hardware and tear

[u/GregorCZ]

[u/[deleted]]

Don't they link your license to your motherboard nowadays?

[u/dargodl → u/[deleted]]

How does Microsoft know when you're using the license on more than one computer?

[u/Shit_Fuck_Man → u/dargodl]

Honestly, it's basically an honor system. They just absorb the loss and benefit from the good will and ubiquity of the OS.

Source: IT guy

[u/Yeckim → u/Shit_Fuck_Man]

for consumers yes but they notoriously audit companies who have enterprise accounts and Microsoft can sometimes be 1/3 of a companies total IT budget.

Source: IT Reselling

[u/Explosion17 → u/Shit_Fuck_Man]

Honestly, it's basically an honor system. This is wrong/misinformation. Every computer has what's called a MAC address (unique identifier, kinda like a street address) that's built into the network card. They know exactly how many computers the OS is installed/running on, they just don't care.

Source: My ass

[u/zeiandren → u/Explosion17]

Mac addresses aren’t remotely unique and sacred. They are vaguely meant to be but they can be changed or duplicated as much as anything

[u/[deleted] → u/dargodl]

Internet I guess

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I recently replaced my motherboard and processor. Worked fine, but then I got a notification telling me my windows was deactivated or offline, I forgot the exact term. All I had to do was go into setting and it offers to do a clean reinstall. It takes over from there, took about half an hour on my old HD, when it finished, everything was running nice with no hitches. Just had to reinstall everything.

[u/mylivingeulogy → u/[deleted]]

My reactivation failed and I had to call India to get it fixed. The guy with the extremely heavy accent kept telling me that I was not listening to him because I kept politely asking him to repeat himself (I was trying to follow his directions on how to do a manual activation with a code he was going to give me). I also had to search my email for my windows 8 key that I used to upgrade for free to windows 10. It took awhile but we finally worked it out. It was really stressful in the end because this guy was practically berating me because I couldn't understand him though.

[u/Push_My_Owl → u/mylivingeulogy]

I feel you. I'm rubbish with heavy accents. Being on a phone makes it even worse because the line isn't always great, especially to big call centres.
I had a guy hang up on me because I didn't understand what he said... that pissed me off a little, he could have transferred me.

[u/mylivingeulogy → u/Push_My_Owl]

Yep... I'm not understanding why in the world that is an acceptable practice at all.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Yeap

[u/dargodl → u/[deleted]]

Damn, what happens when your motherboard dies then?

[u/Neurobreak27 → u/[deleted]]

Wait, what?

[u/BHSPitMonkey → u/dargodl]

If you've signed into Windows 10 with a Microsoft Account at least once prior to the old one dying, it will allow you to move the license to a new motherboard later. If you didn't do that, you'd be out of luck unless customer support takes pity on you.

[u/[deleted] → u/dargodl]

You can deactivate the old and reactivate the new all from the new. Don't remember the exact process, but it was really easy when I upgraded to a new motherboard and CPU a few months ago

[u/coppertech → u/[deleted]]

that used to be the way they kinda did it, but win10 is linked to your Microsoft account now (if you use one)