Retail code linked to the motherboard
Retail code linked to the motherboard
Did you sign in using a Microsoft account? This can sometimes link the key to that account or be seen as a retail purchase. Go to Settings / Update and Recovery / Activation. If it shows the key is tied to a Microsoft account, that might be the case. A few years ago I purchased 10 MSI laptops with Quadro GPU, sold without Windows and running FreeDOS. It turned out a functional W10 OEM key was still connected to the MOBO, and after a fresh GPT installation they worked perfectly. Licensing can be tricky.
The license depends on your system's UUID. You're free to reinstall OSX multiple times, avoid any Windows keys being forced onto the device, and Microsoft will still enable Windows 10 when you connect online. That sounds quite good!
The Windows 8.1 Pro key linked to the motherboard is an OEM version, but when setting up the PC on Dell.ie I had to purchase a separate 7 Professional key, which was actually a retail key. After reinstalling Windows 10 Pro—either legacy or UEFI—it would switch back to using the retail key. When I switched to the OEM key, it immediately returned to the retail version. I’m wondering if reinstalling 8.1 Pro will recognize the OEM key from the motherboard and continue using the retail key instead.
Just became even more unusual. Added the third product code! This time the OEM_DM setting hasn’t been enabled since I last booted up after getting an Alienware Aurora. That’s why it didn’t receive an update sooner (as promised). According to the slmgr.vbs file, the OEM key should be 12345 67890 98765 43210. The retail key listed is 56789 01234 56789 01234. I’ve already talked about the 7-pro downgrade key triggering again. Windows now automatically upgrades to the latest Windows 10 version. When I double-check, it still shows as retail, but after another try it works. It’s showing up as OEM_DM with a different code—98765 43210 12345 67890. Do you think this key can be used elsewhere?