Solved If I install the Dev channel build will it remain an inactivated version of Win 11?

bobkn · Aug 22, 2021

Kol12 said:
Will I have to initialize a new disk in Windows before clean installing Win 11 to it or can the new disk be initialized/formatted during the Windows 11 install?

If you're doing a clean install, you can delete all the partitions on the target drive. The installer can then automatically create and format them.

If the machine had a digital license, and you log in to the same Microsoft account during setup, the Win 11 installation will activate uisng that digital key.

Kol12 · Aug 23, 2021

bobkn said:
If you're doing a clean install, you can delete all the partitions on the target drive. The installer can then automatically create and format them.

If the machine had a digital license, and you log in to the same Microsoft account during setup, the Win 11 installation will activate uisng that digital key.

It will be a brand new uninitialized disk. Will the installer format the disk or do I need to format it in Windows first?

The machine has a digital license but I'm concerned that this machine doesn't show up as a device in my Microsoft account. Any idea why that could be? Also I'd like to only create local accounts on the Win 11 install.

bobkn · Aug 23, 2021

Kol12 said:
It will be a brand new uninitialized disk. Will the installer format the disk or do I need to format it in Windows first?

The machine has a digital license but I'm concerned that this machine doesn't show up as a device in my Microsoft account. Any idea why that could be? Also I'd like to only create local accounts on the Win 11 install.

The installer will create the partitions and format them.

Not sure why the machine doesn't show up in your MS account, if it has a digital license.

I haven't installed a local account, but I believe it's allowed for Win 11 Pro. For Home, it requires a work-around. Install Windows 11 Home using Local Account

jbcarreon123 · Aug 23, 2021

I have Windows 10 and 11 dual booted (all Pro) and I have only 1 Pro key and the 2 versions are Activated a automatically.

Kol12 · Aug 23, 2021

bobkn said:
The installer will create the partitions and format them.

Not sure why the machine doesn't show up in your MS account, if it has a digital license.

I haven't installed a local account, but I believe it's allowed for Win 11 Pro. For Home, it requires a work-around. Install Windows 11 Home using Local Account

This is where I got tripped up recently. I changed my motherboard recently and the activation troubleshooter couldn't activate Windows because it couldn't find a device linked to my Microsoft account with a Win 10 Pro license. I had to ring Microsoft tech support who gave me a Win 10 Pro key for which I didn't receive when I upgraded from Win 10 Home and purchased Pro via the Microsoft Store. Once the key was entered Windows activated "with a digital license" but still this machine doesn't show as a device in my Microsoft account.

I'm concerned if Win 11 tries to activate with a digital license linked to my MS account it isn't going to find it, hence why I'm asking whether entering the physical Win 10 Pro key will work. On the other hand I should really try to sort out why my device isn't showing in my MS account....

Bree · Aug 23, 2021

Kol12 said:
Can I enter my Win 10 Pro key during the Windows 11 installation or should I enter it after the installation? Brink suggests clicking "I don't have a product key" as Windows 11 is not officially released yet.

If you are installing on a machine that has previously had W10 Pro installed and activated, then it has a digital licence for Pro stored on Microsoft's activation servers.

If you skip entering a product key then W11 Pro will be installed with the generic Pro product key and will activate from this existing digital licence.

Bree · Aug 23, 2021

Kol12 said:
The machine has a digital license but I'm concerned that this machine doesn't show up as a device in my Microsoft account.

A Microsoft account is not required for activation from a digital licence. The only thing recorded on Microsoft's activation servers is the hardware ID of the PC. When installed with a generic key, Windows sends the hardware ID to the activation servers, and if that matches an existing digital licence then Windows will activate.

Linking the digital licence to your MS account is an optional extra, useful for re-activating after a significant hardware change (eg. motherboard). I don't have an MS account, but routinely clean install without providing a product key. All my machines have generic keys installed, and all are activated from their respective digital licences.

BunnyJ · Aug 23, 2021

Kol12 said:
Can I enter my Win 10 Pro key during the Windows 11 installation or should I enter it after the installation? Brink suggests clicking "I don't have a product key" as Windows 11 is not officially released yet.

Clean Install Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you step by step on how to clean install Windows 11 at boot on your PC with or without an Internet connection and setup with a local account or Microsoft account. Windows 11 has all the power and security of Windows 10 with a redesigned and refreshed look. It also comes...

www.elevenforum.com

If you purchased a copy of Windows 10, like I did, you can enter it. It's the OEM key that you can't use right at the moment and that's what Shawn/Brink was talking about

I've done a clean instillation of 11 with my 10 key and I didn't have any issues. But, keep in mind I'm only using 11 and I'm no longer using 10. I don't know if you can activate both at the same time with the same key

HTH

bobkn · Aug 23, 2021

Bree said:
A Microsoft account is not required for activation from a digital licence. The only thing recorded on Microsoft's activation servers is the hardware ID of the PC. When installed with a generic key, Windows sends the hardware ID to the activation servers, and if that matches an existing digital licence then Windows will activate.

Linking the digital licence to your MS account is an optional extra, useful for re-activating after a significant hardware change (eg. motherboard). I don't have an MS account, but routinely clean install without providing a product key. All my machines have generic keys installed, and all are activated from their respective digital licences.

Thanks for the correction. I was thinking in terms of activating on new hardware from an existing license. I forgot that linking the license to an MS account is a relatively new thing (at least with respect to activation, which goes back to XP), and that MS's servers don't need that to re-activate on existing hardware.

Kol12 · Aug 24, 2021

I signed in and changed my local admin account to a Microsoft account and now my Device is showing in my Microsoft account with a digital license. Hopefully this will now avoid any activation issues with Win 11.

Bree · Aug 24, 2021

Kol12 said:
I signed in and changed my local admin account to a Microsoft account and now my Device is showing in my Microsoft account with a digital license. Hopefully this will now avoid any activation issues with Win 11.

Yes, a device is only is only listed after you have signed in with your MS Account.

But as I said, as long as the PC was previously activated with a digital license for W10 there would be no issues activating the same edition of W11 on it anyway. As far as the digital license held on the MS activation servers is concerned W10 and W11 are the same thing.

Kol12 · Aug 26, 2021

Well that went without a hitch... Clean installation of Win 11 Pro and it activated without me even signing into my MS account.

Bree · Aug 26, 2021

Kol12 said:
Well that went without a hitch... Clean installation of Win 11 Pro and it activated without me even signing into my MS account.

that would have activated from the PC's existing digital license for W10 Pro held on the MS activation servers, as I expected it would.

Zardoc · Aug 26, 2021

Kol12 said:
Can I enter my Win 10 Pro key during the Windows 11 installation or should I enter it after the installation? Brink suggests clicking "I don't have a product key" as Windows 11 is not officially released yet.

Clean Install Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you step by step on how to clean install Windows 11 at boot on your PC with or without an Internet connection and setup with a local account or Microsoft account. Windows 11 has all the power and security of Windows 10 with a redesigned and refreshed look. It also comes...

www.elevenforum.com

Follow Brinks suggestion. After boot you can use your win 10 key or Win 8 or wait.

Wynona · Sep 21, 2021

BunnyJ said:
If you purchased a copy of Windows 10, like I did, you can enter it. It's the OEM key that you can't use right at the moment and that's what Shawn/Brink was talking about
View attachment 6169

I've done a clean instillation of 11 with my 10 key and I didn't have any issues. But, keep in mind I'm only using 11 and I'm no longer using 10. I don't know if you can activate both at the same time with the same key

HTH

No, you cannot activate both Windows 10 and Windows 11 with the same key. You've done it the correct way.

Windows 10 came installed on this machine. When the time comes, if I wish, I can upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11. But I probably won't; I'll continue to dual boot Windows 10 with the Insider DEV Channel Windows 11.

In lieu of using a "bought and paid for" license to Windows 11, I chose to go the Insider route and am on the DEV Channel. And yep, I know this is way ahead of the "final" Build that will be released on October 5. I like to live dangerously. :)

Steve C · Sep 21, 2021

Wynona said:
No, you cannot activate both Windows 10 and Windows 11 with the same key. You've done it the correct way.

Windows 10 came installed on this machine. When the time comes, if I wish, I can upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11. But I probably won't; I'll continue to dual boot Windows 10 with the Insider DEV Channel Windows 11.

In lieu of using a "bought and paid for" license to Windows 11, I chose to go the Insider route and am on the DEV Channel. And yep, I know this is way ahead of the "final" Build that will be released on October 5. I like to live dangerously. :)

I

Wynona said:
No, you cannot activate both Windows 10 and Windows 11 with the same key. You've done it the correct way.

Windows 10 came installed on this machine. When the time comes, if I wish, I can upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11. But I probably won't; I'll continue to dual boot Windows 10 with the Insider DEV Channel Windows 11.

In lieu of using a "bought and paid for" license to Windows 11, I chose to go the Insider route and am on the DEV Channel. And yep, I know this is way ahead of the "final" Build that will be released on October 5. I like to live dangerously. :)

I have Windows 10 & 11 dual booting on my laptop. Windows 11 activated itself automatically since the laptop already has a digital licence.

NavyLCDR · Sep 21, 2021

Here's the thing with digital licensing. It has made the EULA an "on your honor" system. Once the digital license for Windows 10 or 11 is obtained for a computer (and Windows 10 and 11 are currently sharing the same digital license), the source of that digital license is apparently not tracked by Microsoft. At least, there has been no evidence that they are tracking the source for the digital license. I have multiple computers both physical and virtual running multiple installations of Windows 10 and Windows 11 Pro. Every one of the Windows 10 and Windows 11 installations has the product key VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T and every one of them is activating on the retail channel, regardless of if their original source of the license was OEM or not.

My laptop has Windows 10 dual booting with Windows 11, and a virtual machine shared by Windows 10 and Windows 11 running Windows 11 inside the virtual machine. None of them were installed by entering a product key for activation because a digital license already existed for all of them.

Zardoc · Sep 21, 2021

I am switching between Acronis backups without issues. Both are digitally activated.

Bree · Sep 21, 2021

Steve C said:
I have Windows 10 & 11 dual booting on my laptop. Windows 11 activated itself automatically since the laptop already has a digital licence.

Zardoc said:
I am switching between Acronis backups without issues. Both are digitally activated.

NavyLCDR said:
Here's the thing with digital licensing. It has made the EULA an "on your honor" system.

If you haven't read the EULA here's the relevant section...

"we grant you the right to install and run one instance of the software on your device (the licensed device)"

MICROSOFT SOFTWARE LICENSE TERMS
A dual boot activating from the one digital licence is two instances installed one device, while restoring a backup image means only one instance is installed at any one time. One breaks the terms of the EULA, the other complies.

Wynona · Sep 21, 2021

Steve C said:
I have Windows 10 & 11 dual booting on my laptop. Windows 11 activated itself automatically since the laptop already has a digital licence.

Yes, same here. However, we must remember that Windows 11 is a "Beta version", not an official RTM (Release to Manufacturing or Market). Microsoft has given us what I would call a temporary license to test Windows 11.

Note that mine says: This product is licensed under the Microsoft Software License Terms to: and then my Microsoft Account name is inserted.

Now, since I'm on the Insider DEV Channel, that means I'm licensed to continue Beta Testing. It does not mean that if I decide to stop Beta Testing that I can install and use the RTM version without first uninstalling Windows 10. Microsoft's licensing terms are very clear on that.