Windows 10: Windows 10 Activation

Would just like to know how Windows 10 knows your activation code. If I decide to format and reinstall Windows 10 via a clean usb install how will I know if my key will still be saved? And it will work?

Thanks *Smile

:)

 

Windows 10 Unexpected shutdown on start up

OK, so i figured it out myself

Found the logfile in "C:\Windows\Minidump".

You need the Windows Development Kit to open it and a bit of googling to understand it.

Found out that a Daemon driver caused an error. Removed Daemon but this didn't solve it. (ps: Daemon itself worked normally).

I let hibernate my computer again and found another error with sptd2.sys: SCSI Pass Through Direct layer

More google and ended up on the duplexsecure site. Downloaded the W10 version and voila: problem fixed.

For the Windows support team: It would be really helpfull if you could pass problems to a more skilled helpdesk who can do more than proposing the standard solutions in case those won't work.

Cheers

 

Windows 10 Unexpected shutdown on start up

OK, so I also found out that this occurs when sleepmode (for me after 3 hours) changes into hibernate mode.

Seems like the going into hibernate and/or starting up from HIbernate results in a shutdown. In safeboot it works perfectly.

Anyone any idea how I can figure out where it goes wrong. Is there a way to log this (I couldn't find it in bootlog)

 

Hi Vellaura

Your machine has been fingerprinted on the MS servers. Assuming you don't make any real changes it will work. If you have made changes there are some extra steps that you sometimes have to take.

Ken

 

Based on your hardware ID, held by MS's activation servers.

Trivial changes like disks are not significant.

 

If you have an activated Windows 10 on your PC there is a Digital Licence stored on Microsoft's activation servers and linked to a unique hardware ID derived from the CPU and motherboard serial numbers (amongst other things).

If you clean install the same edition (Home or Pro) and skip entering a key it will activate automatically from this digital licence as soon as it can contact the activation servers.

 

Windows calculates a hardware ID unique to each computer. That hardware ID is stored on Microsoft activation servers along with digital licenses for every version of Windows 10 the computer is licensed for.

When you reinstall Windows, the hardware ID is sent to the Microsoft activation server, the digital license for Windows 10 is retrieved, and Windows activates itself.

 

When you install windows 10 first time, you are granted a digital licence linked to your hardware id, and this is stored on MS activation servers. Next time you install, hardware id is checked against stored ids and if a match is found, pc activates automatically.

Also if you buy a pc with windows preinstalled from a major vendor, the key is embedded in the bios.

 

Well, I think we comprehensively answered that one *Biggrin

It's worth adding that the HDD plays no part in the hardware ID, so you are free to change it for another (or replace with an SSD) - that won't change the hardware ID.

 

Actually, to be slightly pedantic, there are two exceptions to automatic activation:

1) key is a volume licence key - this would not apply to most domestic users, only companies.

2) More subtlely, if user installed Windows 10 using a product key (i.e. a retail key, or an oem system builder licence key) and still running a very old version (1507/1511), it is necessary to use the product key to reinstall. Digital licences were only introduced for ALL oem/retail consumer installations in 1607.

 

Thanks guys! Very informative, so should I check that I have a digital licence before I do a clean install? My worry is that I'll do a clean install and my key won't activate, basically I'll lose my key. The first time I tried to activate my key wouldn't work (I bought one) so support went on my computer and hooked me up with one. 'Reset This PC' takes so many hours to format so I want to do a usb install but am worried I'll lose my key this way.

 

It will tell you in Settings > Update & Security > Activation.

 

Looks like this:



You can also visit your Microsoft Account online and double-check your devices, too. You'll login to https://account.microsoft.com, then click the Devices tab on the menu bar at the top of the resulting browser window.
HTH,
--Ed--

 

Changing tack- considering the question of why a clean install is needed... there are other repair options, from command line checks and repairs on your system files (SFC /SCANNOW, DISM......), and you might like to be aware of an in-place upgrade repair install which also keeps all your programs and data and most settings.

Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade Windows 10 Tutorials

In some cases that may save you clean installing or resetting Windows.

 

I wouldn't be too concerned. If you're copy of Win 10 is legit, MS are pretty good at getting you up and running again. I upgraded from Win 7 Pro to Win 10 Pro but it unlicensed itself when I upgraded my mobo, CPU, RAM and HDD recently. I rang MS and was up and running again 20 minutes later.