Actually - were you trying to use the Windows 8.1 product key at the beginning of a clean install to determine which version of Windows 10 to install? I've seen some product keys get rejected at that stage of the install, but if you select I Don't Have A Product Key and go through the install, then you can activate the Windows 10 after it is installed by changing the product key to the Windows 7 or 8 product key.
Do you have a digital licence? Where it says:
You can read more about digital licences here - Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro
The OEM key is not the digital licence. It is bound to the MS account that was used to buy the digital licence.
From the tutorial:
You cannot find the product key for digital licence because technically there is none.
The digital license is bound to the Unique Hardware ID of the computer it was originally obtained on - not the Microsoft Account. Log into that same computer with a local account and it will say Windows is activated with a digital license. Log into that computer with a completely different Microsoft Account, and you will get the same message currently displayed - Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft Account.
Hi Navy, would like to know if this is also true for a digital licence edition upgrade purchased from the MS Store app?
I did this purchase (OEM Home to Retail Pro) and confirmed my digital licence from the MS Store app is retail using slmgr /dli:
In this scenario, I am thinking it is not bound to the Unique Hardware ID because retail keys are supposedly transferrable.
What do you think?
Look at your partial product key. The product key installed on your computer is VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66THi Navy, would like to know if this is also true for a digital licence edition upgrade purchased from the MS Store app?
I did this purchase (OEM Home to Retail Pro) and confirmed my digital licence from the MS Store app is retail using slmgr /dli:
In this scenario, I am thinking it is not bound to the Unique Hardware ID because retail keys are supposedly transferrable.
What do you think?
Create and log in with a local account on your computer. You will find the exact same digital license information displayed for the local account as for a Microsoft Account. Your digital license for Windows 10 Pro is saved on Microsoft Activation Servers based upon the Unique Hardware ID of that computer - not a product key, and not a Microsoft Account. Reinstall Windows 10 Pro on that same computer using the generic product key provided above and you can activate Windows 10 before you even create a user account on that computer if you enter Audit Mode at the first OOBE screen during setup.
You should be able to transfer it using the activation troubleshooter with a Microsoft Account. All you have to do to get on the retail channel is change the product key of any activated Windows 10 or 11 to the matching generic product key:
Generic Product Keys to Install Windows 10 Editions
For example, my laptop computer came with Windows 10 Home from the factory, and it has a Windows 10 Home OEM product key stored in UEFI:
If I do a clean install, Windows 10 Home gets installed and activates on the OEM channel based on the product key stored in UEFI firmware. All I have to do is change the product key to YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7 and it will move to Windows 10 Home on the retail channel. Microsoft will allow transfer of the digital license to a another computer through a Microsoft Account using the activation troubleshooter.
You can transfer your retail Pro after you deactivate it from your old hardware: How to transfer a Windows 10 license to a new PC or hard drive | Windows Central
I see, so it needs to go through the troubleshoot. Will remember that for my future hardware.
Haha, thing is the Pro digital licence from MS Store does not come with a Product Key.
This will be the last time I am buying a digital licence from MS Store. Good ol' PK is still a lot less hassle.
It is not even required to deactivate it from your old hardware. In order to comply with the EULA, you need to have it installed on only one computer at a time, but it is impossible for a user to remove the digital license for a computer stored on Microsoft Activation Servers.
Example. I have Computer A, activated with a digital license. I put together Computer B. I activate Windows on Computer B by running the activation troubleshooter and "transferring" (which is really copying) the digital license from Computer A to Computer B through my Microsoft Account. I wipe out the entire OS from Computer A and sell it without an OS. All the new owner has to do on Computer A is install the same edition of Windows 10 or 11 on it that was activated before, using the generic product key, and it will activate for them by retrieving the digital license from Microsoft Activation Servers based on the unique hardware ID. There is nothing that a mere mortal user can do to stop it. Only Microsoft could stop it, if they chose to. And they have not chose to yet. There appears to be no product key information stored on Microsoft Activation Servers with a digital license - only the edition of Windows 10/11 and the unique hardware ID of the computer it was activated on.
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