Win10 activation terms have been revised, reloading does not require a key

Computer Store News: Microsoft has changed and re-implemented the activation terms when Win10 was released. The new activation clause makes Windows reinstallation more convenient than previous Win8.1 and Win7.

Perhaps the biggest change is that the user's activation status is stored in the cloud, so users don't have to re-enter the product key after reinstalling Windows 10. Every time you reinstall Windows 10, your device will be activated automatically. Previously, every time you need to install Windows, you need to enter the product key unless you have a UEFI-based and pre-installed Win8.1 notebook.

And when you reinstall Windows 10, although the installer will ask for a key, you can choose to skip it. After the reinstallation is completed, the Win10 system will be automatically activated, because it will automatically determine whether the computer has been installed and activated Win10 during cloud verification.

For a long time, Microsoft's activation server relied on independent IDs in the user's hardware hash algorithm. The hash algorithm is irreversible and is not associated with any Microsoft service. In other words, it recognizes the device, not the user who uses the device. In previous versions of Windows, when first activated, the hash value (that is, the installation ID) was recorded in the activation database along with the product key entered during installation. So when a consumer tries to install the same Windows system on the same hardware, the product key is automatically activated.

When upgrading to Win10, the Win10 installer checks the system activation status and reports it to the activation server. The Windows Activation Server activates the system by generating a license based on the hardware hash and the activated version of Win10 (Home, Professional, or other). Reloading is also required to verify the hardware hash as well as the system version, without requiring the user to enter an activation key.