Windows To Go has stolen my hardware ID and activation?

Discussion in 'Windows 10' started by sansini, Sep 19, 2015.

  1. sansini

    sansini MDL Novice

    Oct 4, 2008
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    Hi all,
    I've recently been testing Windows To Go and created a install on a spare external HD. I happened to set the device up on a laptop I've previously upgraded to Windows 10 with a valid genuine install, and as it was for testing only, I used the Microsoft Toolkit to get Windows To Go activated (Windows 10 x64 Enterprise).
    I did a clean installation of Windows 10 on the genuine key laptop today and the laptop will no longer activate (says key is blocked). When I check on my list of devices from my MS account - it looks like the Windows To Go installation has 'stolen' the hardware ID of my laptop and it looks to have stolen the activation too :(
    I spoke to Microsoft 1st line on the issue and they had no idea, and I was unwilling to spend another hour trying to progress from 1st line to 2nd line etc, espcially as I used the MS Toolkit on the WTG install.

    Any ideas?
     
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  2. odiebugs1

    odiebugs1 MDL Expert

    Jul 30, 2015
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  3. pisthai

    pisthai Imperfect Human

    Jul 29, 2009
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    The fact is, the HW-ID is locked to the system and that includes the HDD, internal or external. The HW-ID of yours, even if get 'stolen' could never be used the other user in a different machine!

    A few years as we started to use WindowsToGo in my company, I was contacting Microsoft Thailand for to ask about the problems with activations on an external drives with running Windows OS, because that drive would use not on the exact same machine all time! That Engineer I talked to explained that in W2G that process had been changed and the only important things are, not to change the HDD and the external Case that HDD is running in! He also told, as W2G OS'es would be only activated via KMS, even a change of the HDD and/or the case would be a minor problem.

    Really nothing to worry about!
     
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  4. David34

    David34 MDL Member

    Sep 6, 2015
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    My genuine key was blocked too probably because of I installed Windows so many times trying to clean it up of junkware. Thought will talk to Microsoft customer service wasted about 5 hours on talking and gave up. It was the first windows I actually paid for and it was also first windows that i disliked so much. We
     
  5. sansini

    sansini MDL Novice

    Oct 4, 2008
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    #5 sansini, Sep 23, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2015
    (OP)
    I fully understand how the Windows 10 activation process works, and this was not the point I was making.

    The point I was trying to make, and this may be a one-off issue with my Microsoft account, but after I installed and activated Windows to Go using the laptop previously mentioned, in my list of devices on my Microsoft account, the laptop had disappeared and was replaced by the WindowsToGo install (the hostnames clearly show this).
    When I then tried to re-install Windows 10 on the laptop, it would not automatically re-activate.

    I have since re-installed Win 8.1 on the laptop, and re-upgraded with success, and my Microsoft account now shows 3 active devices instead of 2, my PC, my laptop, and the Windows to Go hard drive.
     
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