I've just been checking the licence keys, on my four W10 laptops.....all running the latest version of Windows.....I notice that three of them have the SAME licence keys......how is this possible ? and is it even legal ?.....the Operating Systems were installed from a USB flash drive, and I've never had any problems activating them......just curious to know how this works ?
After Windows 10 or 11 are activated on the Microsoft activation servers with unused valid product keys, your computers no longer will show that product key. Instead they show a generic key for the particular version of Windows. It is not unusual for numerous computers to show the same generic product key.
Thanks for that......so perfectly legal then ?......the reason I ask, is I have the chance of ANOTHER Windows 7 machine, which I intend to upgrade to W10, so that would be FOUR with the same key........
You can install it but you will need a win10/11 key to activate.
The free upgrade activation from win7/8 no longer works.
There can be problems with an existing free upgrade activation in some circumstances.
I managed to get it back on one machine, but the other machine has been deactivated:
Lost Activation win11 pro | Windows 11 Forum
Both the PC in your specs say they have W10 Home. If they got W10 by upgrading from W7 or W8 then the upgrade would have given them the generic key for W10 Home:YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7.
Generic Product Keys to Install Windows 10 Editions
A generic key cannot activate Windows on its own, it requires the PC to have an existing digital licence for the edition installed (in this case Home) stored on the Microsoft activation servers and linked to the hardware ID of the PC. The upgrade from an activated W7/8 would have created this digital licence.
The free upgrade to Windows 10 ended in September 2023, you can still upgrade W7 to W10 but it will no longer get a digital licence and won't be activated.
Free Activation from Windows 7/8 key or upgrade to Windows 10/11 Ends
Thanks for the replies......it looks like it's game over for this little hobby of mine then ?.......I have upgraded several W7 laptops to W10 over a couple of years, and even a couple of W Vista one's.......I guess they just want us all to use W 11.........Just a thought, is it likely that Microsoft will ever revoke the use of those Generic Keys that are now in use ?........that would leave a lot of people with no Operating System.......
Last edited by Del 80; 13 Jan 2024 at 01:59.
Not being able to do a free upgrade anymore from Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10 is unfortunate but not a big loss. If you really want to install Windows 10 on a computer you could always buy a Windows 10 Pro OEM product key online for about $20 US. That's actually a bargain when you consider I paid $190 US for a retail copy of Windows 10 Pro in 2017.
It's not only that they want us to use Windows 11 but they want us to buy new computers. I wouldn't put Windows 11 on a computer that was very old. It is better that they stay with Windows 7 or 10.
I have two computers with Windows 11. They both fully support Windows 11. The oldest is 7 years old. These are my main computers I use every day.
Now all my computers that have Windows 10 are considered secondary computers. For example, when I answer questions to posts on this forum I use one of them to test the validity of things I suggest.
Everybody that uses the Internet needs to at least use computers with Windows 10. I still have computers with Windows XP and Windows 7 but they are not my main computers anymore. I just keep them around to play with.
O.k so just to re-cap.......even with an OEM key for W 8.1, NOT the current installed digital key, it is NOT possible to upgrade to W10 ?.......just trying to get my head round it !!......NOTE: the OEM key only shows on the W 8.1 machine, using ShowKeyPlus, along with the digital key....NOT on the older W 7 machines, although it does say on those "Windows 7 OEM marker present in firmware".....
Last edited by Del 80; 13 Jan 2024 at 07:11.
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