Windows 10 RTM Question about Windows 10 Enterprise MAK activation.

[BimBamSmash]

Question about Windows 10 Enterprise MAK activation.

 

Back when 10240 or RTM build released, I upgraded a Windows 10 Pro installation to Enterprise by using one of the keys posted here. The upgrade was successful and the OS got activated. All was well until 1511 rolled out. I grabbed a 1511 Enterprise ISO from the links on the first page and upgraded that installation. The upgrade was successful but after the process I noticed that my OS had gotten deactivated. Attempting to reactivate yielded a rather peculiar message: "The product key you entered cannot be used to activate this edition." I performed a DISM check on the ISO and it was the correct edition (plain Enterprise; not N, not LTSB). Rather than digging the issue further, I grabbed a 1511 ISO for the Pro edition, installed it on the same machine, entered the same Enterprise key as before. It detected an Enterprise key and upgraded the machine accordingly. But after the upgrade, attempting to activate yielded the same message. Still not sure what went wrong in this experiment. Any insights are appreciated.

 

On another issue, has anyone checked and see if the installation ID remains unchanged during these upgrades, in the event that no hardware/software changes are made by user in the process? I am asking to determine whether or not the activation codes given out during Skype calls are of any use in the long term with respect to Windows 10 and its ever-changing nature. For the record, I am aware of the third party activation backup tools, but I'm trying to see what options I have that doesn't involve such tools.

[csmdew]

Not 100% sure but pretty sure you need a new key now; if you re-install and have the backup key then you can use it but since you have now changed installs then new key is required. This has been my case each time I do new install.

[khanyash]

This happens with enterprise edition only or happens with pro edition too?

[BimBamSmash]

 

4 hours ago, YashKhan said:

This happens with enterprise edition only or happens with pro edition too?

 

Only Enterprise. So far, at least.

[khanyash]

8 hours ago, BimBamSmash said:

 

 

Only Enterprise. So far, at least.

So if I install Win 10 Pro & activate with the key provided here ---

1. Major upgrade will not deactivate it, right?

2. And reinstall too will auto-activate due to activation information stored online by Microsoft or reinstall will need a new key?

[AP1972]

4 hours ago, YashKhan said:

So if I install Win 10 Pro & activate with the key provided here ---

1. Major upgrade will not deactivate it, right?

2. And reinstall too will auto-activate due to activation information stored online by Microsoft or reinstall will need a new key?

should and will work

activation is permanent...

>>>the backup will not be superfluous

[BimBamSmash]

2 hours ago, YashKhan said:

So if I install Win 10 Pro & activate with the key provided here ---

1. Major upgrade will not deactivate it, right?

2. And reinstall too will auto-activate due to activation information stored online by Microsoft or reinstall will need a new key?

 

Well, the 1511 upgrade seem to break activation on all editions at my end. Quite frankly I thought it is by design to combat illegal activations. But for now at least, and with the exception of the Enterprise edition and the peculiar issue it has raised, re-activation hasn't been an issue for me. I must add though that, again, with the exception of the Enterprise install, all the other setups had previously been activated online (not via phone) using a MAK (not a retail key). Not sure if retail keys or phone activations behave differently. Dunno about clean installation woes either. Haven't gone through that experience since the first RTM. You could carry out a simple test in a virtual machine and check for yourself, of course.

[khanyash]

14 minutes ago, BimBamSmash said:

 

Well, the 1511 upgrade seem to break activation on all editions at my end. Quite frankly I thought it is by design to combat illegal activations. But for now at least, and with the exception of the Enterprise edition and the peculiar issue it has raised, re-activation hasn't been an issue for me. I must add though that, again, with the exception of the Enterprise install, all the other setups had previously been activated online (not via phone) using a MAK (not a retail key). Not sure if retail keys or phone activations behave differently. Dunno about clean installation woes either. Haven't gone through that experience since the first RTM. You could carry out a simple test in a virtual machine and check for yourself, of course.

You mean you had activated Win 10 Pro online with a MAK key & major upgrade didn't deactivated it, right?

Clean Install/Reinstall you dont know, right?

 

 

[khanyash]

1 hour ago, AP1972 said:

should and will work

activation is permanent...

>>>the backup will not be superfluous

So it seems Pro activation is permanent & Enterprise activation gets deactivated.

[AP1972]

1 minute ago, YashKhan said:

So it seems Pro activation is permanent & Enterprise activation gets deactivated.

No , it is not so...

all activation is permanent...

if you use the key to activate , but not increase the window amended ( transient key) 

[BimBamSmash]

7 minutes ago, YashKhan said:

You mean you had activated Win 10 Pro online with a MAK key & major upgrade didn't deactivated it, right?

Clean Install/Reinstall you dont know, right?

 

 

 

I meant to say that the 1511 upgrade deactivated all editions I tried it on (Pro, Education, Enterprise). But when I connected the deactivated Pro and Education machines to the internet again, they all got reactivated again, even though their respective keys had been blocked.

 

I also tried to emphasis that I had previously activated the Pro and Education installations online with a MAK, in case this has anything to do with the outcome.

[khanyash]

26 minutes ago, AP1972 said:

No , it is not so...

all activation is permanent...

if you use the key to activate , but not increase the window amended ( transient key) 

Enterprise LTSB & LTSB N activation is permanent too, right?

 

May be will give a try to Pro or Enterprise LTSB N & see.

[AP1972]

3 minutes ago, YashKhan said:

Enterprise LTSB & LTSB N activation is permanent too, right?

Yes that's right...

Version does not matter , important only key

[khanyash]

19 minutes ago, BimBamSmash said:

 

I meant to say that the 1511 upgrade deactivated all editions I tried it on (Pro, Education, Enterprise). But when I connected the deactivated Pro and Education machines to the internet again, they all got reactivated again, even though their respective keys had been blocked.

 

I also tried to emphasis that I had previously activated the Pro and Education installations online with a MAK, in case this has anything to do with the outcome.

So your Pro & Edu install were clean install i.e no upgrade from previous OS, right?

And your enterprise was upgrade from pro, right?

Could OS upgrade be the prob for reactivation? May be clean install enterprise, activate & then upgrade & see?

[AP1972]

3 minutes ago, YashKhan said:

Could OS upgrade be the prob for reactivation? May be clean install enterprise, activate & then upgrade & see?

update is needed for the digital rights activation from version 7 or 8-8.1 >>>10 windows

[BimBamSmash]

9 hours ago, YashKhan said:

So your Pro & Edu install were clean install i.e no upgrade from previous OS, right?

And your enterprise was upgrade from pro, right?

Could OS upgrade be the prob for reactivation? May be clean install enterprise, activate & then upgrade & see?

 

- My Pro install was indeed what you call a clean install.

 

- For the Education build, I followed the same steps as my Enterprise setup: I installed a Pro edition on another machine, entered a key for Education in the Settings app within Windows, and the OS upgraded that machine to Education.

 

- I did do a clean install of Enterprise and experienced the same problem with my old key. Only adding one of the newly posted keys here solved this.

[BimBamSmash]

I just thought of something I hadn't considered before.

 

I was looking into an ISO repository for Windows 10 just now and noticed that MSDN and VLSC ISOs are kept separately from one another. This made me think, what if restriction(s) are in place on VLSC and MSDN, where you cannot use MSDN keys on VLSC ISOs, and you cannot use VLSC keys on MSDN ISOs? After all, that "The product key you entered cannot be used to activate this edition." error message is implying wrong product key for the installed edition. Indeed this is something I hadn't considered before - nor have I ever paid attention or cared whether the ISOs and keys I use are sourced from MSDN or VLSC.

 

New Directive: Next time I get that same error message (if ever), I will first try and apply ISOs for both MSDN and VLSC on the same machine before looking into product key/activation related issues.

[Wolfano]

You can use VLSC MAK key to activate Windows 10 Enterprise Edition and vice-versa. Enterprise ISO's are basically same on VLSC and MSDN. You can compare checksum.

Free upgrade is only applicable to Pro and Home edition of Windows 10. So if you have Enterprise edition MAK activated, when upgraded it will remain activated only if the MAK key is working online at the time of upgrade. If you are the owner of the MAK key then the key will work on upgrade, and the Windows will remain activated.

Leaked MAK key got blocked soon, so at the time of upgradation  the Enterprise edtion got deactivated.

[DiamondK]

What I recalled that marvelous mechanism to phone Microsoft direct (I forgot who found it),

you’ve got a confirmation ID (associated with your machine number/MAK key).
This ID can be reapplying (even though that key were blocked afterwards) if you ever forgot to backup previously.

 

Everything associated with the key NOT the versions selected, correct me if I am wrong, just my 2 cents.

[AP1972]

this works well only on the 100% OEM equipment provided to maintain the integrity of all factory sections , just as an update...

enough to re-enter the activation code and return only.

if you do a clean installation of re- formatting all partitions...

Back then the activation code does not always work and only will backup your activation , you made earlier

as well as being a new key.

[BimBamSmash]

4 hours ago, Wolfano said:

You can use VLSC MAK key to activate Windows 10 Enterprise Edition and vice-versa. Enterprise ISO's are basically same on VLSC and MSDN. You can compare checksum.

I haven't actually grabbed and compared the two, and probably won't do so before the anniversary update drops. Have you actually tried using the same key on Enterprise ISOs sourced from MSDN and VLSC simultaneously, or did you take a guess based on the identical checksums? I know what identical checksums means of course, but I'm still curious.

 

4 hours ago, Wolfano said:

So if you have Enterprise edition MAK activated, when upgraded it will remain activated only if the MAK key is working online at the time of upgrade. If you are the owner of the MAK key then the key will work on upgrade, and the Windows will remain activated.

Leaked MAK key got blocked soon, so at the time of upgradation  the Enterprise edtion got deactivated.

 

Remember, my issue is not concerned with the dreaded "The activation server determined that the specified product key has been blocked." message. What I have been saying all this time is that I have a product key which upgraded a pro installation to Enterprise. But after this process, during the activation process, I was told that "The product key you entered cannot be used to activate this edition." It doesn't say the key is invalid or blocked. It says it is meant for a different edition than the one I tried to activate it on. And this is strange because it was Windows itself that decided to upgrade to this particular edition after I entered that key. Clean installation using an Enterprise ISO with the same key brought about the same results.

 

3 hours ago, DiamondK said:

What I recalled that marvelous mechanism to phone Microsoft direct (I forgot who found it),

you’ve got a confirmation ID (associated with your machine number/MAK key).
This ID can be reapplying (even though that key were blocked afterwards) if you ever forgot to backup previously.

 

Everything associated with the key NOT the versions selected, correct me if I am wrong, just my 2 cents.

 

This is where the second question from my first post comes into the spotlight:

 

On 5/2/2016 at 6:05 PM, BimBamSmash said:

has anyone checked and see if the installation ID remains unchanged during these upgrades, in the event that no hardware/software changes are made by user in the process? I am asking to determine whether or not the activation codes given out during Skype calls are of any use in the long term with respect to Windows 10 and its ever-changing nature. For the record, I am aware of the third party activation backup tools, but I'm trying to see what options I have that doesn't involve such tools.