Windows 10: Linking digital licences to MS Account.

We all now that we can link the digital licence now to our MS account, using Redstone.

However, I have just discovered something slightly disconcerting.

I have 14393.5 Home, upgraded from retail 8.1 on my PC, and it was registered as a device on my MS account, and shows as being linked to my MS account.

I have since installed 10586.494 10 Pro N, as an upgrade from retail 8.1 Pro N key on my PC as a dual boot option. This has new registered as a device on my MS account. This shows as activated ok.

Now here's the thing - the 14393.5 Home install no longer shows a device in my MS account. I am sure the digital licences are ok (easy to test by installing another copy temporarily in a vhd), but it seems you can only see the last digital licence that was linked.

So I am struggling to see how you could reactivate both digital licences e.g. if mobo failed if you can only see one of them.

:)

 

paid for windows 10 and didn't receive anything from microsoft

In addition the MS activation page shows a purchase from the MS Store to be a Digital Licence which suggests it will be linked to your MS account.

 

Activation ERROR!

I'm afraid you are wrong. A digital licence is registered to your hardware (motherboard) and linked to a MS account to allow for easier re-activation if the digital licence allows it.

A pre-installed copy of windows that comes with a device is OEM and is not transferrable to a new device.

 

Hello cereberus, *Smile

You should be able to use the Activation Troubleshooter to activate the PC with the digital license that's linked with your MSA on that PC.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5...dows-10-a.html

 

You are missing the point - I have two valid digital licences - one for home, and one for pro (retail originals as well) on same PC as dual boot, but it seems you can only link the last one to your MS account i.e. each time you link one, it removes the previous link.

So if I had a mobo failure, I would only be able to reactivate one of the licences as far as I can tell.

 

Ok. I didn't know if you checked to see if your device was listed in the Activation Troubleshooter for each, or just in "Your devices" for your MSA online since these are two different lists.

That will be an issue if doesn't keep all digital licenses registered for a PC.

 

Yeah - that coiuld be the case, but when I was testing with vms, it only ever showed devices that were in your devices.


I worked out a workaround ie. use a different MS account for each licence - maybe not needed, but I can see same device with different OS now as a result.

 

Using more than on MSA would be a good workaround to be safe.

 

I wonder if the "computer name" of an installation needs to be "significantly different" on the same machine to register as a different device with the same MSA?

These 2 32-bit installations in the same desktop device are recognised as a "desktop-xxxxxxx" and just as "win-xxxxxx" prefix on the Windows-assigned computer name:





They will be updated shortly, one to the insider 14393.x, and the other to whatever build number appears on the 2nd August.

There are other (insider) installations on the same PC which do not show up on the Microsoft account. I can't quite figure it. I have a laptop with both 32- and 64-bit installations and only the most recent upgrade (64-bit) shows up on the MSA page. My 2 laptops show their serial numbers on the device entry in MSA, the desktop above does not seem to expose the ser. no.

 

Don't know if this brings anything new to this but I have an Asus laptop I have used for testing on which I have clean installed four different editions activating them (Single Language, Home, Pro and Education).

After all four editions were once activated, I have repeatedly reinstalled them, clean install every time on the same machine. Skipping the product key in Windows Setup, whatever of the four editions I install they will always be activated due digital entitlement.

Notice that I always use same MS account and same computer name.

 

Yeah - I kind of wondered about some of this as well. I guess we will find out in due course.