A copy of Windows is genuine only if it has been activated using a valid key. When you buy Windows Keys from Microsoft websites or get them from the OEMs, you can be sure that they are genuine. But you need to be careful if you buy them from third-party websites. So are Windows 10 keys that you buy from another site like Amazon, etc., legitimate or legal? That depends!
MajorGeeks.Com » System Tools » System Info » Microsoft PID Checker 1.49 » Download Downloading Microsoft PID Checker 1.49 Microsoft PID Checker can validate Microsoft Product Keys from Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Visual Studio and many more. This is a online tool that enables you to check and validate Windows and Office Applications/Suites Product Keys. Downloading Microsoft PID Checker 1.46. It's run by 2 geeks with a couple minions dedicated to quality tested downloads 24/7/365 since 2001. With none of the junk. Serving files can get pricey. So If you like what we do here, think about checkin' our our deals page, x We have massive discounts on software, gadgets. 1 Use PID checker tools We have two tools here – The Ultimate PID Checker and Microsoft PID Checker – which you can use to find out if the Windows 10 key is legit. How to test a product key to be genuine? Hi, I've bought a Vista key online, not from Microsoft. The Ultimate PID Checker. If you can't activate Windows 7 with.
The major problem why many consumers get a license – which is sold at a very low price – and which later turns out to be invalid is because they may be deactivated product keys or Volume license keys. In this post, we will suggest a couple of ways to check if your Windows Product Licence Key is Genuine or Legit.
How to check if my Windows Key is Genuine
There are different types of keys. Windows 10 keys that consumer buys directly, are usually valid until the life of the machine (Retail and OEM).
There is one more types of key: Volume Licensing (MAK and KMS). Enterprise or big companies buy these keys to activate computers in bulk.
I have seen reports where many third-party sellers have sold these keys to consumers at a cheap price. These keys can be activated on multiple computers or work for a couple of months.
It is best not to purchase a key from someone who is not authorized to sell Windows 10 keys. And if somebody is authorized, and they offering low price, make sure to ask them if the key will work even after reinstallation.
There are two scenarios-
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- First where you have the key, and you want to check before actually using it.
- Second is when you have already used it, but still, want to check.
Let’s take a look at how you can find if your Windows Key is genuine.
Read next: How to buy Windows 10 with a valid or legit license key.
1] Use PID checker tools
We have two tools here – The Ultimate PID Checker and Microsoft PID Checker – which you can use to find out if the Windows 10 key is legit. While the Ultimate PID checker works for all versions before Windows 10, the Microsoft PID checker works for Windows 10 and Server 2016 only.
Download Microsoft PID Checker from here or Ultimate PID Checker from here. If the key is not legit or is invalid, the software will give you a response back. It can also be used to check the MAK count.
2] Check Windows Key with Software Licensing User Interface
Open Command Prompt on elevated privileges.Execute the following command:
The “dli” parameter will display current license information with activation status.
The result will also include the type of key (Retail, OEM, MAK, or KMS key). If the License status says “Licensed”, then you do not have a problem. If there is anything else, your key is not valid. Also if you see type as MAK or KMS, and you are a general consumer, you need to connect with the person from whom you bought the key, and get a Retail key.
Read: Are cheap Windows 10 keys legit?
3] Check Settings & Activation Status
There are few quick ways to check if the key you have used in not legit. The first thing you should is open Settings, and see if there is any warning about activation. If that’s not there, go to Update & Security > Activation and check the status. If there is an error and it doesn’t say that Windows is activated, you have a problem. In short the Windows 10 keys not legit or legal.
Let us know if this helped you to figure out if the Windows 10 key is genuine or not.
Now read: What is Windows Activation and How does it work?
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A few days ago, I happened to came across an interesting question while browsing Microsoft support forums. A PC user wanted to know the edition and version of Windows a product key belongs to, so that he can download and install the right version and edition of Windows on his PC.
Let us assume that you have a bunch of Windows product keys but you are not sure the version and edition they belong to. Although it’s possible to try them on virtual or physical machines, the approach doesn’t make sense when you have a bunch of keys, and especially, if you are not sure if they belong to Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10.
That said, if you know that a particular key is for Windows 10, then you can determine the edition of Windows 10 the key belongs to by entering it on a PC running Windows 10 as there are only two editions: Home and Pro. Once the job is done, you can uninstall and deactivate the key if you wish to do so.
Determine the version and edition of a product key
Luckily, there are a couple of ways out there to easily determine the version and edition of Windows a product key belongs to. You can use one of the given below utilities to check version and edition of Windows you can activate using the product key. Donkey kong nes game review.
ShowKeyPlus
ShowKeyPlus is a free software designed to retrieve product key from registry, BIOS/UEFI, and Windows.old folder. In addition to that, the tool can be used check the version and edition of Windows a product key belongs to.
Here is how to use the ShowKeyPlus software:
Step 1: Visit this page, download the latest available version, extract the zip file to get ShowKeyPlus.exe file, and then run ShowKeyPlus.exe with admin rights.
Step 2: Once launched, click the option labelled Check product key. Eis software products.
Step 3: Enter or paste the product key that you want to know the version and edition of Windows the product key belongs to. The version and edition of Windows operating will be displayed just below the product key field.
Ultimate PID Checker
Ultimate PID Checker is another free tool out there to determine the version and edition of Windows a product key belongs to.
Ultimate PID is not as superior as ShowKeyPlus, as Ultimate PID Checker requires you select a version of Windows to know the edition, unlike ShowKeyPlus which easily displays both version and edition upon entering a product key. That is, with Ultimate PID Checker, you might need to do trial and error to know the version of Windows operating system a product key belongs to.
Step 1: Download Ultimate PID Checker from here, extract the RAR file either using 7-Zip or WinRAR, and then run the executable.
Step 2: Select the version of Windows operating system that you believe the product key belongs to, enter the product key, and then click Go button to know the edition of the product key.
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If the product key entered doesn’t belong to the selected version of Windows, you will not see the edition it belongs to. In that case, select another version of Windows, and then click Go button again.