[Windows 10] Digital License (HWID) & KMS38™ Generation

[eloxa]

Thanks for share,indeed

[Bill_Boquet]

In the last 5 years, I always installed Windows 7 Enterprise and Office 2013/2016 Pro Plus on different machines using MAK keys, with online activation when I was lucky (with special thanks to @november_ra1n) and "with a little help from my friends" when only phone activation was possible. Afterwards, I used MSActBackup to save activation. I could afterwards restore activation several times without problem. I never used KMS activation as I was afraid about the perennity of this solution (MS change in activation method). I installed once Windows 8.1 and immediately removed it, as I didn't see any advantage versus Windows 7.

I recently bought a new PC with Windows 10 Home installed. As official support for Windows 7 will end in 2020, I started to think about migrating my other machines to Windows 10 and Office 2019. After having read hundreds of posts in the last 3 months on several threads in different forums, proposing multiple strategies and software solutions, I finally used 2 very simple solutions : HWID/KMS38 by @s1ave77 for Windows 10 and YAOCTRI/KMS_VL_ALL by @abbodi1406 for Office 2019 Pro Plus (and KMS activation of all Windows / Office products). I reiterate my warm thanks to both @s1ave77 and @abbodi1406 for their great contributions.

While these 2 solutions seem simple and straightforward, I am puzzled by the number of new posts, strategies and questions blossoming every day on different forums. Despite extensive readings, I have not found clear explanations and answers to some basic questions. Thanks in advance the ones that could give a short answer to the questions hereunder :

1) Several variants, repacks, ... of these 2 solutions can be found on the web. These 2 solutions are simple to use and have not triggered virus alert for me. Maybe I am wrong, but I have not found additional advantages in the other solutions, apart from user interface or automation. Right or not ?

2) Some strategies for Windows 10 activation propose to first install and activate Windows 7/8.1, then upgrade to Windows 10. I don't think you can backup this Windows 10 activation with MSActBackup. Maybe I am wrong, but I understand that HWID use the very same mechanism to activate Windows 10, so give exactly the same result, and in this case prior installation and activation of Windows 7/8.1 is a waste of time. Right or not ?

3) Some people prefer to activate properly with an installation key, in order to be future safe (MS change of activation mechanism) and be able to backup the activation (in case of reinstall or HW change). In case of HW change, I understand that activation restore will anyhow fail. In case of Windows 10 reinstall, I understand that reactivation is automatic and that activation restore is not needed. If HWID mechanism is similar to MS activation mechanism, it is virtually impossible for MS to discriminate both. In summary, HWID is identical to classical MS activation with an installation key, and activation backup is anyhow useless. Right or not ?

4) I understood that Windows 10 LTSC 2019 and Windows 10 Server cannot be activated with HWID, only with KMS38 or KMS. The interest of an activation with an installation key seems again rather limited, but backup is possible. In this case, the future safe argument seems valid only in case of MS change of activation mechanism. In case of HW change or new LTSC version, a new activation will anyhow be necessary. Right or not ?

5) For all other versions of Windows and all versions of Office, some people still prefer to spend time and effort on phone activation with an installation key for 4 reasons : future safe, possibility of activation backup, 180 days KMS limit in time, KMS changes in Windows registry. Regarding the 180 days limit and need to reactivate from time to time, KMS_VL_ALL allows the automatic regular reactivation. Regarding the other reasons, my religion is as of today : use KMS, until a key with remaining online activations becomes available, no urgency to phone MS. Right or not ?

Congratulations if you took the time to read this post until the end . In case you have an opinion on the raised questions, thanks in advance for your short answers. Best regards, Bill.

[s1ave77]

@Bill_Boquet

To answer this:

As always best is to use the original not any copy-cat solutions.

MSFT doesn't intend to change anything ... they would have done it already. So this solution is as future proof as any valid and legit key.

Keys from the net are by no means legit, they are technically stolen property!!!

KMS38 is a superior activation method which is purely offline with no server contact at all, like Win 7 SLIC activation.

When hardware changes exceed a certain value, reactivation is needed (is assumed to be a new machine) ... this is an old thing and by no means new.

[Bill_Boquet]

Thanks @s1ave77 for your time and explanations. I always favor the original versus copycat, hence my presence here after 3 months of forums browsing .

Forgive in advance my ignorance for these 2 additional questions :
- When HWID and KMS38 are both possible, you seem to favor KMS38, right ? I understood that HWID was the cleanest solution when possible, but maybe only the oldest.
- KMS38 and HWID are only for Windows 10, right ? I understood that KMS is the only solution for e.g. Windows 7 and Office 2019, hence never tried KMS38.

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge, all the best, Bill.

[s1ave77]

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Advantage for HWID would be that it's bound to the very machine and is real permanent activation. Still not all editions can be activated by that System. Enterprise LTSC 2019 (and all future LTSC releases) together with Windows Servers are not included in the Digital License System. In that case KMS38 is superior to normal KMS activation (only needs to be redone after major hardware changes).

Digital License and KMS38 are limitted to Windows 10.

[s1ave77]

NOTE: There is a similar system for Office 365 activation but that requires to redeem keys at an MSFT page. The keys MS hands out are all stored at the activation server, same as all Windows Retai, MAKl and OEM keys (no way to generate valid keys). For that reason this cannot be mimicked.

KMS is the only option then.

[erp-ster0]

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KMS38 may be limited to "recent" versions of Win10 like LTSC 2019; haven't been tested with older Win10 releases like LTSB 2015/2016

[Skunk1966]

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You have No permissionsLTSB 2015 and 2016 can easily be activated with hwidgen (included in the Digital License System). Only difference compared to Home and Pro is that after succesful activation of both LTSB versions when performing a clean install you need to insert the generic product key again during install in order to get reactivated again online. This isn't needed when doing a clean install of Home and Pro version.
So on both LTSB versions digital license activation is the way to go and is preferred over KMS38

[s1ave77]

KMS38 is kinda masterpiece and was developed to activate editions that aren't part of the Digital License System, still it can activate nearly all of them, including some Server editions likewise .

Is a matter of taste ... some prefer it over HWID since it doesn't involve any MSFT Server contact.

[WTFX]

Hey, any chance of getting a reupload of the manual.7z? Thanks in advance!

I followed you here s1ave77, you do great work! Different nick though, so you know.. I'm just a random dweller either way.. but credit where credit is due!