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    No longer a rumour: Microsoft silently kills Windows and Office phone activation and forces online activation with a Microsoft account
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    No longer a rumour: Microsoft silently kills Windows and Office phone activation and forces online activation with a Microsoft account


    No longer a rumour: Microsoft silently kills Windows and Office phone activation and forces online activation with a Microsoft account

    https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/microsoft-silently-kills-windows-and-office-phone-activation-and-forces-online-activation-with-a-microsoft-account-windows-users-are-now-herded-into-an-online-only-portal-for-activation

    View 25 Comments

    25 Comments

    1. Ok-Situation466 on

      Just absolute bullshit. I had to do this a week ago to setup a valid key I’ve used for years on Windows 10 and transferred to Windows 11. Even though the key was deactivated properly, it kept giving me key already in use error. I was able to use the phone method and actually had a Microsoft tech call me, clear it out, and it registered perfectly. Now that this is another user unfriendly Windows change, it’s just unreal how anti-user Microsoft is these days.

    2. simask234 on

      There are workarounds – go to the online activation portal, choose a “government tenant” (any one will work), and type in any email address that ends in “.gov” (doesn’t even have to be real). It will let you proceed without logging in.

    3. Ok-Mycologist-3829 on

      Ok so how long until Microsoft pulls a Windows 8 and undoes some of its shenanigans

    6. virtua536 on

      Workarounds this and that. Try this, connect that, sign into this, create that.

      Just move on from Windows.

    8. ilovetpb on

      Linux is looking better and better.

      If it was better at gaming, I’d have switched already.

    9. Pretty_Idea_9837 on

      There will always be a work around for this stuff. Up until windows is completely dead and nobody is using it anymore. Then who cares?

    10. jotarowinkey on

      nobody is talking about the fact that motherboard manufacturers are only now increasing bios chip storage to allow for the wifi driver to be installed alongside windows.

      i ran into a situation where installed windows 10, discovered the wifi driver didnt work for 10, tried to instal 11 and failed because i had no internet, installed again using rufus and was finally able to get an offline account and then thumb drive the wifi driver.

      like theres a whole relationship going on between mobo manufacturers and windows to alter boards that are modern and already on the market to allow you to have windows 11 with wifi.

      the motives of both parties are strange. windows is making it more difficult for people to buy an always online account and the mobo sellers are shelling out extra money to alter their product lineup while limiting customer options for wifi.

      i actually cant fathom the endgame. and now i have an offline account.

    12. Own_Function_2977 on

      I remember buying my last WinTel, thinking to myself: it can’t get worse than it is now.

      That was in 2005. 😬 

    13. Keviticas on

      Microsoft you don’t have to convince me, I was already gonna go to Linux once Windows 10 support is truly over

    14. JaggedMetalOs on

      After having some trouble doing a fresh Windows 11 install with a 10 pro OEM key (same PC so license is still valid) I just used MS’ published generic product key and the massgrave XML file and it was activated. MS may as well just have a button that says “I swear that I have a valid key” and be done with it for all they apparently care about activation. 

    15. Elpepestan on

      I see we’re heading into ‘send a carrier pigeon to activate Windows’ territory soon. At this point, might as well let me use a crow to deliver my activation key

    16. __OneLove__ on

      That’s cool…I silently killed MS Windows + Office when I replaced it with Linux + LibreOffice. Problem solved.

      🤷🏻‍♂️

    19. Psychostickusername on

      Microsoft isn’t just digging a big grave for itself, it seems to be making the shovels and selling them to themselves too…

    22. Lushkies on

      Doesn’t apply to the pro version, so select that when creating your iso usb installer.

    23. notPabst404 on

      Microsoft is the biggest advertisement for Linux. Their entire operation is a data mining privacy nightmare.

    24. TacoOfGod on

      Keep a Windows USB with an older version on it if you need to reinstall as a first resort. Alternative resort is just switching to a different OS.

    25. G1ngerBoy on

      AFAIK MacOS and Linux do not require an account to use them.

      Just something to consider.