Windows OEM Product Keys

[Neto]

Perhaps very naive of me, but after being a computer system builder for over 15 years, I just found out that not all OEM licenses are 'created equal".

For many years I always used the type than came with the DVD disk (well, the XP ones were probably CD's) and the official Microsoft COA (certificate of authenticity). Because of constant cost increases, and the desire to keep pricing as low as possible for my customers, I switched to digital licenses.

If you all ever used Microsoft's telephone registration process, it's gone. I was always able to register Windows for the digital licenses, but not any longer. In the process of attempting to work through this process, I became acquainted with the command line slmgr.vbs /dlv, and saw that these digital licenses had more description after the "OEM". They are tagged as OEM:DL, which, I discovered, are illegal for me to be using as a system builder, because they are designated for hardware manufacturers (like HP, Dell, MSI, etc) who build the code into the hardware itself. The other type of OEM product keys are OEM:NONSLP channel licenses, and the type that I should have continued to use, designated for system builders.

This is basically a 'heads-up' for anyone who didn't already know this, and also a request for corrections if I am wrong in my understanding of these issues.

[JohnH]

Dude, these days people just use https://massgrave.dev/ (Windows Activation Scripts) for obsolete versions of Windows (back to Vista) or offline activation.

Microsoft’s own tech support now advises people to use them if they have trouble activating.

[Neto]

Dude, these days people just use https://massgrave.dev/ (Windows Activation Scripts) for obsolete versions of Windows (back to Vista) or offline activation.

Microsoft’s own tech support now advises people to use them if they have trouble activating.

Thanks, John. I saw comments about that in my on-line searches of a solution to my problem here, but how does this deal work? I could look into it myself on-line, but I'd rather hear it from someone I respect and trust. For instance, Does it require a registered user account? and Does it result in the program or OS license being tied to me, as the person who performed the registration process? (That was one of the important benefits of using the Microsoft telephone registration process, and also the fact that it could be done anywhere, with just a telephone, even just a 'land line' telephone.)

[JohnH]

Thanks, John. I saw comments about that in my on-line searches of a solution to my problem here, but how does this deal work? I could look into it myself on-line, but I'd rather hear it from someone I respect and trust. For instance, Does it require a registered user account?

Nope. You just download and install the software. You can put it on a USB drive if you want instead of downloading it directly.

and Does it result in the program or OS license being tied to me, as the person who performed the registration process?

No, it has no idea who you even are.

(That was one of the important benefits of using the Microsoft telephone registration process, and also the fact that it could be done anywhere, with just a telephone, even just a 'land line' telephone.)

The activation is done entirely offline. You can see the source code in Method 2, although it's really long:
https://github.com/massgravel/Microsoft ... me-ov-file

Microsoft doesn't really care about this anymore and is more focused on making money getting people to sign up for subscriptions, or selling to big corporate accounts. You can of course purchase a Windows licence and still activate using the massgravel scripts.

The reason these exist at all is because in Russia, there is no way to legally purchase anything from Microsoft, so Russians have developed these scripts for Microsoft, Adobe, and other products so that they can use them. It is interesting to note that it is entirely legal for them to do so.

[Neto]

I ran the script file from that site (MAS_AIO.CMD) last night, and it replaced the Windows Product code I had entered with what it called a 'Generic' code. But it's actually a Windows Home to Pro upgrade license key that I purchased May 22, 2018 from the Microsoft Store.

(I used slmgr.VBS to identify the product key. My intention was to confirm that the product key I entered was being used. I'm curious how that program got ahold of this license key that was purchased directly from the Microsoft Store, but I guess I will leave well enough alone.)

[JohnH]

I ran the script file from that site (MAS_AIO.CMD) last night, and it replaced the Windows Product code I had entered with what it called a 'Generic' code. But it's actually a Windows Home to Pro upgrade license key that I purchased May 22, 2018 from the Microsoft Store.

(I used slmgr.VBS to identify the product key. My intention was to confirm that the product key I entered was being used. I'm curious how that program got ahold of this license key that was purchased directly from the Microsoft Store, but I guess I will leave well enough alone.)

I believe Microsoft stopped issuing unique codes a while ago. At this point, paying for licences is voluntary compliance - which seems to be working just fine. Their net income was $27 billion last quarter.

[Neto]

I ran the script file from that site (MAS_AIO.CMD) last night, and it replaced the Windows Product code I had entered with what it called a 'Generic' code. But it's actually a Windows Home to Pro upgrade license key that I purchased May 22, 2018 from the Microsoft Store.

(I used slmgr.VBS to identify the product key. My intention was to confirm that the product key I entered was being used. I'm curious how that program got ahold of this license key that was purchased directly from the Microsoft Store, but I guess I will leave well enough alone.)

I believe Microsoft stopped issuing unique codes a while ago. At this point, paying for licences is voluntary compliance - which seems to be working just fine. Their net income was $27 billion last quarter.

Well, it WAS 7 1/2 years ago. But my main surprise was that it was an identifiable code, one that I had personally purchased. So, maybe Microsoft was already selling the same product code to multitudes of people.

[If anyone want to check their lists, the first section of the code is VK7JG, and the last is 3V66T.

Well, I did more checking, and I see that they "resold" the same code to me almost 3 years later, on April 16th, 2021. This represents two Home to Pro Upgrade licenses out of a total of 7. I only did this when I was doing the security lock-down on a laptop that came with Windows Home. This was not my normal business, so it's only a very few licenses out of the total systems I have built - over 2,800.]

[JohnH]

That code is a generic product key you put in to change Windows 10 editions. It’s widely known.