Ok a bit of an oddity this one. About 6 months ago I aquired an i5 laptop ... Acer Aspire. Nothing special. It has no OS and the hard drive had been wiped. I did nothing with it until the first insider preview was released for Windows 10. Since then I've had multiple Windows 10 previews on it, both from updating and fresh install from ISO. It updated to build 10240 like all others and remained activated on Pro. I decided to take a look at it today with a view to installing Windows 7 for the first time on it and upgrading to 10 to get permenent activation. But before I did I curiously ran slmgr /xpr and it reported that it was permenently activated. Odd ... so I took the Win10 DVD and did a fresh install, wiping the HDD out. I chose Pro and skipped the cd key (both times). It connected to the internet and activated ... so it's activation really is permenent. The question I have is WHY? I didn't upgrade from Win7, and the Win7 that came with it was Home Premium so I would normally only be eligeble to upgrade to Home, not Pro like I have. So M$ have just given me a free Pro license for this PC for running the insider previews?
Probably due to you still being registred as an Insider - had a report at TenForums of a guy getting bumped off after rolling out of Insiders - he's was downgraded to Home due to the underlying Core activation. Yours may just become deactivated.
I can't see how thats the case as it does not fit my defenition of permenent. In addition, since the reinstall I'm not even using a Microsoft Account - so this is not an 'insider' PC.
It fits their's though. If you quit insiders and you were activated with a non-conforming OS you will be deactivated...of course that won't happen if you never connect to the internet
As far as I am aware the insider program is linked to the MSA ... this PC is not using an MSA. In addition, I've not seen it stated anywhere that people who stay in the insider program get free licence, just that the upgrade remain activated if already installed. This is a non MSA PC that has a permanent "upgrade" licence without having gone through the previous activated OS route...
Since I wiped it I set it up with a local account, not an MSA. So it would have no way to know if I was still an insider or not.
I think i'll try that out. But what does the Insider registration have to do with Insider Builds. I mean, if i stay registered but opted out the program in my PC. What M$ could take from me that will justify my status as an 'insider', since i'm fully activated and not accepting their builds... Can't wait for the "D" day. So many questions, and almost no answers.
The initial install was Win10 Preview The version I've used is the WZor leak. At no point have I had a previous OS on, qualifying or not.
during insider, it got your HWID, it knows that system. It is activating with the HWID now, it matches previously used system with what you are activating now. Says ok this is familiar, with no need for MSA signed in for it to see a familiar system is trying to activate.
I understand how they got my HWID, but that should not (I believe) give me permanant activation. My understanding was if you wipe PC's that were activated and updated to RTM, then you lose the activation and have to install the Win7 and upgrade at least once to make it permement. But that seems not the case here?