How to move "dynamic retail license" without linked MS account to new PC


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HansTroost

Active member
Local time
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Posts
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Location
Leusden, The Netherlands
OS
Windows 11 Pro
About 6/7 year's ago my brother bought my father a second-hand Dell Lattitude E5420 (HDD (!!) and just 4 GB RAM) with Windows 10 Pro from a small local computer shop, amateur refurbishing I think.

My father passed away 4 years ago and I have his laptop. Now I want to reuse that Windows 10 Pro license for a new Windows 11 Pro Virtual Machine.

Figured out the following:
  1. slmgr /dli showed me that it is a Retail license. Lucky me I thought, it is legitimate to inactivate and reuse it on new hardware.
  2. Settings-->Update and Security-->Activation showed me that it is a dynamic license with the following text "Windows is activated with a digital license" but without the wording "linked to your Microsoft account" as is shown on another laptop I own, which is indeed linked to my MS account.
  3. My father had no Microsoft account, the machine was configured with an local account (simply called Gebruiker (means User), with a display name (in registry LoggedOnDisplayName)"Nico Troost" (my father) for user <computername>\Gebruiker (I guess the show owner did al his installations in this way)
  4. The various tools I used: Jelly Bean Magic, ShowKeyPlus's keyfinder, Speccy, just confirmed what I described above and showed the generic license key VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T, which cannot be used for activation as far as I know.
    Speccy also showed me a "serial number" of 5x5 char's, but as far as I know this is not a licence key.
Does anyone know how to move this Dynamic License without linked MS Account for reuse on other hardware?

Any help appreciated,
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 10
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 21CBCTO1WW (U3E1)
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Intel Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth Audio Realtek High Definition Audio(SST) Intel Smart Sound Technology for Digital Microphones USB Audio 2.0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Iiyama XUB2792QSU-B1 and HP Compaq LA2405x
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 and 1920x1200 resp.
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SAMSUNG MZVL21T0HCLR-00BL7 (SSD)
    Keyboard
    Logitech MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Anywhere 3
    Internet Speed
    no idea, but more than sufficient
Hi,

HansTroost said:
slmgr /dli showed me that it is a Retail license
Click to expand...

> Windows machines used to have a “COA Sticker” stuck to the chassis with the Product Key written in the Sticker. Microsoft have abandoned that approach, and replaced it with Digital Licences for Windows 10 and 11.
> Starting with Windows 10 (build 1703), Windows activation behaviour has changed. Slmgr and Windows do not necessarily give unique results. This is behaviour by design.
> If you are using Third Party Key Finders, make sure that you have the most updated versions, to cover Windows 10/11.
HansTroost said:
Now I want to reuse that Windows 10 Pro license for a new Windows 11 Pro Virtual Machine.
Click to expand...

If your machine has a Digital Licence without a Microsoft Account, then have you considered linking the Local Account to a Microsoft Account? Follow Option 3 from this Forum Tutorial:

Link Microsoft Account to Windows 11 Digital License Tutorial

Once you have linked to a Microsoft Account, then you can re-check the licence status again and, if happy, then you can deactivate the license and install Windows again on the new machine using the linked Microsoft Account.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600
    Motherboard
    MSI B550-A Pro
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Radeon RX 6500XT (8 GB version)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ Mobuiz EX2710Q QHD, Iiyama ProLite X23377HDS
    Hard Drives
    MSI Spatium M461 4TB
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer A114
    CPU
    Intel Celeron N4020
iko22 said:
If your machine has a Digital Licence without a Microsoft Account, then have you considered linking the Local Account to a Microsoft Account? Follow Option 3 from this Forum Tutorial:

Link Microsoft Account to Windows 11 Digital License Tutorial
Click to expand...
Thanks iko22, coming days or next week I'll try that and come back to you when I succeeded in setting up a W11 Pro VM and activating it with this license. Can take some elapse time - limited spare time for hobbying....
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 10
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 21CBCTO1WW (U3E1)
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Intel Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth Audio Realtek High Definition Audio(SST) Intel Smart Sound Technology for Digital Microphones USB Audio 2.0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Iiyama XUB2792QSU-B1 and HP Compaq LA2405x
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 and 1920x1200 resp.
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SAMSUNG MZVL21T0HCLR-00BL7 (SSD)
    Keyboard
    Logitech MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Anywhere 3
    Internet Speed
    no idea, but more than sufficient
HansTroost said:
Thanks iko22, coming days or next week I'll try that and come back to you when I succeeded in setting up a W11 Pro VM and activating it with this license. Can take some elapse time - limited spare time for hobbying....
Click to expand...
:wink:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600
    Motherboard
    MSI B550-A Pro
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Radeon RX 6500XT (8 GB version)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ Mobuiz EX2710Q QHD, Iiyama ProLite X23377HDS
    Hard Drives
    MSI Spatium M461 4TB
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer A114
    CPU
    Intel Celeron N4020
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