Not being asked to activate Windows 10, very odd

[markbot]

My host O/S is Windows 10 Pro (I upgraded from Windows 7 for free last year). I'm using Vmware Workstation 12 Player. I downloaded an ISO of Windows 10 from Microsoft's website. I installed Windows 10 on a virtual machine. I skipped by the prompts that ask me for a product key.

This is where it gets weird.

I've been using Windows 10 on the VM for a day now. I'm getting all of the standard Windows updates. In the system display area at the bottom it says that I have Windows 10 Pro. In the Windows activation section, it shows that I have a product key for the guest O/S. The product key displayed is different from the one on my host O/S. It also says that "Windows is activated".

I can change my wallpaper, I have no messages anywhere saying to activate Windows, etc. The guest environment appears to be the same as my host environment.

Will I eventually have to pay to activate this guest O/S Windows 10 Pro? Will I stop getting updates unless I pay? Or did I just get a free activated copy of Windows Pro on a VM? I'm perfectly willing to pay, but obviously won't if I don't have to. I want to buy licensed software and install it on this VM so I don't want any technical problems down the road because of the activation issue.

[markbot]

Actually, in the system area it doesn't show the product key. it shows a "Product ID", so disregard that part of the narrative. But, when I go to change the product key on the guest O/S it says that "Windows is activate" and under Product key it says "Windows on this device is activated with a digital entitlement."

[wila]

Hi,

Welcome at the VMware Community Forums.

Did you install windows 10 on a VM that previously had a Windows 7 or Windows 8 installed?

--
Wil

[markbot]

It was a fresh install on a new VM.

[wila]

Hello,

That is strange indeed.

If it says "activated" then you should be fine, but it normally only shows this behavior if you already have installed Windows 10 in the same VM and activated that VM thereby sending the digital footprint of that particular VM to Microsoft.

edit: FWIW, out of curiosity I just started an install here using the 1511_2 iso and selected "Skip" on the product key signup to see what it does on my end.

--

Wil

[wila]

Hi,

Sorry had a few other things to follow up on.

Down here, the new VM I installed without a product key -as expected- did not activate.

So it certainly isn't standard for the ISO install on a new VM to auto activate.

--

Wil

[markbot]

Is your host computer Windows 10 Pro?

I did have Windows 10 preview installed on a different VM, but I don't think that should affect it.

[wila]

Hi,

No I happened to run the install on VMware Fusion (so host is OS X)

But that part is not visible from within the virtual machine, if the guest can see the host OS then we woud not be using virtualisation.

I agree that there might be a difference in VMware Player and VMware Fusion.

VMware Player/Workstation/Fusion do all however use the same virtualisation engine, so difference - while they can be there - are small.

While I have VMware Player, it is part of Workstation and unfortunately don't have a Windows 10 host, just Windows 10 guests.

So I'm afraid that I cannot completely match your config.

At least not without spending considerable time and as I'm just a user - like you - that time I do not have.

edit: Windows 10 preview on a different VM should not matter. If however you installed on a clone of that preview then it might be.

Windows 10 preview at one moment did actually activate, at least it did for me. I ran the preview for a while and then around the time that Windows 10 was released, Microsoft activated it and the preview went from a trial to a permanent license.

--

Wil

[markbot]

FYI, I received the Windows 10 Anniversary update without a problem.

[Babui]

By the way, my installation of Windows 10 IOT Enterprise x64 version 2004 on a Workstation VM did not require me to activate either. I did not even provide a serial number during installation either.

[PenguinBelly]

Some versions of Windows 10 and 11 can be used indefinitely without activation.  See if there is a watermark showing (in the bottom right corner) when you take a screenshot of desktop.   Some functions like personalization may also be disabled for those "free" copies of Windows.