115 lines
4.0 KiB
Markdown
115 lines
4.0 KiB
Markdown
# The Activation Process
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Welcome to the `Activation Process` document. This will have some info on
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Windows 10 activation processes.
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# Scope
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Windows activation processes differ based on the type of license installed. In
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this document an attempt will be made to semi-comprehensively describe how the
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activation occurs for a given license type.
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# Activation Processes
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Methods used for activation can be roughly divided into three types. Those are:
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* **Involving Microsoft**
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* **Indirectly involving Microsoft**
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* **Not involving Microsoft**
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The correlation between license type and how it activates is as follows:
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* **Involving Microsoft**:
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* Retail
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* Volume:MAK
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* OEM:NSLP
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* OEM:DM
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* **Indirectly involving Microsoft**
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* Volume:GVLK
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* **Not involving Microsoft**:
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* OEM:SLP
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First of all, it'd be nice to know what "activation" even does. In general, we
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are trying to solicit a **license file** that will satisfy the **Software
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Protection Platform** (SPP). When SPP is satisfied, the system is activated.
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**License files** contain some information on the license: the type, issue date,
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associated hardware ID (if applicable) and more.
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Other than full licenses, there are **grants** that are valid for a limited
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time. After the time period specified in the grant expires your system will want
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to renew it, prompting what is essentially a "reactivation" of the product.
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Deposited licenses and grants can be found in `%windir%\System32\spp\store` and
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`%programdata%\Microsoft\Windows\ClipSVC`.
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Here's likely the simplest way to look through licenses in `tokens.dat`:
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```sh
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#!/usr/bin/env zsh
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strings tokens.dat | grep -oP '<License[^>]*?>.*?</License>' > licenses
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split -l1 licenses 'license-' && rm licenses
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for l in license-*; do xmllint --format "$l" --output "$l.xml" && rm "$l"; done
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# license-aa.xml, license-ab.xml, [...] will have all your licenses.
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```
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## Activation Involving Microsoft
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For activation involving Microsoft their **activation servers** are contacted to
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create and/or retrieve license files.
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(The licensing and validation servers your installation uses can be checked with
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`slmgr -dlv`)
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The most common variant of this will be a **digital entitlement** (aka. "digital
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license"). This type of license is retrieved through **any** of the following:
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* **Product key**
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* **Machine**
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* **Microsoft account**
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All those above, except the **Machine** type (**TBV**) are subject to RIT and ROT related
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effects. (**TODO** Explanation)
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### Product key
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When a valid Windows 10 product key is installed, activation will be attempted.
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If your product key is valid and accepted by Microsoft, a digital license is
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granted for your **machine** based on its **hardware ID**.
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### Machine
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When **any** valid Windows 10 product key is installed, activation servers are
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contacted to try get a license for it. The activation server will notice your
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**hardware ID** and, if it matches an existing digital license, will grant it to
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you.
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The key doesn't have to be valid in this case. Only its **type** matters.
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### Microsoft account
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Microsoft accounts, being associated with the Microsoft Store, have information
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on your Microsoft Store licenses - this includes Windows (*most* editions).
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When you have a valid Retail (**TBV**) license for Windows, activation is granted
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for new hardware - the computer you logged in with.
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## Activation indirectly involving Microsoft
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The only type of activation that (in theory at least) indirectly involves
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Microsoft is for Volume:GVLK keys.
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When a generic volume licensing key is installed, the configured KMS server is
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contacted to provide the system with a grant for a specific period.
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The activation period depends on the edition and is usually 180 days.
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This **indirectly** involves Microsoft because, in a legit environment, the KMS
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server reports to Microsoft.
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## Activation not involving Microsoft
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In the case of OEM:SLP licensing, the only basis for acquiring a valid license
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file is a valid certificate and a BIOS marker.
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Microsoft servers are **not** contacted here, instead the OEM's certificate
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needs to be digitally signed by Microsoft.
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