Need to activate Windows? Microsoft just eliminated an option I've relied on for years

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Microsoft silently kills the last way to activate Windows without internet

According to Neowin, Microsoft has killed the final method for activating Windows without an internet connection—that is, ...
Ars Technica

Windows 7 KMS activation threshold

So, question about KMS activation, as it relates to Windows 7. We already have a KMS server which activates Windows 2008R2 servers. Works great. So, I want to have a few Windows 7 machines I am ...

Microsoft’s Quiet Shift Ends Phone Activation, Leaving Offline Windows Users With Fewer Options

Microsoft has quietly taken another step toward an entirely online ecosystem, effectively ending phone-based activation for ...

Working on the go? You can no longer activate Windows with your phone

Failure to activate Windows will result in watermarks and feature restrictions, which could be bad news for customers who don ...
Ars Technica

Microsoft says you can’t activate Windows 10/11 with old Windows 7/8 keys anymore

Ugh this kinda sucks but I guess it doesn't really matter. I had a bunch of Windows 7 keys from 2009 that have been great with 10 and 11. I get that this free ride is over but it still sucks. It ...

Microsoft ends phone activation for Windows, pushes users to online-only portal

Microsoft has silently discontinued its phone-based activation system for Windows and Office products, forcing users into an ...
Gizmodo

Windows 7 Hacked (Again) for Keyless Activation

Lo! Yet another Windows 7 activation hack appears. This one’s a little more creative in that it doesn’t require an OEM key at all, and instead bypasses the ...