Low cost Windows licenses?

System

Will they work? Yes, just as long as it isn't one from a volume licence that phones home to a company's KMS activation server because one day you may find it can't and then it'll become deactivated.

Does it comply with the terms of the Microsoft Licence? No.

Will it pass a company software audit? No.

AndyPix

You can just use your old 7 or 8 key . This is allowed by microsoft


https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install/how-to-install-and-activate-windows-10-using-your/d713f9f9-e91f-4ffe-a3c0-7ef9639a0559

forgotmyname

DoaM wrote: »

NEXT updates? Aren't we already on 1809?

Probably, but after the 1703 updates they just appear to kill more of my stuff.

Couple of the recent ones kill Bluetooth from what i gather. They killed Bluetooth with a previous update also.

Uxb1

A volume licence is sold by a software vendor/creator/wholesaler generally to another corporate.
It allows the corporate buyer to install whatever number of installations the volume licence agreement contract allows on lots of machines under the same licence key.
The corporate buyer might typically be a business in need of xx installations of software X.
Such a company might buy a volume licence for 500 MS office installations from either MS themselves or from an authorised reseller middleman.
Some MS office versions were only sold as volume licences by MS. Only the buyer (and MS) will know how many installations were bought, have been installed and hence how many are still available.

I've no idea how it works when one of the corporate buyers in possession of a volume licence and running out of installations left on it and wants to take off some old installations on machines to be scrapped and use them on new installations. Would this be treated as a 'new' installation or not? - I guess it depends on the exact contract T&C' of the volume licence agreement.

that

Uxb1 wrote: »

I've no idea how it works when one of the corporate buyers in possession of a volume licence and running out of installations left on it and wants to take off some old installations on machines to be scrapped and use them on new installations. Would this be treated as a 'new' installation or not? - I guess it depends on the exact contract T&C' of the volume licence agreement.

We get a sheet of paper with one code for each product purchased on it. If we buy 20 Licences we can use that code for 20 times, then it no longer works.

this is how it was: If the code is used too many times, then we eventually get a general activation message and you get a certain number of days to activate it. (think it is 30 days). The server licensing in rarely intrusive and many have thought they have registered the servers to find out a few days later they have not, so the result has not always been instantaneous.

However we now have a KMS server (Key Management Services) The servers have to contact the KMS software within 180 days. Not sure what happens on day 181 I have had nothing to do with KMS, it just sits there and works to my knowledge.

Unsure how we clear down the old servers licences.

LadyDee

OP - from a non-techy's point of view, your posts are beginning to sound as though you are trying to come up with a plan to manipulate the use of Volume Licences?

that

gabriel73195 wrote: »

So tthat license code that you can use 20 times can be activated only 20 times and is that activation done by the Microsoft mother ship?

Definitely, same as a pc. Do not think there is away of avoiding the phone home aspect somewhere along the line. Probably done now by our kms server.

gabriel73195 wrote: »

Is Microsoft able to discern that these codes are actually "Volume License Codes" designed to be used with ACME company or whichever company purchased those licenses. I have a feeling that they don't. If Microsoft can't tell then would this be a possible explanation as to how these grey market keys function? If Microsoft can't tell if the Volume Keys are associated with a particular company or not then they will surely activate and lead a normal software activation life as long as this code hasn't been sold more than the 20 times.

We do not buy the code from MS, but rather through one of their agents - at least two in the uk. The bulk codes we purchased are linked to our org, or can be tracked back to our org. If i were to sell the bulk key, and if someone then queried the key they would definitely know the org. Also there is the software audit which is at least performed every year, mostly to make sure we are not overpaying. As sub companies evolve and dissolve (mainly for tax purposes in our case) there seems to be flexibility, just dont shake the tree .

If the key is valid, and not stolen, then it is legal - like buying a can of beans. I personally would not user the windows 2019 server key from ebay for £5.29 in an org, but at home to fiddle with and learn etc, I sure would. Come to me with a £1000 block of gold convince me it is not stolen (will not take much ), and that you want 10p and we also may have a deal

However laptops are mobile, and there was a stage where you changed a few bits of hardware and Ms licencing would complain - have not heard of the happening for quite a while, but also upgrades are less common too

gabriel73195 wrote: »

Now if it's true that this "Volume License" would be cheaper in somewhere like China or for the Chinese government then that would definitely be a route to the market place and explain why there is so many grey market keys available that work.

It is software, thing will go wrong, and if you are big enough will end up needing support somewhere down the line, and they may get you to talk to their Chinese support team

We have in the past bought servers from other countries and their uk branch did not want to support us, but the global conglomerate whipped the uk branch into shape. The servers were built around the corner - in EU, travelled loads of air miles around the world to come back cheaper

From what I gather, and I could be wrong, thanks to UEFI?, there is no more license key sticker on the bottom of our newer laptops. I think our corporate key overwrites the original licence, because if we put generic windows back on it over the corporate one (a third installation of windows), it seems to ask for a new key - so you end up paying twice for the same thing?

kwikbreaks

forgotmyname wrote: »

Couple of the recent ones kill Bluetooth from what i gather. They killed Bluetooth with a previous update also.

Yes 1809 killed my bluetooth entirely but I found a way to fix it via Google. Strangely enough it involved running an Intel bluetooth install despite my machine using a Broadcom chip. Very strange stuff.

kwikbreaks

that wrote: »

However we now have a KMS server (Key Management Services) The servers have to contact the KMS software within 180 days. Not sure what happens on day 181 I have had nothing to do with KMS, it just sits there and works to my knowledge.

It was some sort of KMS hack on the refub laptop I bought that stopped working. Possibly after 181 days.
Possibly https://www.passfab.com/product-key/kms-activator-windows-10.html certainly what they had put on mine got reported as malware and deleted after I'd had the machine a while and then it lost activation which was when I bought the cheapo key.

Niv

gabriel73195 wrote: »

So will Windows just put up a water mark and you can't adjust some settings? So it sounds like it's still usable and I think a message pops up every now and then to remind you that it's not activated.

For how I use Windows i have not found any usability issues, some personalisation cannot be done and when I installed windows it only allowed me to use the 'advanced' installation (which is frankly not very advanced) and upon doing so some options were greyed out so for example I could not use device tracking.


not the newest article but some info here:


https://www.howtogeek.com/244678/you-dont-need-a-product-key-to-install-and-use-windows-10/


I am sure if you google around you will find something more recent.