Sysprep and Windows Activation Issue

[Appletax]

After imaging a computer using an image that was Syprep'd, I setup the computer and it does not ask for the Windows product key. What's up with that? I thought it was suppose to reset it and ask for it during each setup. Activation window says Windows is activated with a digital license.

 

[Sky-Knight]

Windows 10 doesn't ask for keys, it pulls them from the BIOS, then activates.

 

[SlickMinnow]

As I understand, that depends on the Win version. If you're re-imaging a computer that has ever had Win10 on it, it will forever be activated with Win10.

{edit} - what @Sky-Knight said...

 

[Appletax]

Windows 10 doesn't ask for keys, it pulls them from the BIOS, then activates.

These computers aren't that new. They have a COA sticker rather than a key in the BIOS.

 

[Porthos]

They have a COA sticker rather than a key in the BIOS.

If they have ever had 10 activated on them they are also forever activated as well

 

[River Valley Computer]

Did they have Windows 7 on them when they came in?

 

[britechguy]

Once any computer has ever had Windows 10 installed and activated on it then it will never ask for a product key again, but will pull the digital license down from Microsoft's servers. (Or at least as long as you don't change out the motherboard, as the digital license is directly tied to that piece of hardware.)

I have been told that if a machine came with Windows 10 Home, and you at some point upgraded to Pro, that a completely clean reinstall will go back to Home, but I've never had to do this so have never witnessed that reversion myself. I would have thought that the digital license tied to the motherboard would be updated on Microsoft's end to reflect whatever the "most recent edition" was that had been previously installed on a given machine.

 

[britechguy]

By the way, Microsoft does have mechanisms in place that allow you to keep an existing Windows 10 license and transfer it to another motherboard if replacement is necessary or you decide you want to upgrade. See:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/windows-build-1607-and-activation.2786960/

Although that Tom's Hardware topic is now ancient, the content is still pertinent to this day.

 

[timeshifter]

I have been told that if a machine came with Windows 10 Home, and you at some point upgraded to Pro, that a completely clean reinstall will go back to Home,

This is true. The installer looks at the PC to determine what it came with. If it came with Home it will automatically select and install Home without asking. BUT, if you use a modified installer, one that asks what version to install no matter what, then you can clean install Pro again and it will activate.

 

[britechguy]

BUT, if you use a modified installer, one that asks what version to install no matter what, then you can clean install Pro again and it will activate.

I've never encountered said modified installer. I have generally always used the one that the Media Creation Tool creates.

One thing that's good about Windows 10, and that few people know, is that what is installed in a Home install and a Pro install is precisely the same. What differs is what components are activated. You do not have to reinstall to do a Home to Pro upgrade, all you need to do is go to Settings, Update & Security, Activation Pane and use the Change product key link. After a Pro key is entered Windows does "the voodoo it needs to do" and not much later you've got Pro instead of Home. It just goes through and activates those features that are there and lying fallow all along.

 

[Sky-Knight]

Yeah the code in the BIOS is always what it is, and that's what gets installed.

That's what this ei.cfg file that goes into the sources folder of your installation materials is for:

[Channel]
_Default
[VL]
0

It makes the installer let you pick the edition, and then provide a key for it. Or rather provide a key and it picks the edition... because it does that too.