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Activation switched from "with product key" to "with Digital License"
After doing the upgrade from Windows 10 Education 1511 to 1607, Settings > Update & security > Activation, switched from "activated with a product key" to Activated with a Digital License".
Activation has changed with the upgrade to 1607.
To clarify what I'm talking about I'll add some info.
I originally installed Windows 10 Education 1511 with my MSDN Retail key. Settings > Update & security > Activation would show "Activated with a Product key" and show the last 5 digits of the key I used to activate it.
After it upgrading to 1607 via Windows update, it now says "Activated with a digital License tied to your Microsoft account". It has switched to a Digital license?
As a test, I did clean install of Windows 10 Education 1511 on a PC that never had that version installed on it. I did a " I don't have a key" option and it installed and showed as not activated.
I then entered one of my Retail MSDN keys and activated it. It then showed as "Activated with a product code" in Settings > Update & security > Activation.
I then did a clean install on that same PC, with a " I don't have a key" option and it showed as not activated. If it had a DL it would have activated automatically.
I then entered my MSDN key and activated it. It showed activated with a product key as before. To me that indicates it does not have a digital entitlement.
As one last test, I installed windows 10 Education 1511 with a skip key, then upgraded to 1607, and it still showed as not activated, this PC does not have a digital license.
I was told by another forum member that any activation of Windows 10 will get you a digital license, and that's its always been that way. Which, as far as I can tell, is not true.
The PC I'm referring too, was activated twice with Windows 10 1511 but still shows as unactivated on a clean install of 1511 and 1607.
All installs being switched to a digital license only happened with the release of the anniversary edition. Before that Retail installs stayed as activated with a product key.
If anybody has upgraded from a retail install of Windows 10 1511, I would be very interested to know what , Settings > Update & security > Activation shows for you?
Doesn't matter if its Home, Pro etc? My keys were Retail keys.
Last edited by alphanumeric; 08 Aug 2016 at 06:42. Reason: Clarification