Any way to check if Windows 10 Pro is using the OEM BIOS key to activate or not ? Also, how to try activating manually? People say hit the activate button but I do not find any activate button in activation wizard
Depend on the machine/BIOS! If, let say, it was an Laptop with Pre -installed Windows 8 and user downgraded to Windows 7, the Product Key would be still in BIOS! If it were an origin Windows 7 Machine and W8 added later, and if the BIOS were not changed to an new one, it wouldn't have an P-Key! Simply it's all depends .........!
You could Try with Rewrite Everything (could get on the Application forum) if the BIOS contains any Product Key! Check that also on the BIOS Forum here at MDL! Use Settings in Windows 10 for to get activated, or go to Computer Properties, there should be a button! Maybe (and I mean MAYBE), your HWID is already stored at MS Server after your wrong activation?! I was use to change the BIOS on my old Laptop for to overcome that problem and that worked (for me).
Running c:\Windows\system32\licensingdiag.exe should produce some nice log files which includes calling out which product key is being used for activation and potentially more data on why things are failing.
In that case I would check to find an BIOS for your machine without P-Key! Just update the old BIOS for in case you'll need it somehow later on (maybe)! As I mentioned already, if you change the BIOS, the HWID will change too and that will free the way for to install and activate Windows 10 again, even if your Machine was captured already be MS!
if BIOS come with oem pkey i dont think OEM would ever release a bios update without p-key included i mean it will cause big issue when people update bios and finding out their windows no longer active/non-genuine the best bet is to mod the bios... ask for senior modder for help inserting/removing slic table is easy thing for them, but not for rest of us plus bios is not a test & trial thing... if u mess something it will brick your pc and u will get more trouble
The only time Windows is supposed to look for the MSDM table is during OOBE if it has an existing OEM-DM key. The generic key is a retail key so it should never pull the key from the BIOS. I've seen numerous PCs upgraded from 8.1 (OEM-DM) and they all had the generic retail key.
i think i upgraded my 8.1 core with win 10 pro by mistake,because i now have win 10 pro on my previously 8.1 core machine,i didn't use any keys or anything,just let it do it's thing,and it's activated,but i'am signed in with my MSA and as an insider,i think if i leave insiders it will become unactivated and i'll have to revert to home or i will have to buy a pro key,so it's staying as it is for awhile,maybe become an insider for awhile until you can afford a key like i'm doing.
the same here i upgraded 2 windows 8 pro PC with orginal key and COA to windows 10 and Microsoft added a win10 generic key after upgraded in both pc WTF
pauldamo, if you leave insider you will lose your activation. You could then KMS activate it, once done, change the product key to the generic pro key, then it will no longer want to activate every 180 days, it will be permanently activated. Just to top it off run an upgrade install of 10 pro over the top of your existing 10 pro as then it will activate it again as a retail copy. I've done this a few times now, works every time. It somehow tricks the activation server into thinking you have a retail copy, all by just changing the key. It will still have the KMS version of the EULA until you do that 10 pro upgrade install over the top, then it changes it to the retail EULA and is activated permanently.
windows 10 will activate and give you a legit activation but if it says the iso is blocked thats because you used an upgrade not yours via the add new features or whatnot.heres the funny thing though.this has happened to me and what i did is reinstall my real 8.1 home with a real key then upgraded to pro via store.well since it activated before but i got rid of a fake pro iso it left it activated.so when i came from a real version it let me have pro.btw coming clean even on msa your not seen as an insider unless you retick the box to get started.
click on the store button in the activation screen it should take you to the windows 10 page then you should be-able to click the button there and it should activate via HWID