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 1,612
    11, 10, 8.1 and 7 all Professional versions, and Linux Mint
       #9

    Just to clear up any misunderstanding, I never thought that the digital licence was recorded on anything except the Microsoft activation servers - against the hardware hash of the computer.
    I never thought that it was somehow also recorded on the Microsoft account.
    If the computer is setup with a Local Account and used with a local account the settings - activation report that
    "Windows is activated with a digital licence"

    If the computer is setup with a Microsoft account then it reports that
    "Windows is activated with a digital licence linked to your Microsoft account"

    When I replied I did not know if he had bought the motherboard on its own or the motherboard with the CPU, as his opening post actually says -
    "I bought a motherboard"

    It transpires of course that he bought the motherboard with the CPU installed on it.

    If as I said the seller had used the digital licence relating to that motherboard on another of their computers, by notifying a hardware change, then the digital licence will not be available to "10problem"

    I suggested the clean install.

    Perhaps the only possible misunderstanding on my reply was when I said
    and then presuming the friend has NOT used the digital licence you activate against your microsoft account
    and it would have been better if I had said not
    against
    but
    linked to

    The digital licence actually uses hardware hash ID3
    HardwareID-3 Manufacturer + Family + Product Name + SKU Number + Baseboard Manufacturer + Baseboard Product
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #10

    Macboatmaster said:
    If as I said the seller had used the digital licence relating to that motherboard on another of their computers, by notifying a hardware change, then the digital licence will not be available to "10problem"
    Actually, that is mistaken. Microsoft does not remove the digital license from the old computer when it is "moved" to a new computer through a Microsoft account. The digital license is actually copied, not moved. Other users have reported that there is a limit of 5 times that a digital license can be copied to new computers by transferring it through a Microsoft account.
      My Computer


 

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