Clean install of Win 10 ?
 

I am very confused about these digital licenses. Where are they stored?

Clean install of Win 10 ?
 

On Tue, 13 Nov 2018 06:57:55 -0800 (PST), Davej
wrote:

I am very confused about these digital licenses. Where are they stored?

On Microsoft's servers

Clean install of Win 10 ?
 

Davej wrote:
I am very confused about these digital licenses. Where are they stored?

When you first installed windows 10, it transmitted
the NIC (Network Interface Card) MAC address to Microsoft.com .

The second time you install windows 10, the installer
sends the MAC address again. The Microsoft activation
server looks it up, and says "I've seen this machine
before and he's a Windows 10 Pro user". The OS is then
activated.

If you changed the motherboard, the MAC address is now
different. Your activation is lost. If you signed into
the previous OS with a MSA (MicroSoftAccount), then you
can contact Microsoft and have the license transferred.
Nobody knows how this works (we have no reports).

If you never paid for Windows 10, then the following
"generic, useless" license keys are provided. I'm quite used
to seeing 3V66T for example. If you enter these in a license
key box, the OS will laugh at you. That's because all the
upgrade machines (7,8.1==10) use these. If you *buy*
a license, then you get a unique key.

VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T (Windows 10 Professional)
YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7 (Windows 10 Home - multi language)
BT79Q-G7N6G-PGBYW-4YWX6-6F4BT (Windows 10 Home - single language)

So if you got a brand new computer from Costco, say a
Linux computer that didn't have windows, and you entered
the 3V66T, that would not serve to activate the OS.
The installer will look up the MAC address, and find the
MAC address has never been seen by the Microsoft activation
server. You would then go to the store and spend $150
for a license key or whatever.

The "hardware hash" of your computer identifiers, is how
the activation server knows you used a qualifying Windows 7
or Windows 8.1 during the qualifying period. For people who
purchased their Windows 10 the regular way, the regular
rules apply. For people who got Windows 10 OEM on their Dell,
the license is in the MSDM table of ACPI tables in the BIOS.
(The SLIC activation table of ACPI tables is no longer used.)
Using Linux, you can dump the MSDM table for a look. Or
Windows tools could dump the key from that table too.

Paul

Clean install of Win 10 ?
 

On Tue, 13 Nov 2018 06:57:55 -0800 (PST), Davej
wrote:

I am very confused about these digital licenses. Where are they stored?

Nigeria.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-services.html

Clean install of Win 10 ?
 

On 11/13/18 2:55 PM, Paul wrote:

I am very confused about these digital licenses. Where are they stored?

When you first installed windows 10, it transmitted
the NIC (Network Interface Card) MAC address to Microsoft.com .

The second time you install windows 10, the installer
sends the MAC address again. The Microsoft activation
server looks it up, and says "I've seen this machine
before and he's a Windows 10 Pro user". The OS is then
activated.

Are you sure that only the MAC address is used? I have read that it is a
combination of the MAC address, the CPU Serial#, and the boot drive Serial#.

If you changed the motherboard, the MAC address is now
different. Your activation is lost. If you signed into
the previous OS with a MSA (MicroSoftAccount), then you
can contact Microsoft and have the license transferred.
Nobody knows how this works (we have no reports).

If you never paid for Windows 10, then the following
"generic, useless" license keys are provided. I'm quite used
to seeing 3V66T for example. If you enter these in a license
key box, the OS will laugh at you. That's because all the
upgrade machines (7,8.1==10) use these. If you *buy*
a license, then you get a unique key.

VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T (Windows 10 Professional)
YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7 (Windows 10 Home - multi language)
BT79Q-G7N6G-PGBYW-4YWX6-6F4BT (Windows 10 Home - single language)

So if you got a brand new computer from Costco, say a
Linux computer that didn't have windows, and you entered
the 3V66T, that would not serve to activate the OS.
The installer will look up the MAC address, and find the
MAC address has never been seen by the Microsoft activation
server. You would then go to the store and spend $150
for a license key or whatever.

The "hardware hash" of your computer identifiers, is how
the activation server knows you used a qualifying Windows 7
or Windows 8.1 during the qualifying period. For people who
purchased their Windows 10 the regular way, the regular
rules apply. For people who got Windows 10 OEM on their Dell,
the license is in the MSDM table of ACPI tables in the BIOS.
(The SLIC activation table of ACPI tables is no longer used.)
Using Linux, you can dump the MSDM table for a look. Or
Windows tools could dump the key from that table too.

Perce

Clean install of Win 10 ?
 

On Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 1:55:33 PM UTC-6, Paul wrote:
Davej wrote:
I am very confused about these digital licenses. Where are they stored?

When you first installed windows 10, it transmitted
the NIC (Network Interface Card) MAC address to Microsoft.com .

The second time you install windows 10, the installer
sends the MAC address again. The Microsoft activation
server looks it up, and says "I've seen this machine
before and he's a Windows 10 Pro user". The OS is then
activated.

If you changed the motherboard, the MAC address is now
different. Your activation is lost. If you signed into
the previous OS with a MSA (MicroSoftAccount), then you
can contact Microsoft and have the license transferred.
Nobody knows how this works (we have no reports).

If you never paid for Windows 10, then the following
"generic, useless" license keys are provided. I'm quite used
to seeing 3V66T for example. If you enter these in a license
key box, the OS will laugh at you. That's because all the
upgrade machines (7,8.1==10) use these. If you *buy*
a license, then you get a unique key.

VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T (Windows 10 Professional)
YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7 (Windows 10 Home - multi language)
BT79Q-G7N6G-PGBYW-4YWX6-6F4BT (Windows 10 Home - single language)

So if you got a brand new computer from Costco, say a
Linux computer that didn't have windows, and you entered
the 3V66T, that would not serve to activate the OS.
The installer will look up the MAC address, and find the
MAC address has never been seen by the Microsoft activation
server. You would then go to the store and spend $150
for a license key or whatever.

The "hardware hash" of your computer identifiers, is how
the activation server knows you used a qualifying Windows 7
or Windows 8.1 during the qualifying period. For people who
purchased their Windows 10 the regular way, the regular
rules apply. For people who got Windows 10 OEM on their Dell,
the license is in the MSDM table of ACPI tables in the BIOS.
(The SLIC activation table of ACPI tables is no longer used.)
Using Linux, you can dump the MSDM table for a look. Or
Windows tools could dump the key from that table too.

Paul

Ah, I was wondering what they could use as an index that would
be unique and be preserved. I don't know how many pc components
have unique serial numbers. The MAC address makes sense.

Clean install of Win 10 ?
 

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
On 11/13/18 2:55 PM, Paul wrote:

When you first installed windows 10, it transmitted
the NIC (Network Interface Card) MAC address to Microsoft.com .

Are you sure that only the MAC address is used? I have read that it is a
combination of the MAC address, the CPU Serial#, and the boot drive
Serial#.

I was attempting to use the hardware identifier with
the most weight, as a simplified example of how it
works.

The alternate term I use "hardware hash", I'm not
even sure of the mechanical details, and how
big of a packet or table is sent. And there is no
documentation for each OS, as to exactly what
is used, what the weights are, and so on. It's
a giant documentation vacuum. We only know by
experience, for example, that we can change hard
drive serial numbers, without the box tipping over.
So the weight assigned to a change in hard drive
serial number, is pretty small. If you change the
MAC address, it will tip over. And ask for
activation.

Paul

Clean install of Win 10 ?
 

On Tue, 13 Nov 2018 14:55:32 -0500, Paul wrote:

| Davej wrote:
| I am very confused about these digital licenses. Where are they stored?
|
| When you first installed windows 10, it transmitted
| the NIC (Network Interface Card) MAC address to Microsoft.com .
|
| The second time you install windows 10, the installer
| sends the MAC address again. The Microsoft activation
| server looks it up, and says "I've seen this machine
| before and he's a Windows 10 Pro user". The OS is then
| activated.
|
| If you changed the motherboard, the MAC address is now
| different. Your activation is lost. If you signed into
| the previous OS with a MSA (MicroSoftAccount), then you
| can contact Microsoft and have the license transferred.
| Nobody knows how this works (we have no reports).

Also, Activation Troubleshooter is made available when Windows isn't activated. You
can tell it if there has been a hardware change and specify the computer name. That
will often work to activate.

Larc

Clean install of Win 10 ?
 

On Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 4:48:51 PM UTC-6, Paul wrote:
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Are you sure that only the MAC address is used?

I was attempting to use the hardware identifier with
the most weight, as a simplified example of how it
works.

The alternate term I use "hardware hash", I'm not
even sure of the mechanical details, and how
big of a packet or table is sent.

See now, that only makes sense to identify an exact
configuration. That is part of what has had me confused. A
hash is not the correct thing to use in this situation,
because a hash changes dramatically if even one bit of
the input changes.

Clean install of Win 10 ?
 

Davej wrote:
On Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 4:48:51 PM UTC-6, Paul wrote:
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Are you sure that only the MAC address is used?

I was attempting to use the hardware identifier with
the most weight, as a simplified example of how it
works.

The alternate term I use "hardware hash", I'm not
even sure of the mechanical details, and how
big of a packet or table is sent.

See now, that only makes sense to identify an exact
configuration. That is part of what has had me confused. A
hash is not the correct thing to use in this situation,
because a hash changes dramatically if even one bit of
the input changes.


Now, that would depend of the "formula" for the hash function,
wouldn't it?