Windows 10: Linking Windows 10 to my Microsoft Account Question

OK, I have quite a few PC's all upgraded to windows 10 from Windows 7 or 8. I have roughly 11 or 12 that are used at various points. So my question is, Can I link all those systems with genuine windows 10 upgrade digital license to the same Microsoft account? I don't want to have to go about making multiple ms accounts.

Also I'd like to know if you can add more than 1 to the same ms account. When you re activate later due to hardware change. Can I select the license for that machine or will it randomly take one?

:)

 

Linking Microsoft Account to my Local Account Caused me to Lose Administrator Access

Hi,



Welcome and thank you for posting in Microsoft Community. We appreciate your interest in Windows 10.

I suggest you to refer to the below steps and check if it helps.

Step 1: Try to login to your temporary user account, enable built in administrator account and try to change the account settings.

• 
  Press Windows + X key together on your desktop screen.
  
• 
  Click on Command Prompt (admin) to open
  Command Prompt.
  
• 
  Type the following command and hit Enter:
  

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  net user administrator /active: yes
  (Check for the spaces)
  

4. Now log off from the current user and try to login to the administrator account that is enabled.

Note: Please follow the same steps and type net user administrator /active: no to disable admin account after the troubleshooting is done.



Step 2: Follow the below steps,

• 
  Type User Accounts in the Search box from the desktop and select
  Change the User Accounts.
  
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  Here you will be able to see all the user accounts on your computer.
  
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  Select the User account and see if it is a Standard user account or Administrator.
  
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  If it is standard user then, change it to Administrator.
  
• 
  Now, log out from the Built-in Administrator account and try to log-in with your Administrator account.
  

Hope it helps. Kindly update the status of this issue, we will be happy to help you.

 

Linking Microsoft Account to my Local Account Caused me to Lose Administrator Access

When I do this step, it has a pop-up asking for administrator permission to open up the command prompt. Whenever I get that pop-up (since I lost administrator access), the button to give it access is greyed-out and unclickable

 

I use the same Microsoft Account on all my PC's and each one is linked to that one Microsoft account. It happens automatically.
Each PC has its own Digital License, some have multiple Digital Licenses for different versions of Windows 10. Linking a Digital License to an account has no effect on the Digital License. The License is tied to the hardware. I can log in with a local account on a clean install and my PC will still activate with the Digital License. It happens automatically, you don't select anything. If there is a Digital License for that version of Windows on that hardware it activates. If there isn't it won't activate. You just have to be sure to install the correct version, Home or Pro etc, that you got via the free upgrade.

 

But the anniversary update now allows you to make hardware changes & use your Microsoft Account to activate. So if I say make a hardware change one on or more of my systems. Which does happen now & again as i jig things around. How will it know which product to activate with what license?

Also, I don't want my MS account on all systems in terms of windows login or email. It is simply for retaining & activating systems.

Life was so much easier when we had product keys! This is just stressful!

 

IMHO, the free upgrade is free for the life of the device and not meant to be moved from PC to PC. Having said that, you could end up in a situation where you replace your motherboard with a identical make and model and it will fail activation. This new linking feature is supposed to make recovery from that easier. When that PC fails activation, you log in with your Microsoft ID, run the activation trouble shooter, and look for the device name for that original PC. Then transfer the license to the new hardware. From what I have read, I have not actually done it myself. Even then, I think you can only ever do that once for any one device. Once its transferred that device will activate with the Digital License and the old device won't. The Digital License is a hardware hash (fingerprint) of the device its tied to. Activation has nothing to do with it being linked or not linked. It's optional. If you log in with a Local ID and go to Settings > Updates & security > Activation, it will say Activated with a Digital License". Log in with a Microsoft ID and "Linked to your Microsoft ID" will be added to the end.

 

Product keys are still used by the way. Windows 8/8.1 and 10 OEM PC come with OEM embedded keys in the BIOS. And every PC has its own unique key. Before the AU those PC's would have shown as activated with a product code. If I use stock install media my laptops 8.0 Core OEM key is auto detected and 10 Home is installed. I originally did the free upgrade from 8.1 Pro. That laptop has a DL for Home and Pro now. I also installed 10 Education with one of my MSDN keys, it showed as activated with a Product code, no DL. Up until when I upgraded it to the AU. Now it shows as activated with a DL, I'm pretty sure that was not supposed to have happened. I can now clean install Education and activate with a DL. That was not possible prior to the AU. I always had to enter a key to activate. If you buy a Retail copy of Windows 10 it will come with a product key for activation. I've seen reports that those also switch to a DL. I haven't confirmed it myself. I have no way to test it. All my PC's already have Home and Pro and Education Digital Licenses. All enterprise installs either use MAK of VL keys, they will never have a DL. I'm not sure if that helps or confuses, but its just info I've discovered.

If you log into your Microsoft ID online, you will see a list of devices. The names will match the PC names your PC's have, and it will list the currently installed OS. I assume that is the one that is currently linked to your Microsoft ID. Just an educated guess. Settings > Accounts > Your info > Manage my Microsoft account should take you to the list of devices tied to your account (devices you have logged in on with your Microsoft ID)

 

I have windows 10(free) from windows 8 ..updated back in july 2015 .. My friends Mother had a new laptop from 2012 with windows 8 - we upgraded to windows 10 a year ago .. some how... and I don't know how .. her laptop is linked to my outlook ( live) account .. so in order for her to log into windows 10 she has to put in my password ... Now many months later I changed my password on my laptop .. then I get a phone call the next day ..she can't log in to her laptop.. I then give her my own password and voila! it works- she gets in ..
How to fix all this ?? Please !
I have anniversary ed on my laptop not sure if she has anniversary ed on her laptop.
Bottom line she needs a NEW separate Microsoft account ( @Outlook) .. how to create ????? rsvp

 

She needs to change her Windows user account to a local account:
Local Account - Switch to in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

 

You can have one digital licence linked per device per MS account.

You cannot have two digital licences (eg if device is dual boot) per MS account - only latest installation gets linked, with previous one being discarded. You do not lose the digital licence, only the link to MSA for previous installs.

You select which licence you want to transfer.

 

That needs to be clarified: one digital license per Windows 10 edition per device per MS account.

I have several computers with multiple digital licenses using same MS account, for Home, Pro and Education editions. On one machine I have six digital licenses for test purposes and can install six Windows 10 editions on that machine using same MS account without a product key, all being digitally activated (Home, Home N, Pro, Pro N, Education, Education N).

Only the last license used is shown in devices list in account.microsoft.com; for instance if I install Pro on machine which currently has Education running on it, the Pro license will be active and shown. Now if I decide to install Home N on same machines wiping Pro, the Home N license will be the active one.

Although only one license is shown, all activated editions keep their digital license and can be re-installed without a product key.

 

Yes but the subtle point is only one digital link per device per account. If your mobo fails, it is only the last digital licence that can be transferred.

I have tested this with a dual boot pc with home and pro, and it is only the last one that is seen by the activation troubleshooter.

The workaround is to use a different MSA each time you install a new OS - messy but works.