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A young Bill Gates once complained about the copying of his company's Altair Basic software by computer hobbyists. This rampant theft, according to Gates, made all the hard work done by him and his company worth less than two dollars an hour. Decades later, Gates' company -- Microsoft -- instituted product activation and validity checking procedures that made the copying and sharing of its operating system and application software much more difficult for casual copiers and profiteering pirates.
How Activation Works
Windows activation is part of Microsoft's 'Windows Product Activation' process. Activation differs from the installation process that requires a product code. It is also different from post-installation registration. Instead, the goal of Windows activation is to establish a link between a licensed copy Windows and a specific computer system. Creating such a link in theory should prevent the same copy of Windows from being installed on more than one machine, as was possible with earlier versions of the operating system.
Following installation, Windows takes information from your video display adapter, SCSI and IDE drive adapters, processor type and serial number, hard drive serial number and your network adapter Media Access Control address to form a unique identity for your computer. No two computers should have the same hardware signature. When you try to install the same copy of Windows on more than one machine and then try to activate online or by phone, the activation will fail.
Windows XP
Windows XP was the first Windows operating system to require activation. According to an official 2007 document on the Microsoft's support website, 'After the 30 days has expired, you must activate Windows to continue using Windows.' An oft-quoted article written by the late Microsoft developer Alex Nichol to clear up myths about Windows XP activation says that an unactivated system will do little more than boot, allow you to make backups and activate.
Windows Vista
Windows Vista's penalty for failure to activate is much harsher that of Windows XP. After a grace period of 30 days, Vista enters 'Reduced Functionality Mode' or RFM. Under RFM, you can't play any Windows games. You will also lose access to premium features such as Aero Glass, ReadyBoost or and BitLocker. Finally, an unactivated Vista will automatically log you out of the system after only one hour of use until you successfully activate it.
Windows 7
Unlike Windows XP and Vista, failure to activate Windows 7 leaves you with an annoying, but somewhat usable system. According to a Microsoft developer blog post on 'Microsoft Developer Network,' if you don't choose to activate Windows 7 during installation, you will see an 'Activate Windows Online Now' message in the system tray. If you don't activate then, you will see and 'Activate Now' message every day from day four through day 27. Until day 30, you will get the 'Activate Now' message every four hours until day 30. After day 30, you will get the 'Activate Now' message every hour, along with a notice that your Windows version is not genuine whenever you launch the Control Panel. In addition, Windows 7 does not perform any system updates after the grace period. Finally, Windows will automatically turn your screen background image to black every hour – even after you change it back to your preference. This behavior continues until you successfully activate Windows 7.
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About the Author
Allen Bethea has written articles on programming, web design,operating systems and computer hardware since 2002. He holds a Bachelor of Science from UNC-Chapel Hill and AAS degrees in office technology, mechanical engineering/drafting and internet technology. Allen has extensive experience with desktop and system software for both Windows and Linux operating systems.
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Bethea, Allen. 'What Happens If Windows Is Not Activated?' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/happens-windows-not-activated-34196.html. Accessed 07 July 2019.
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Windows 10 has been out for a little over a week now, and a good portion of Windows users have already utilized their free Windows 10 upgrade. As soon as you upgrade your system, Microsoft automatically activates your Windows 10 copy in the background, assuming that you’ve upgraded from genuine Windows 7 or 8 versions.
Since the Windows system doesn’t display any “Successfully Activated” type of messages, there will be a bit of confusion whether the installed or upgraded version of Windows is activated or not. The confusion is particularly true if you’ve reinstalled Windows 10.
So, if you ever need to, here is how you can check to see if your Windows 10 system is activated or not through different methods.
Check Activation Status through System Window
One of the easiest ways to check the Windows 10 activation status is to look at the System applet window. To do that simply press the keyboard shortcut “Win + X” and select the “System” option. Alternatively, you can also search for “System” in the Start menu.
Once the System window has been opened, scroll down and you will find the wording “Windows is activated” under the Windows Activation section if your system is activated.
This window even displays the option to change the product key if you ever need it, like when you are upgrading from one edition to the other.
Check Activation Status through Modern Settings
Other than using the regular Windows System applet to check the activation status, you can also use the Modern control panel. This is particularly useful if you are using Windows 10 in tablet mode.
To start, click on the Notifications icon on the bottom right corner of the taskbar and select the “All Settings” option.
The above action will open the Settings panel. Here, select the “Update and Security” option.
In the “Update and Security” window, navigate to the Activation tab and you will find your Windows activation status in the right pane. If your Windows is activated, you will see the “Windows is activated” message next to “Activation.”
Just like in the System applet, the window also hosts the “Change product key” button if you need it.
Check Activation Status through the Command Prompt
You can also use the regular old Command Prompt to check your Windows Activation status. To do that press “Win + R,” type
cmd
and press the Enter button to open the Command Prompt. Alternatively, you can also use the power user menu (Win + X).Once the Command Prompt window has been open, enter the below command and press the Enter button.
As soon as you press the Enter button, Windows will display a new window showing the activation status. Since I’m using Home edition on my laptop, it is displayed as the Core edition. If you are using the Pro version, then the change will be reflected in the window.
It is that simple to check your Windows system activation status using different methods.
Do comment below sharing your thoughts and experiences after using the above methods to check whether your Windows system is activated or not.
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Windows product keys are almost (but not quite) a thing of the past.
With Windows 10, Microsoft has rewritten the rules for how it performs product activation on retail upgrades of Windows, including the free upgrades available for a year beginning on July 29, 2015. The net result is that clean installs will be much easier--but only after you get past the first one.
OEM activation hasn't changed, nor have the procedures for activating volume license copies. But the massive Get Windows 10 upgrade push means that for the near future at least those retail upgrade scenarios are very important.
More Windows 10
The biggest change of all is that the Windows 10 activation status for a device is stored online. After you successfully activate Windows 10 for the first time, that device will activate automatically in the future, with no product key required.
That's a huge change from previous versions of Windows, which required a product key for every installation. And it's potentially an unwelcome surprise for anyone who tries to do a clean install of Windows 10 without understanding the new activation landscape.
Microsoft is characteristically shy about discussing the details of activation. That's understandable, because every detail the company provides about its anti-piracy measures offers information that its attackers can use.
But it's also frustrating, because Microsoft's customers who use Windows don't want to have to think about activation. The Windows PC you paid for, and the free upgrade you spent time installing, should just work.
I've had some way-off-the-record discussions with people who know a few things about the subject, and I've also done my own testing for the two weeks since Windows 10 was released to the public. Here's what I've learned.
Your Windows 10 license is stored online and linked to your device.
For more than a decade, one of the keys that Microsoft's activation servers have relied on is a unique ID, which is based on a hash of your hardware. That hash is reportedly not reversible and not tied to any other Microsoft services. So although it defines your device, it doesn't identify you.
Here's how that ID works with Windows 7 or Windows 8:
When you activate for the first time, that hashed value (let's call it your installation ID) is recorded in the activation database alongside the product key you entered with the installation. Later, when you reinstall the same edition of Windows on the same hardware, with the same product key, it's activated automatically. (Conversely, if you try to use that product key on a different machine with a different hardware ID, you'll probably be denied activation.)
**Several people have asked about hardware upgrades. See update at the end of this post.
Windows 10 goes one very large step further.
When you upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, the Windows 10 setup program checks your current activation status and reports the result to the activation servers. If you're 'genuine' (that is, properly activated), the Windows activation server generates a Windows 10 license certificate (Microsoft calls it a 'digital entitlement') and stores it in conjunction with your installation ID and the version you just activated (Home or Pro).
It didn't need a product key to do that activation. All it needed was the proof from the Software Licensing Manager utility that your underlying activation was legit.
You can now wipe that hard disk completely, boot from Windows 10 installation media, and install a squeaky clean copy.
The Setup program asks you to enter a product key, but in a major change from Windows 8 and 8.1, it allows you to skip entering that key.
You'll be asked to enter that key a second time, later in setup, but you can skip past that box as well. When you finish the reinstall, assuming you used the same Windows 10 version on that hardware, you'll find it's automatically activated.
I've tested this scenario on multiple machines, and the result has been consistent:
Step 1: I booted from Windows 10 installation media, a USB flash drive prepared by the Windows 10 Media Creation tool, and tried a clean install on a system that had never been activated for Windows 10. I skipped both prompts to enter a product key. Result? My system failed activation.
Step 2: I reset the machine with its original, activated copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and then ran the Windows 10 online upgrade. At the end of the process, I confirmed that Windows 10 was properly activated.
Step 3: I then wiped the hard drive clean and used the exact same media as in Step 1 to do a clean install of Windows 10. As before, I skipped the product key entry. I used a Microsoft account in one test and used a local account in another. After the installation was complete, the system showed that it had a properly activated copy of Windows 10.
You can, of course, buy a full or OEM copy of Windows 10 on a flash drive, and you can also buy product keys online. You can use that product key to do a clean install on a system that has never run Windows 10 and it will get a license certificate from the activation servers. And just like those upgraded PC, it should then allow you to do a clean install of the same Windows 10 edition without having to re-enter the product key.
For those who are anxious to do a clean install, here's the trick:
Don't do the online upgrade.
Instead, from your current, activated copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, download the Windows 10 ISO file for the corresponding edition (Home or Pro), or create a bootable USB flash drive. Without exiting your current Windows version, double-click the ISO to mount it as a virtual DVD (or open the USB flash drive with installation media) and then double-click Setup.
Your goal is to get to the screen with this full range of options:
Windows 10 is a key part of Microsoft's plan to be more of an Internet of things player. The catch is that few people see Microsoft putting the pieces together.
Choose the option I've highlighted at the bottom: the one that says you want to keep nothing. The Windows 10 Setup program installs a clean copy of the edition that corresponds to the one you have installed. As part of the process, it verifies the activation status of your old Windows, creates the new license certificate, and blows away your previous install. And you never had to enter a product key.
After you restart, your clean copy of Windows 10 is activated, and you can reinstall it any time without having to worry about activation. And you'll never need a product key again.
That's all well and good for those who are currently running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. But what about those who did a clean install of a preview edition, never upgrading over a licensed copy?
Sorry. You can skip the product key during installation, but when you're done with Setup your system will be marked as not activated. You won't be able to use any personalization options, and you'll have a persistent watermark on the desktop warning you that you need to activate.
To 'get genuine,' you're going to need to do one of two things: get a Windows 10 product key for the edition you have installed (you can use a key from MSDN or a retail source) or restore your old operating system, activate it, and then do the upgrade to register a license certificate.
I honestly have no idea how the telephone activation hotlines will respond to calls from Insiders who want to activate a copy for the first time. This is new territory for Microsoft and for its customers.
Sims 3 all expansions free download full version mac. Do I place the crack in “Bin” or do I place the crack in the folder, “bin.” And do I only place the contents inside the crack folder, or the crack folder itself?
Update: In the comments, several people have asked what happens if you make changes to hardware. As I noted earlier, Microsoft doesn't provide details of how it calculates that hardware hash, but upgrades of system components such as a video card or a hard drive won't normally trigger a reactivation. If that happens, a quick call to the activation line will resolve the issue, often without any human contact required, in minutes.
The one exception is a motherboard replacement, which will inevitably cause the Software Licensing Management utility to recognize the device as a new PC and require reactivation, typically over the phone. A motherboard upgrade, even if you reuse storage, video, memory, and a case, is considered a new PC. In that case, if the underlying Windows license is from a retail copy, that license can be transferred. If you are upgrading (and not replacing) a motherboard on an OEM PC that was sold with Windows preinstalled, the license agreement prevents the license from being transferred.
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Enterprise Software Microsoft Windows PCs ReviewsMicrosoft has done an interesting thing with Windows 10. Besides giving it as a free upgrade to anyone with an activated Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC the OS is also one big shareware demo.
S application of the system had the disadvantage that only garages equipped with special tools and knowledge were qualified to work on the cars, making them radically different from ordinary cars with common mechanicals.The nitrogen gas (air) as spring medium is approximately six times more flexible than conventional steel, so is incorporated to allow the vehicle to cope with the extraordinary suppleness provided. They also have advantages related to handling and control efficiency, solving a number of problems inherent in steel springs that suspension designers have previously struggled to eliminate.Although auto manufacturers understood the inherent advantages over steel springs, there were two problems. Contents.Effects Hydropneumatic suspension has a number of natural advantages over steel springs, generally recognized in the auto industry.and springing technology is not generally well understood by consumers, leading to a public perception that hydropneumatics are merely 'good for comfort'. First, it was patented by the inventor, and second it had a perceived element of complexity, so automakers like, (, ), and sought to create simpler variants using a compressed.' Citroen c5 hydraulic fluid level.
Specifically, by the demo I mean near fully functional OS that you can install anywhere to try out. This ability means you can download the Windows 10 ISO right from Microsoft and install it on a home-built PC, or any PC for that matter. Even Mac users can do this and install the OS using Bootcamp (more on this later).
How it works
Anyone can go and download the Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft. Simply navigate to http://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10.
If you are on a PC, you can download the Windows 10 Media Creation tool that lets you make an ISO for use on a DVD or USB key. You can then use this to install Windows 10 on any computer. The process allows you to pick the language, edition, and architecture.
Once you put the ISO onto that USB key or burn to a DVD, you are all set.
You do not have to Activate Windows 10
Perhaps one of the little unknown secrets about a Windows 10 installation is that you do not need to use a product key during the process.
Oh, Windows 10 prompts you for it, twice in fact. However, in both cases you can hit the little 'Skip for now' button and let Windows 10 install. It is tiny, but it is there.
So what happens? Nothing. Windows 10 Home or Pro is installed, and you can use it. There are just two limitations that I have come across:
- Watermark on the lower right-hand corner saying Activate Windows
- You cannot use anything under Personalization e.g. change wallpaper, accent colors, lock screen, themes, etc. All options are there, they are just grayed out and inaccessible
Other than this you have a fully-functional Windows 10 OS. There are no nag prompts either and yes, you get all system updates (at least for the year).
You can enroll in the Windows Insider program. However, this just removes the watermark, but it will not allow you to personalize the computer.
Shhh, you still can personalize
What is amusing is although you cannot personalize the computer, you still can. This trick assumes you have other Windows 10 PCs that are activated, and you use the same Microsoft account on both. If you do, whatever you personalize on the activated PC or Mac syncs over to your non-activated version. This method is how I have a non-default wallpaper on the non-activated device used for this article.
Another trick, pointed out in comments, is that you can add new wallpaper. Simply open up the Photos app and hit the ellipsis in the upper right-hand corner. Choose 'Set as lock screen' or 'Set as background' and voila, you have personalized your PC.
It is an odd workaround, but you likely won't notice the limitations.
All of this works on PC or Mac, too. This ability means those with Apple computers can just download and try out Windows 10 without consequence. Tomorrow Windows Central will show you how that works.
Now you want to Activate
However, maybe you do want to change that wallpaper or color. Alternatively, maybe you just feel bad and want to pay for a full-fledged license. Microsoft made this very simple. To buy a license to activate either Windows 10 Home or Pro, do the following:
1. Go to Settings
2. Go to Update & Security
3. Choose Activation
4. Select Go to Store
Windows 10 Unactivated Vs Activated Phones
The Windows Store now opens to a product page for either version of Windows 10. You can now buy Home or Pro, and it unlocks and activates your version of Windows 10.
Windows 10 Home costs $119.99 , and Windows 10 Pro costs $199.99.
The purchase runs through the Store like any app purchase, and you can just use your Credit Card, PayPal, or whatever payment methods you set up.
The Takeaway
Microsoft has actually opened up Windows 10. The fact that you can download the ISO and install it without a product key on any PC or Mac is neat.
The idea here, of course, is to get the OS into as many hands as possible. This tactic is not much different than Google and Android and giving it away for free (granted, there are patent fees).
Microsoft wants Windows 10 on every computer because it is the Store and their services that are important. This strategy means that Windows 10 can be put everywhere with a tiny drawback. Sure, you have a watermark, and you cannot change the wallpaper, but if you are a Mac user and you want to tinker with Windows 10, there is literally nothing stopping you. It just works.
Even better, Microsoft makes buying Windows 10 through an un-activated copy very easy with a mere Store purchase. You do not even have to leave the house.
It is a strange new world if you enjoy Windows, but a much more user-friendly one too.
If you think this guide is helpful, we have many more posts like this in our Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks page. Or try our massive Windows 10 Forums at Windows Central for more help!
What do you think of Microsoft's new 'just take it!' approach to Windows 10?Let us know your thoughts in comments!
Difference Between Activated Windows 10
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