Windows 10: Microsoft quietly rewrites its activation rules for Windows 10

Post 39 is shown upgraded product key original key from retail. As long as yours show activated. Should be fine. click start > Settings and see activation, if activated you are good.

 

Did any one buy a retail Windows 10? I wonder what the Showkey Says?

 

I'm running Windows 10 Education and showkey shows the key I used to activate it with. It's a unique key, its one of my MSDN keys. I upgraded from 10 Pro to 10 Education.

 

Was it retail Windows? Did you use this key to clean install yet? Wonder what Showkey shows?

 

MSDN lists the keys as Retail. Those keys are good for clean installs. I only upgraded because it was an option from 10 Pro. I didn't feel like doing a clean install at this time. This wasn't a free upgrade type deal. The Education version isn't a free upgrade too, or from. I installed it because it has the Windows To Go utility built in. The only other version that has it is Enterprise. I'm running Enterprise on my Laptop, I'm sure showkey will show me that key to, I had to enter it to activate after the install, it was a clean install. I'd say if I reinstalled either version I'll have to enter a product code to activate. Enterprise for sure. Enterprise installs with a generic key that will not activate. There is no prompt to enter a key. You have to do a change key and enter your key to activate it.

 

Thanks a lot of your information. Another lesson I learned.

 

Didn't everyone??? What did you get???

 

No. All 4 of my PC's that I did the free upgrade to 10 Pro on have that same 3V66T generic key.

 

Seems these are the keys
Windows 10 Home - YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7
Windows 10 Home SL- BT79Q-G7N6G-PGBYW-4YWX6-6F4BT
Windows 10 Pro - VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
Windows 10 Pro VL-MAK - QJNXR-7D97Q-K7WH4-RYWQ8-6MT6Y

 

Just no new windows 10 key, but activated.

 

This is my key...


Okay, I apologise to everyone... I thought I was special, hehe...


Does anyone know why MS is doing this "single key for all" thing? It's very frustrating, and confusing too, if you ever need to reinstall the OS. Seems pointless. They could've just used your old W7 or W8.1 serial key for activating W10.

 

I used both "showkeyplus" and "Speccy" and in both I have my old key from windows 8. The key is listed twice, once as "installed key" and also under "OEM Key".
I have non of the generic keys posted here.

 

Nobody so far seems to have shared my experience. On July 29, I downloaded the media & burned a DVD. The installation process started just fine, but then it asked me for a product key. I have an 8.1 OEM HP Envy laptop with no visible key. I found two tools to find the key which I figured would be hiding somewhere in the registry, and the two tools came up with different. Keys. Of course neither worked (see attached screenshot). So I waited for the install to come to me. It's finally here today, and the download has started. Hopefully it will go off without a hitch.

 

It appears that the media you are using is for a different version than you are upgrading, which is why it is asking for a key.

 

When the option to "reserve my copy" I reserved it right away. Messages said my computer was compatible, etc. Being two weeks down the line now, I don't really recall the entire procedure in detail, but it all seemed straightforward enough. I'm not quite sure how my media could be for different version than I'm upgrading, or even exactly what you mean when you say that. I think you mean that perhaps I downloaded an upgrade for Windows 7 instead of 8.1. All I can say is that I followed the prompts for my download.