All it needed was the proof from the Software Licensing Manager utility that your underlying activation was legit. It didn't need a product key to do that activation. If you're 'genuine' (that is, properly activated), the Windows activation server generates a Windows 10 license certificate (Microsoft calls it a 'digital entitlement') and stores it in conjunction with your installation ID and the version you just activated (Home or Pro). When you upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, the Windows 10 setup program checks your current activation status and reports the result to the activation servers. Windows 10 goes one very large step further. **Several people have asked about hardware upgrades. (Conversely, if you try to use that product key on a different machine with a different hardware ID, you'll probably be denied activation.) Later, when you reinstall the same edition of Windows on the same hardware, with the same product key, it's activated automatically. When you activate for the first time, that hashed value (let's call it your installation ID) is recorded in the activation database alongside the product key you entered with the installation. Here's how that ID works with Windows 7 or Windows 8: So although it defines your device, it doesn't identify you.

That hash is reportedly not reversible and not tied to any other Microsoft services.

Your Windows 10 license is stored online and linked to your device.įor more than a decade, one of the keys that Microsoft's activation servers have relied on is a unique ID, which is based on a hash of your hardware. I've had some way-off-the-record discussions with people who know a few things about the subject, and I've also done my own testing for the two weeks since Windows 10 was released to the public. The Windows PC you paid for, and the free upgrade you spent time installing, should just work.

That's understandable, because every detail the company provides about its anti-piracy measures offers information that its attackers can use.īut it's also frustrating, because Microsoft's customers who use Windows don't want to have to think about activation. Microsoft is characteristically shy about discussing the details of activation. And it's potentially an unwelcome surprise for anyone who tries to do a clean install of Windows 10 without understanding the new activation landscape. That's a huge change from previous versions of Windows, which required a product key for every installation. After you successfully activate Windows 10 for the first time, that device will activate automatically in the future, with no product key required. The biggest change of all is that the Windows 10 activation status for a device is stored online. Review: Goodbye, Windows 8 hello, Windows 10.FAQ: You've got questions, Ed Bott's got answers.Microsoft: More than 75 million devices.

Stop windows activation popup windows 7