No more searching for keys
Microsoft hasn't done away with Windows activation in Windows 10, though it did make things easier for users who perform clean installs on occasion. Once you upgrade and activate Windows for the first time, you can perform subsequent clean installs without having to track down your product key.
In fact, according to Ian Paul at PCWorld, you can't even find your product key in Windows 10 after upgrading. Instead, utilities like Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder and Belarc Advisor return a generic key -- if you're running Windows 10 Pro, you'll see VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T, the same key that's used for build 10240.
The reason for this is because Microsoft is moving to "digital entitlements." The way Microsoft explains it, once you upgrade to Windows 10, the activation state from your previous version of Windows is carried over.
"Once activated, a digital entitlement for your PC's hardware is created in the Windows 10 activation service, This entitlement can be used by the same PC again for re-activation of the same Edition of Windows 10 in the future," Microsoft explains.
In Windows 10, your PC's activation status is stored in the cloud, so once you've activated Windows 10 for the first time, you won't have to worry about it ever again. If you perform a clean install afterwards -- maybe you were hit by a virus or want to zero-fill your drive -- your system will activate on its own without you having to hunt down and enter in a product key.
What happens if you upgrade your hardware and perform a clean install? According to ZDNet, swapping out your graphics card or storage drive shouldn't trigger a reactivation. If it does, you'll need to call Microsoft's activation hotline.
The bigger issue is motherboard replacement. As before, Microsoft recognizes a new motherboard as a new PC, which means your digital entitlement will likely go right out the Window, prompting the need to call in for reactivation.
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From maximumpc
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