Windows 10: Activation switched from "with product key" to "with Digital License"

One difference is Education has Retail keys. Enterprise doesn't.

Running showkey on my unactivated install shows the -7CFBY Generic key my other PC got when I upgraded to the Anniversary Edition. The other PC shows activated with a digital license. This one shows as not activated with that same key.

 

All my ISO files are from MSDN, I have in fact two different MSDN subscriptions, a normal one and an Active Pack (MSDN minus Enterprise editions) through Microsoft Partner Network. All my keys are totally normal retail MSDN keys.

Education and Enterprise are volume licenced, only way to use them with normal retail product key is the MSDN keys. It might be that digital licensing has other terms in Education and Enterprise because of they usually needing volume licensing.
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All my tests have been done with keys never used before.

It behaves like Home and Pro when activated with an MSDN retail key, but it is just an Enterprise edition minus Cortana.

 

There are MAK keys and Retail keys for Education. As far as I know, if you use a Retail key, its not VL activated, same as for Pro. Pro has MAK and Retail keys. Why would they list them as Retail if they are VL? Enterprise has only MAK keys and VL keys. Only MAK keys are listed on MSDN for Enterprise.

EDIT: That was not intended to be argumentative. Just that, as far I know, my installs are not VL activated.

 

"An Enterprise edition minus Cortana." is pretty good description.

 

In 1607 my Education install said "Activated with a Digital License linked to your Microsoft Account". Same message as in 1607 Pro. Just an observation. I see the same description/term used in both.

 

Yes, Education behaves in many aspects as Pro or Home, but then again it is not meant to be used and activated with normal retail keys, MSDN keys being an exception.

 

Totally agree. Thing is though, after the Anniversary update it shows as activated with a digital license, just like Pro does. Before then it didn't. I'm leaning towards me using Education for my tests and you using Pro may be why we are seeing different results? The activation servers are treating them differently. My honest opinion is, this wasn't supposed to happen with the Education version. I'll take the DL though, thank you very much.

 

I have to sign off for a bit. my sciatica is flaring up so I have to go lay down for a while. It is literally " a pain in the but".

 

This might become my longest sentence ever on these forums:

I am convinced, without tiniest factual piece of information, knowledge or source that Education really was exact copy of Enterprise until version 1511 therefore not following the same digital entitlement rules than so called consumer editions, and it still is and acts like Enterprise even in 1607, Windows 10 version 1607 presenting a new Windows edition Pro Education which from these two Education editions will be and is the "almost like Home or Pro" as @Barman58 mentioned, and the "full" Education will be and is like Enterprise regarding digital licenses..

*Wink.





More about new Pro Education:

• Windows 10 for Education (Windows 10)
• Windows 10 editions for education customers

 

@Kari, there looks to be possible causes of the "new" Behaviour of whichever version of Education Versions are involved here (with 1607), that is the specialist nature of the keys, It maybe that as MSDN keys are the only way to activate a copy of education other than the "normal" Enterprise methods and so are now behaving differently that you would expect.

It could be a trial for a special licensing option for Education ...

I would personally not be surprised to see a version of Education to be made available that needs a key but then acts as Home or Pro with a digital licence. The reason I see this is that the education market breaks down to much smaller units that those expected for enterprise use. (small neighbourhood schools, Private Tutoring ETC). These smaller units would be better served by the availability of single unit SKU which suits the Key based Digital Licence.

We shall see *Smile

 

I believe you are right, I believe this Pro Education being something you can only upgrade with a normal upgrade key from Pro or Home. Unfortunately there's extremely little information available about this Pro Education edition.

 

I've done a change product code, entered an Education key (MSDN Retail) and it upgraded to Education from Pro. Activation changed from activated with a digital license to activated with a key. (in 1511). Now though, if I do that in 1607, it stays as activated with a digital entitlement. You can also go from Enterprise to Education with the change product key option. I would have never believed that possible until I tried it. So that to me just backs up the theory Education is more like Enterprise that Pro. It was a, I bet this won't work but I'll try it anyway just for kicks, thing.

 

I've been keeping an eye out for Pro Education on MSDN, not a hint so far.

 

I decided to do one more test with digital activation with Education edition. I used Education N because I didn't want to use any more "full" edition keys, but as you know the N versions are totally normal Windows editions, just without Media Player and other media features. Exactly the same activation rules apply.

Here's what I did:

• Install Education N version 1511, activate it with retail key
• Directly after activation boot with install media, wipe HDD clean deleting all partitions and reinstalling Education N version 1511 without key, activation failed
• Again reinstall, this time boot with install media for Education N version 1607, wipe HDD clean deleting all partitions and reinstalling Education N version 1607 without key, activation successful
• Back to version 1511, boot with install media for Education N version 1511, wipe HDD clean deleting all partitions and reinstalling Education N version 1511 without key, activation successful *Smile

In screenshot this last installation. Admin command prompt shows the original install time and date, compare it to time and date in clok to see installation had finished just 15 minutes earlier. Windows version is 1511 build 10586.0, activation with digital entitlement:





Conclusion:

I am not comfortable using words "definitive proof", this being just one single test by one single user, but at least in my case it shows that original Education version 1511 installation really entitled the machine for a digital license, but it needed one reinstall with version 1607 to make it "stick", to work for later reinstalls with 1511.

For Home and Pro, so called consumer editions the digital entitlement / license works without issues using 1511. Education seems to act a bit differently, original install / entitlement can be 1511 but to be able to get a 1511 reinstall automatically activated you have to use 1607 at least once.

 

I'm just waking up and haven't finished my first cup of Java, but that looks to be what I found. The One PC I have never activated Education 1607 on, won't auto activate with the Digital License. It just keeps wanting a key to activate. My other PC's that have upgraded to and activated with 1607 Education will install just fine with no need for a key.

I really appreciate you going the extra mile, and doing the extra testing, by the way.

Would you agree, at this point, that we were both right?