Loose rivets
21st Oct 2016, 15:16
Best of PC World email.
A funny thing happens when you look for a Windows product key on a PC that upgraded to Windows 10: You won’t find it. In Windows 10, long-used tools like Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder or Belarc Advisor return generic product keys instead of authentic ones. That’s because Windows 10 ties your activation to a “digital entitlement” associated with your hardware, and as of the Anniversary Update, your Microsoft account itself.
That sound you just heard was a legion of hardcore DIY PC geeks sighing in collective ecstasy—and the death rattle of Windows product key finders. On the plus side, existing keyfinding tools like the ones mentioned above can help you scrounge up product keys for other pieces of software too, so they’re not completely useless.
And what I didn't do was note the W8.1 Key before 'upgrading'. :*
A funny thing happens when you look for a Windows product key on a PC that upgraded to Windows 10: You won’t find it. In Windows 10, long-used tools like Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder or Belarc Advisor return generic product keys instead of authentic ones. That’s because Windows 10 ties your activation to a “digital entitlement” associated with your hardware, and as of the Anniversary Update, your Microsoft account itself.
That sound you just heard was a legion of hardcore DIY PC geeks sighing in collective ecstasy—and the death rattle of Windows product key finders. On the plus side, existing keyfinding tools like the ones mentioned above can help you scrounge up product keys for other pieces of software too, so they’re not completely useless.
And what I didn't do was note the W8.1 Key before 'upgrading'. :*