How to change windows installation id upgrade#
During the free upgrade period, the Windows activation servers used that confirmation to generate a Windows 10 digital license (during the upgrade period, Microsoft referred to this as a "digital entitlement").
How to change windows installation id windows 8.1#
(Conversely, if you try to use that product key on a different machine with a different hardware ID, you'll probably be denied activation.)īut those free Windows 10 upgrades don't use a product key, so they require a different way to store the details of each upgrade license on the activation servers.ĭuring an upgrade, the Windows 10 setup program confirms that the underlying copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 is properly activated. Later, if you need to reinstall the same edition of Windows on the same hardware, with the same product key, activation happens automatically. When you use a product key to activate Windows for the first time, that installation ID is recorded in the activation database alongside the product key you entered with the installation. It identifies a specific device, not a person. That hash is reportedly not reversible and is not tied to any other Microsoft services. The process of activating Windows relies on a unique installation ID, which is based on a hash of information taken from the hardware on which Windows is installed. This new feature doesn't change the fundamental way that Microsoft's activation servers work. That group consists primarily of those who took advantage of the year-long free upgrade offer that ends on July 29, 2016. In any case, it applies only to those who have a Windows 10 digital license. This linkage occurs automatically if you're signed in with a Microsoft account when you upgrade to version 1607.įor anyone else, including those with local or domain accounts, this step is optional. Here's the short version: Beginning with the Anniversary Update, version 1607, you'll be able to link a Windows 10 digital license with a Microsoft account. We're nearing the end of Microsoft's unprecedented free upgrade offer for Windows 10.Īs with all things that are related to licensing, the details are confusing and it's easy for even longtime Windows watchers to draw the wrong conclusions or to dream up conspiracy theories. What happens to those free Windows 10 upgrades after July 29?