Windows 10: Windows 10 product keys and activation - and the KMS angle

I have been a Windows 7 user and am now obviously being pushed to upgrade to Windows 10. I happen to have acquired a couple of second-hand laptops which already have Windows 10 installed. But I have a query about activation. One of these second-hand laptops is obviously an ex-corporate ThinkPad, sold with Win10 Pro installed. I have however discovered that the OS was apparently activated via the original business user, using the KMS system (with which I was unfamiliar). It looks as if - sometime in the next few months - that will be deactivated unless "renewed" by contact with a KMS server somewhere, which is obviously no longer possible. So I face the prospect of seeing the OS cease to function. I could of course replace that Win10 OS with Linux (which I have on other machines). But I am looking at another option. I also have a very small Acer netbook with modest CPU and RAM. It, too, has Win10 installed (possibly as an upgrade from the original Win7, I don't know). As far as I know this Windows installation in the Acer netbook is properly and legitimately activated. But Win10 struggles to run, as it clearly needs more resources than this little Acer can provide. So having Win10 on this small netbook is really not much use. So my question is: can I remove or uninstall Win10 from the Acer netbook, and somehow use it, or its product key, to reinstall or activate Win10 on the ThinkPad? I am not using Win10 on any additional computers: I just want to use the Win10 for which I have the proper key, on the ThinkPad instead of the Acer netbook.

:)

 

Windows 10 product keys and activation - and the KMS angle

I just tested a Win 8 RTM Professional OEM key on clean install and got the same issue.





It is accepted in the change Product Key dialogue, however.

 

Windows 10 product keys and activation - and the KMS angle

OK, I just clean installed to VM skipped the key - then entered the Win 8 key that setup refused in the change product key thingy and it activated.





Got a default OEM: DM key for the digital licence.

 

Windows 10 product keys and activation - and the KMS angle

Alphanumeric has the same problem with one W8 machine. As reported earlier in the thread...

Windows 10 product keys and activation - and the KMS angle - post #20

Which early build was required? If we knew that, making an ISO/USB with an MCT for an earlier build is still possible using the MCT wrapper from here on GitHub....


Universal MediaCreationTool wrapper for all MCT Windows 10 versions from 1507 to 21H1 with business (Enterprise) edition support . GitHub