Save activation file for use later in fresh installs

Discussion in 'Windows 10' started by anansay, Aug 13, 2020.

  1. anansay

    anansay MDL Member

    Jul 13, 2020
    216
    76
    10
    If I remember it correctly, it was possible, a few years ago, to avoid reaching the maximum number of activations per license key by first backing up the activation file to a separate storage medium and then copying it to a fresh install of Windows.

    Is this method workable for the latest versions/builds of Windows? Please advise.
     
  2. Enthousiast

    Enthousiast MDL Tester

    Oct 30, 2009
    47,006
    93,807
    450
    WIndows 10 doesn't have that limit anymore.

    With hwid, the activation is automatically done when installing windows and as many times as you want, for the lifetime of that specific hardware (mobo).
     
  3. Chibi ANUBIS

    Chibi ANUBIS MDL Chibi Developer

    Apr 28, 2014
    1,235
    910
    60
    Your activation can be save in your Microsoft account also
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  4. anansay

    anansay MDL Member

    Jul 13, 2020
    216
    76
    10
    One of my old machines used to have a Windows 10 Home (OEM) license and was upgraded to Windows 10 Pro using a Windows 7 Pro retail product key.

    Just over two weeks ago, I reformatted the hard drive and reinstalled Windows 10. This time I activated it with a generic product key for Windows 10 Pro. (It starts with VK7 and ends with V66T.) It says "Windows is activated with a digital license". Moreover I bound the machine (device) to a Microsoft account.

    Is there a limit to the number of activations of Windows 10 Pro if my device is tied to a Microsoft account?
     
  5. Enthousiast

    Enthousiast MDL Tester

    Oct 30, 2009
    47,006
    93,807
    450
    I recently answered a very similar question, no there is no limit on re-activating with the DL, the key is allowed to be published, it's a generic key for pro hwid activation.

    You don't have to link anything, the DL/HWID will be valid for the lifetime of the hardware it's generated on.

    Here is the other thread, also by you:
    https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/save-activation-file-for-use-later-in-fresh-installs.82178/
     
  6. anansay

    anansay MDL Member

    Jul 13, 2020
    216
    76
    10
    #6 anansay, Aug 22, 2020
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2020
    (OP)
    It may seem similar but no. In the other question, I was asking about backing up the activation file for use in reinstallations.

    In my other question, you did not mention about re-activating with a digital license. What you wrote was: "With hwid, the activation is automatically done when installing windows and as many times as you want, for the lifetime of that specific hardware (mobo)." I did not know then that when you wrote "hwid", you were telling me about activating with a digital license.

    Is your statement valid for ALL editions of Windows 10, including Windows 10 Education and Windows 10 Enterprise?

    Two additional questions to clarify my doubts:

    #1 - One of my machines is dual-boot because I am using one language version while my girlfriend is using another. Activating such a multi-boot device with a digital license is based on the mobo, not on whether it is dual-boot or single-boot, is that right?

    #2 - Suppose I upgrade my Windows 10 Home (OEM) license to Windows 10 Pro using a retail product key for Windows 10 Pro. I activate it. Does Microsoft recognize it as "activation with a retail license" or "activation with a digital license"?
     
  7. murphy78

    murphy78 MDL DISM Enthusiast

    Nov 18, 2012
    7,394
    11,615
    240
    From what I understand there are ~5 re-activations of the same windows key per year on different hardware
    You have unlimited activations for the exact same hardware.

    From what I remember, there is a 10-point hardware matching system that catalogs various hardware serial numbers:
    System drive serial,
    Wifi/ethernet serial (worth 3 points iirc)
    Memory amount
    Motherboard (In my experience you will always have to re-activate after changing a motherboard)

    If you change more than 3 of the 10 points, the digital entitlement tied to your hardware will no longer be valid and you'll need to reactivate using a windows key or other activation method.
    If you have a specific key (most likely) tied to your system, simply enter the key upon re-install and it will auto-detect the hardware and choose whether to restore an entitlement or burn an activation charge.
     
  8. anansay

    anansay MDL Member

    Jul 13, 2020
    216
    76
    10
    Let's hear what @Enthousiast, MDL's leading authority on Microsoft products, has to say on this.
     
  9. Enthousiast

    Enthousiast MDL Tester

    Oct 30, 2009
    47,006
    93,807
    450
    We have hwid generation knowledge for about 4 years now, for ALL windows 10 consumer, busines, ltsb and recently 2019 ltsc (except 2019 LTSC N) SKUs, is this discussion still needed?

    Officially the hwid says poof after only a mobo change (lan is leading) but again, since our friends mspaintmsi and anonymous made hwid on the fly possible, that all is not really important anymore.

    about my reply in the other similar thread you started:

    hwid = digital license

    and you simply could have replied in the first thread with the exact same subject, you didn't even show you read the answer but started a new thread.
     
  10. d5aqoëp

    d5aqoëp MDL Addicted

    Jan 19, 2017
    780
    574
    30
    I upgraded from X299 system to Z490 system. All components like NVMe SSD, RAM, GPU, 10GBe PCIe LAN remained same. I only swapped Motherboard and CPU. But on booting Windows, it re-configured devices but HW-ID activation remained. I was pleasantly surprised.
     
  11. murphy78

    murphy78 MDL DISM Enthusiast

    Nov 18, 2012
    7,394
    11,615
    240
    Could be that mobo is similar to wifi/ethernet serial in that it has 3 points by itself or that they've opened up the tolerance.
    Just out of curiosity, did you also change your ram amount?
     
  12. Enthousiast

    Enthousiast MDL Tester

    Oct 30, 2009
    47,006
    93,807
    450
    #12 Enthousiast, Aug 22, 2020
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2020
    Online or offline account?

    @murphy78 are you sure that is about hwid or is that based on MSDM activation?

    My test in the very early stages of hwid on the fly development was when i disabled my onboard LAN and put in a pci lan card, the Pro hwid was gone (no msdm, self built system) and when i re-installed windows 10 Pro using a hdd which never was used with a hwid either, didn't get the hwid either.
     
  13. d5aqoëp

    d5aqoëp MDL Addicted

    Jan 19, 2017
    780
    574
    30
    Offline. No MS account was on system.
     
  14. Enthousiast

    Enthousiast MDL Tester

    Oct 30, 2009
    47,006
    93,807
    450
    So, you changed the mainboard and used the nvme ssd with an existing install and the hwid still was valid? That's a first, in this scenario some stated the hwid was gone but re-established by generating a new genuineticket.xml and re-applying it.
     
  15. awuctl

    awuctl MDL Member

    Jun 6, 2020
    118
    432
    10
    #15 awuctl, Aug 23, 2020
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2020
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  16. Enthousiast

    Enthousiast MDL Tester

    Oct 30, 2009
    47,006
    93,807
    450
    :facepalm: missed that :D
     
  17. awuctl

    awuctl MDL Member

    Jun 6, 2020
    118
    432
    10
    So it seems storage SNs and the NIC MAC were the deciding factors in this case.
    I don't have the time and resources to check which parameters matter the most server-side (also, fuzzing Microsoft's activation system can't be a good idea) but I'm still convinced SMBIOS firmware tables and NICs are the most important ones.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  18. MS_User

    MS_User MDL Guru

    Nov 30, 2014
    4,617
    1,340
    150
    simple just activate your machine using using any COA sticker;)
     
  19. Enthousiast

    Enthousiast MDL Tester

    Oct 30, 2009
    47,006
    93,807
    450
    #20 Enthousiast, Aug 24, 2020
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2020
    Simplest is just to generate a new hwid, when needed;)