• Badoker@lemmy.nz
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    1 year ago

    I have never once paid for Windows, yet at some point a digital license showed up on my Microsoft account and I’ve never gotten an Activate Windows prompt on any of my subsequent Windows installations.

      • Badoker@lemmy.nz
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        1 year ago

        I don’t think so, I’ve swapped motherboards several times since and the license has remained.

        I used to borrow Windows keys off the old PCs in my office’s e-waste pile, my best guess is it’s one of those keys that’s somehow still activating each time I reinstall.

        • drifty@lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          There are utilities like MAS (open-source project on Github ironically) that activate Windows fully without anyone ever needing to pay for it, just in case anyone looking at this thread was wondering