Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 11 Pro?

Almighty1 · Aug 30, 2021

cereberus said:
If a key get disabled after you upgrade to Pro i.e. key worked just once, then PC will have a digital Pro licence. You will NOT go back to Home.

If key is disabled before you install Pro, then key is totally useless.

Interesting, I would have thought since the key is no longer valid, it wouldn't even keep you at Pro because you don't have a valid right to use Pro anymore so it would seem logical to just downgrade you back what you had before which was valid.

In my case, when I did the change product key, it accepted it and then did the upgrade process which took like 20-30 minutes I guess because of downloading from Microsoft then after40 minutes, it shows this:

This was when I contacted the seller of the key and the response was just reboot which was what I did and it was already Pro. That was why I thought there was a difference between a clean install key because this was the 2nd key I was given as the ebay listing never mentioned anything about upgrading and the first email said they only supported clean installs only with the key they provided which showed that same dialogue within 1/2 second of entering the key. So basically I was saying I thought it was for upgrading when they provided another key with upgrade instructions which reacted differently when entered. Ofcourse I was doing everything while online instead of the offline process which others mentioned as offline does not have anything to connect to for the validation process to be done.

Superfly · Aug 30, 2021

Bree said:
If you used a MAK volume key to activate an install of Windows 10 then you'd get a digital licence for that PC. However, if that MAK key remains as the installed key then if MS detected abuse of that MAK key and revoked it your Windows would say 'unactivated'. Changing the installed key to the generic key should reactivate it from the existing digital licence, as that wouldn't have been revoked, only that particular key.

Just to correct my statement - a MAK activates initially with it - but after upgrade it get's a default MAK key with a digital licence. Older Win 10 gave the retail key. I will need to test Enterprise and see what key it gets - suffice to say VL gets a digital licence after upgrade.

Almighty1 · Aug 30, 2021

Kari said:
There are two types of Windows volume licensing (VL) keys, Multiple Activation Keys (MAK) and Key Management Services keys (KMS). The PRO edition currently installed on this laptop I am using at the moment is activated with a MAK key. A legal MAK key, by the way, from my own MSDN / Visual Studio subscription.

Windows licensing shows it as Retail license, as it has always been with MAK keys in Windows.

Kari

That's interesting. At NASA where I work and also a ISP a own and run, both MAK and KMS does not show retail but instead, it shows Volume_MAK and Volume_KMS and not Retail.

Kari · Aug 30, 2021

Superfly said:
Just to correct my statement - a MAK activates initially with it - but after upgrade it get's a default MAK key with a digital licence. Older Win 10 gave the retail key. I will need to test Enterprise and see what key it gets - suffice to say VL gets a digital licence after upgrade.

My W11 was originally W10 almost four years ago, activated with my own MSDN MAK key. I know it, because I keep detailed Excel workbook of my keys, and when and for what they have been used. Software Licensing Manager showed it as Retail. Now, after multiple clean installs and on W11 build 22000.168, license is still shown as Retail. Digital license, of course, have not entered key since that first cle install in 2017.

Superfly · Aug 30, 2021

Almighty1 said:
That's interesting. At NASA where I work and also a ISP a own and run, both MAK and KMS does not show retail but instead, it shows Volume_MAK and Volume_KMS and not Retail.

Hmmm... an MSFT shareholder, working at NASA... so you gonna convince NASA to not use Linux on their super computers? LOL

Almighty1 · Aug 30, 2021

Superfly said:
Hmmm... an MSFT shareholder, working at NASA... so you gonna convince NASA to not use Linux on their super computers? LOL

Different things, I also am a AAPL shareholder with gains over 35,000% as well as shareholder of over 100 companies but I am not in the department that influences what they use or don't use. LOL. Being a Astrophysicist, I'll just use whatever resources are available. Besides, NASA uses many things and not just Linux or Windows. There is FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD as well as AIX. It's no different that UC Berkeley runs on HP workstations while UCLA is mostly IBM. The government doesn't always buys everything as lots of the things are being given for what they would call evaluation units. Just like NASA uses both Cisco and Juniper Network among others for routers and switches. It's similar to the reason I use Windows, it's more because of the software application library available because it does make me $USD200,000-$USD500,000 daily so hard to argue with something that is acting as a cash cow as I still use Microsoft Money because there is nothing better out there. LOL. I invest in companies that I believe in and would personally purchase and use their products, otherwise I wouldn't be a long term investor as there are lots of people who trades more for the gains without a clue about the company in question short term.

NavyLCDR · Aug 30, 2021

Almighty1 said:
Different things, I also am a AAPL shareholder with gains over 35,000% as well as shareholder of over 100 companies but I am not in the department that influences what they use or don't use. LOL. Being a Astrophysicist, I'll just use whatever resources are available. Besides, NASA uses many things and not just Linux or Windows. There is FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD as well as AIX. It's no different that UC Berkeley runs on HP workstations while UCLA is mostly IBM. The government doesn't always buys everything as lots of the things are being given for what they would call evaluation units. Just like NASA uses both Cisco and Juniper Network among others for routers and switches.

Rajesh, is that you?!?

Almighty1 · Aug 30, 2021

NavyLCDR said:
Rajesh, is that you?!?

View attachment 6753

Doesn't matter because like the saying goes, money talk$, B.S. walks just like the people who invested $1000 in MSFT in the mid-1980s, they would also have over $100 Million now. Besides, Windows is not Microsoft's main stream of revenue and it benefits Microsoft when they have a high amount of total users of Windows compared to the competition which is the same reason Windows 10 and 11 are free if you had a previous version of their OS, the product quality and anything else are different issues. It's no different in the old days when Microsoft gets sued by some company, the response from Microsoft is just to acquire the company instead of going through the litigation process which is costly in both money and time as Microsoft's Brad Smith will tell you. Besides, they can write it off as a tax deduction at $99 or $199 each and when something is $599.99 or less, it does not even require a 1099 to be issued so they can always claim a higher quantity and reduce their tax liability which is why they probably don't enforce the EULA tightly as it can benefit them. Other that that, remember the cheap keys don't come with support included which would cost Microsoft money because imagine if you had a real problem customer who calls regularly within the first 30 days, the costs for the support alone would already be over $200. So bottom line is really, if you are able to assume the risks involved as there is always risks involved no matter which avenue you take, the risk level may be different as it's all about benefits vs risks. Just like everyone that is a insider is testing and reporting problems to Microsoft, that's like free testers to Microsoft, they could always pay for people in focus groups at $100+ per person so it too is money saved for Microsoft as literally, there are countless people working for Microsoft for free and everyone does it voluntarily.

Filing shows where Microsoft is really making its money; reveals M&A spending; adds Netflix, Hulu, Tencent to list of rivals

Microsoft may be toying with the idea of buying Tik-Tok, but more than ever, its bread-and-butter is basic cloud services and server software for businesses. Speaking of M&A, Microsoft was… Read More

www.geekwire.com

tonez4466 · Aug 30, 2021

NICK ADSL UK said:
i told them myself that the vast majority of people worldwide using the Windows platform don't belong to a forum and never have done and will take whatever you give them and in the main as long as it works, they don't care

they must have been surprised when you told them, and then clapped

SlicEnDicE · Aug 31, 2021

cereberus said:
You beat me to it. It seems to be impossible to remove a digital licence. Even if you successfully transfer one to a new device using the activation troubleshooter, the old device retains its digital licence.

Does not removing your device from your MS account Devices list work?

Worked fine for me last time I checked regarding Retail licenses. Delete machines that you don't want to have a digital license for. And use the key used on that old device on your new device. New machines don't activate with same key as long as any of the active devices use a key you are using on a new machine.

Bree · Aug 31, 2021

SlicEnDicE said:
Does not removing your device from your MS account Devices list work?

Worked fine for me last time I checked regarding Retail licenses.

A licence key is not the same thing as a Digital Licence. Even after removing the key from your device, it still has a digital licence linked to its hardware ID and stored on Microsoft's activation servers. A clean install using the generic key will activate on this device from its digital licence alone. There is no known way to unlink a digital licence from a device.

SlicEnDicE · Aug 31, 2021

Bree said:
A licence key is not the same thing as a Digital Licence. Even after removing the key from your device, it still has a digital licence linked to its hardware ID and stored on Microsoft's activation servers. A clean install using the generic key will activate on this device from its digital licence alone.

Well I was talking about a digital license here. Removing a device should deactivate it.

Bree · Aug 31, 2021

SlicEnDicE said:
Well I was talking about a digital license here. Removing a device should deactivate it.

The digital licence is completely independent of your MS account. In fact it exists whether you have an MS account or not. All my machine have digital licences, none of them use an MS account. Removing a machine from your MS account changes nothing on the MS activation servers.

SlicEnDicE · Aug 31, 2021

Bree said:
The digital licence is completely independent of your MS account. In fact it exists whether you have an MS account or not. All my machine have digital licences, none of them use an MS account. Removing a machine from your MS account changes nothing on the MS activation servers.

NavyLCDR · Aug 31, 2021

SlicEnDicE said:
Well I was talking about a digital license here. Removing a device should deactivate it.

It won't deactivate the device.

Bree · Aug 31, 2021

SlicEnDicE said:

Here's an example that shows activation is tied to the hardware, not an MS account.

I had just purchased a used Motherboard on E bay and in order to test it out before using in a new PC I set up a temporary system on the bench with a clean Hard drive and installed Windows 10 pro (1809) from a MS download ISO from a bootable USB stick....

....During the installation I entered NO product key so I was rather amazed to see that it had been activated. I set up the system without any Microsoft Account just used the local account option. Any ideas how this happened ?

Strange activation issue - Windows 10 Help Forums

Hello I had just purchased a used Motherboard on E bay and in order to test it out before using in a new PC I set up a temporary system on the bench with a clean Hard drive and installed Windows 10 pro (1809) from a MS download ISO from a bootable USB sti

www.tenforums.com

Almighty1 · Sep 2, 2021

I would think it's also tied to the hardware footprint and not the MS account because not everyone has a MS account.

Bree · Sep 2, 2021

Almighty1 said:
I would think it's also tied to the hardware footprint and not the MS account because not everyone has a MS account.

That's correct, and the hardware ID does not include the hard drive so you're free to swap that for another one without changing the hardware ID.

For an in-depth explanation of how it works, see Kari's article here:

Windows 10 Digital License explained

The number of Windows 10 licensing and activation questions around the tech forums have grown exponentially since Windows 7 hit its End of Life date over two weeks ago. Users keep asking about how…

win10.guru

Almighty1 · Sep 3, 2021

Bree said:
That's correct, and the hardware ID does not include the hard drive so you're free to swap that for another one without changing the hardware ID.

For an in-depth explanation of how it works, see Kari's article here:

Windows 10 Digital License explained

The number of Windows 10 licensing and activation questions around the tech forums have grown exponentially since Windows 7 hit its End of Life date over two weeks ago. Users keep asking about how…

win10.guru

On my other laptop, I killed the motherboard back in May of 2019 and I swapped the entire motherboard and also changed to a newer CPU and it was still activated. Not sure how it would compare to how hardware IDs work compared to the XP days as I think it allowed 3 changes.

NavyLCDR · Sep 3, 2021

Almighty1 said:
On my other laptop, I killed the motherboard back in May of 2019 and I swapped the entire motherboard and also changed to a newer CPU and it was still activated. Not sure how it would compare to how hardware IDs work compared to the XP days as I think it allowed 3 changes.

Laptops don't have generic off the shelf motherboards available for them. The motherboard you received as a replacement likely had a product key for Windows stored in firmware.

Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 11 Pro?

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