Fortunately I don't even have to consider that option at all. Well to be quite frank never have...😉

The point of registering with Microsoft is so they have an easy way to remove your access to things unless you pay them

It makes it super easy to transfer Windows licenses between systems and also to reactivate licenses if the hardware changes too much.

You just select the activation troubleshooter, tell it that you changed hardware, and then select the system to reactivate / transfer the license.

Sooooooo much easier than trying to deal with over the phone or SMS activation.

If you have a Microsoft account, you don't have to pay for Windows again when your hardware changes too much... (in other words, you can transfer the license, even if it is an OEM one).

Caluser2000 wrote on 2021-07-12, 14:33:

Fortunately I don't even have to consider that option at all. Well to be quite frank never have...😉

That does not answer the question at all.

This worked fine

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-07-12, 16:07:

It makes it super easy to transfer Windows licenses between systems and also to reactivate licenses if the hardware changes too much.

xcomcmdr wrote on 2021-07-12, 16:18:

If you have a Microsoft account, you don't have to pay for Windows again when your hardware changes too much... (in other words, you can transfer the license, even if it is an OEM one).

Ah that's useful to know, thanks very much!

keenmaster486 wrote on 2021-07-12, 16:39:

This worked fine
Windows-Product-Key-Sticker_thumb.jpg

No. It never worked since XP if it's an OEM license and the hardware changed too much.

You shouldn't be looking for reasons to add more accounts you need to be concerned about the security of, if you can't think of a reason to use a Microsoft account then don't.

xcomcmdr wrote on 2021-07-12, 17:54:

keenmaster486 wrote on 2021-07-12, 16:39:

This worked fine
Windows-Product-Key-Sticker_thumb.jpg

No. It never worked since XP if it's an OEM license and the hardware changed too much.

I have several OEM XP stickers that I used to use for every XP install I ever did before they shut down the activation servers. They always just worked. Same with 7... I was able to just reuse them on a myriad of different hardware.

Not to mention 95 and 98SE codes which just work without internet access

xcomcmdr wrote on 2021-07-12, 16:18:

If you have a Microsoft account, you don't have to pay for Windows again when your hardware changes too much... (in other words, you can transfer the license, even if it is an OEM one).

Caluser2000 wrote on 2021-07-12, 14:33:

Fortunately I don't even have to consider that option at all. Well to be quite frank never have...😉

That does not answer the question at all.

Oh deary mee.

I do hope you have a wonderful day...😉

keenmaster486 wrote on 2021-07-12, 18:56:

xcomcmdr wrote on 2021-07-12, 17:54:

keenmaster486 wrote on 2021-07-12, 16:39:

This worked fine
Windows-Product-Key-Sticker_thumb.jpg

No. It never worked since XP if it's an OEM license and the hardware changed too much.

I have several OEM XP stickers that I used to use for every XP install I ever did before they shut down the activation servers. They always just worked. Same with 7... I was able to just reuse them on a myriad of different hardware.

It doesn't change the fact that changing the hardware too much without reinstalling revokes the OEM license. I saw it happen on every Windows since XP. It was very badly received at the time of XP's release. See here for details :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Product_Activation

keenmaster486 wrote on 2021-07-12, 18:56:

Not to mention 95 and 98SE codes which just work without internet access

That's a completely different matter.

I've also used a ton of OEM Windows 7 keys and they always just work.

Note that they are Pro. I do have a bunch of Home keys as well but I've never needed to use them.

The free upgrade to Windows 10 still works just fine as well.

For OEM machines that originally came with Windows 7, the OEM version of Windows 7 has to be installed first so the embedded key will activate Windows and then you can upgrade to 10 without using a key at all.

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-07-12, 16:07:

It makes it super easy to transfer Windows licenses between systems and also to reactivate licenses if the hardware changes too much.

You just select the activation troubleshooter, tell it that you changed hardware, and then select the system to reactivate / transfer the license.

Sooooooo much easier than trying to deal with over the phone or SMS activation.

Yep this. More so for Office but Windows as well.
8/10 average home users would loose their licence key forcing legit support companies to resell them a copy of Office.
It was bad enough when you still got the CD's but almost no one kept the little card in the empty DVD case from around Office 2007 onwards.

Maybe not such a big deal now most people get a Office 365 subscription and Win10 works just fine even when not activated.

Re Activation in general
XP I had more trouble matching media to the correct key. Generic OEM CD wouldn't work bit a HP OEM key for example.
Win7 Was pretty good, Only came across 2 machines that were changed enough that auto activation no longer works and have to activate over the phone. annoyingly one of them mine!
Win10 I've started to run into problems when doing a fresh install on what was a free Win7-10 upgrade luckily most of these PC's are bee retired so it's no big deal personally.

people really should stop using MS office alltogether.

For that to happen, the competition needs to be better.

Off topic ramble...

I've started to realise I no longer use Office products, either Microsoft or OpenOffice etc. When my kids were at school I bought a famiy pack of 3 licences for one version (2007?) which I get hassles from Microsoft these days when trying to activate - have to say it's not installed elsewhere even though logically and legally/contractually it can be as a 3-licence deal. Whatever, we don't use it anyway, I just hate the idea of having something that doesn't work for bureaucratic reasons. I have 2010 with the physical media and key, and then 2013 and 2016 - maybe 2011 too - as downloadable river/whatever items that always seem a hassle to reinstall (or even obtain media for).

All of that hassle with Office makes me distrustful of Microsoft, though against that I've never had an issue with Windows activation that couldn't ultimately be resolved. Haven't tried activating XP lately, because I'm down to one "retro PC" that runs 98 and my other is mothballed (though from the hardware that'll be 98 too). I wonder whether at this point there's any need for XP - I'm not sure there's much I'd want to play that wouldn't work on 98 or 2000. Black and White maybe, I never got round to that; though I'm pretty sure it ran on 2000.

imi wrote on 2021-07-13, 09:26:

people really should stop using MS office alltogether.

Subscription Office 365... I totally agree.

But the standalone Office 2019 is just fine and none of the 3rd party offerings can even dream of coming close to it.

Office 365 is fine for large businesses, even ones with very strict security as it can be configured to not be connected to the public "cloud". Everything can be done in-house.

I've been using OpenOffice and others since the early 2000s, I have never missed anything, and everytime I have to use the MS variant in the office I just complain about it's cumbersome interface.

MS office is one of the biggest security nightmares for businesses too, especially outlook, they just don't seem to care and keep throwing money at them and then wonder why they got hit by ransomware.

They get hit by ransomware because the employees aren't trained to not click on links in emails.

I've tried all the different free office suites and they are are extremely slow compared to MS Office.

Is there VBA support in any of the free office suites?

VBA was a decent part of my old job.

Then there is also the problem of corporate level support and integration as well.

Oh yeah... Just because programs are open source does not mean they don't have major security holes.