Solved Activation status of W7 post installation & activation of W10

[Orcadian]

I want to dual boot Windows 10 Pro and Windows 7 Pro.

I have two hard drives. One has had W7 Pro since I bought the machine, and a few days ago I installed W10 on the other disk, while the internet was not available. I then supplied a new, unused W7 license key (via Settings\Change key), before going online and activating. I hoped that this method would force the activation process to use the new key and leave my main OEM license alone. I don't know whether that went as planned because W10 activation produces a 'digital licence' without a key number that can be checked.

At the moment both systems say 'activated' but does anyone know from experience whether this is likely to last? I don't want to spend a lot of time installing software only to find that in (say) a month's time one - or both - systems are no longer activated. Thanks!

 

[samuria]

Welcome to the forum. Showing a digitial licence is normal which means if you reinstall you dont need a licence as long has 7 has a different key there should be no problem

 

[torchwood]

Hi

As you have 2 different product keys, your a ok.

Note
The W7 key can also upgrade to W10, currently still for free, as its based on the comps ID

Roy

 

[Orcadian]

Thanks for your responses, Samuria and Torchwood.

What I'm afraid of is that during activation, W10 'stole' my original OEM key - hence W7 will deactivate at some point. Microsoft themselves say somewhere that this will happen: W10 looks for an OEM key and if it finds one, it grabs it, then awards you a digital licence. Entering another key subsequently (as I did) has no effect.

It's true I have the new key that I supplied to W10 during activation - and perhaps if W7 does deactivate, I can try this? However, since I've already given this key, perhaps it is no longer new...

I'm probably taking the cart to meet trouble but it would be great to hear from someone who has accomplished a dual boot of W7 and W10 without loising activation of either.

 

[SIW2]

hence W7 will deactivate at some point.

What makes you think that? Nobody has reported such a thing on this or any other forums that I am aware of.

 

[Orcadian]

What makes you think that? Nobody has reported such a thing on this or any other forums that I am aware of.

SIW2, I think this because Microsoft themselves say so, somewhere. They say that when it's first installed (and even before activation), W10 looks for an OEM key. If it's there, it grabs it, activates itself and awards you a digital licence for W10. Entering another key subsequently (as I did) has no effect.

So this will deactivate your Windows 7, which will find itself with no key. MS does this because every (non-volume) installation of Windows need a key, plus they assume you want to upgrade and no longer need the W7 key.

PC World talks about the problem here : https://www.pcworld.com/article/3050502/you-can-dual-boot-windows-7-with-windows-10-but-theres-a-catch.html. (There are other such warnings; cannot find them at the moment.)

 

[SIW2]

You didn't "upgrade". If you have slp win7, the "key" is on the win7 partition.

Nothing to do with the clean install of win10 on a different disk.

I installed W10 on the other disk

 

[Orcadian]

You didn't "upgrade". If you have slp win7, the "key" is on the win7 partition.

Nothing to do with the clean install of win10 on a different disk.

Hmm, sounds promising! But I have read many times that an OEM licence is not on the disk / partition; it is on the motherboard, thus is a sitting duck for any new version of Windows you subsequently install. Can you clarify? Thanks.

 

[SIW2]

For win7 slp activation there is a marker in the bios which the slp and xml key must match to activate win7 ( that is done offline).


If you perform an upgrade, win10 setup replaces the win 7 system files ( moves them into a folder called Windows .old ) and transfers programs and settings. It also also checks if the win7 it is replacing is activated ( tokens.dat file ) and "replaces" the activation.


F all to do with installing clean on a different disk.


[The win8 equivalent of slp is different - the key itself is in the msdm table.]

 

[torchwood]

Hi

The FACTORY default installed key, is on the the motherboard, the COA product key is held within the OS. Therefor every OEM, Dell/Acer/Asus/etc, computer has 2 "chances" to upgrade to W10 IF the COA has not been input.


Roy

 

[Orcadian]

Thanks, both! I shall keep fingers crosed that both systems should now be activated and stay that way! This whole licensing thing is so byzantine, it's like trying to navigate across a landscape of crevasses in the dark. One false step and you are b*ggrd.

 

[SIW2]

Yep.

 

[torchwood]

I installed an evaluation Ultimate version, currently on rearm 2, So i can watch whats happing/going to happen.
Did find that a new file/folder has appeared under C/Users/Me/Appdata/Local/PIDGEN
(reckon its got something to do with Extended update support)
the local folder shows your machines setup details


Roy

 

[garycase]

An active Windows 7 key is NOT going to "de-activate"

For that matter, you can in all likelihood still do a clean install of Windows 7 AFTER 14 Jan and activate and update it just fine via the activation servers and Windows Update. Microsoft isn't going to provide any new patches after that date, but it's unlikely they'll take down Windows Update. Note that you can still re-install XP, activate it, and update it [Although I do believe the XP Windows Update server requires SP2, so if you used a really old pre-SP2 install media, you'd have to apply SP2 manually before you could use Windows Update.

 

[Orcadian]

Thank you, Torchwood and Garycase.

Both systems still saying activated today. Fingers crossed! Screenshot attached of users/me/appdata/local attached for W7 (disk C, running now) and W10, on disk E. No sign of PIDGEN.

Not sure what 'Migwiz' is - I haven't done anything at all to Windows 7, my main O/S w/ all packages - though I did use Rufus to make a bootable USB containing W10.