#Windows 7 pro installation id install#
#Windows 7 pro installation id upgrade#
#Windows 7 pro installation id windows 10#
#Windows 7 pro installation id software#

I used a Microsoft account in one test and used a local account in another. As before, I skipped the product key entry.

#Windows 7 pro installation id install#

Step 3: I then wiped the hard drive clean and used the exact same media as in Step 1 to do a clean install of Windows 10.

#Windows 7 pro installation id windows 10#

At the end of the process, I confirmed that Windows 10 was properly activated. Step 2: I reset the machine with its original, activated copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and then ran the Windows 10 online upgrade. I skipped both prompts to enter a product key. Step 1: I booted from Windows 10 installation media, a USB flash drive prepared by the Windows 10 Media Creation tool, and tried a clean install on a system that had never been activated for Windows 10. I've tested this scenario on multiple machines, and the result has been consistent: When you finish the reinstall, assuming you used the same Windows 10 version on that hardware, you'll find it's automatically activated. You'll be asked to enter that key a second time, later in setup, but you can skip past that box as well. The Setup program asks you to enter a product key, but in a major change from Windows 8 and 8.1, it allows you to skip entering that key. You can now wipe that hard disk completely, boot from Windows 10 installation media, and install a squeaky clean copy.

#Windows 7 pro installation id software#

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).

#Windows 7 pro installation id upgrade#

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.ДЇor 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.Д«ut 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.