14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 build 10525 was released to insiders enrolled in the fast channel a few days ago, but shortly after that, a number of testers noticed that this new version does not activate on their computers, asking for a Windows 10 product key and displaying the traditional watermark on the desktop.
While many believed it was just an issue with Microsoft’s servers, which have been flooded with activation requests since July 29 when Windows 10 came out, it was not, and Gabriel Aul, head of the Windows Insider program, explained the cause today.
Basically, all Windows 10 builds after 10240, which is the RTM version that we all got on July 29, no longer come with a key for activation and this is why activation fails in the first place.
Aul says that build 10525 and all the other builds that will be released in the coming months will no longer be prekeyed and will come with absolutely no keys for activation. So how do we activate, you might ask.
10240 activation is a must
In order to activate your Windows 10 build 10525 (or newer) install, you must be running it on a PC that was upgraded from 10240 RTM.
In other words, you must first activate Windows 10 RTM on your computer, either with a new Windows 10 license or by upgrading from Windows 7 or 8.1, and only then install new preview builds.
This pretty much destroys the dream of some users who hoped to become an insider at any given moment and run Windows 10 free of charge, but there’s still something that can help them.
If you are still running an older Windows 10 preview build (pre-10240) that’s activated and you upgrade all the way to 10525, your install should remain activated just like before. So think your next step wisely because depending on your choice, your copy of Windows 10 might or might not be activated.
@viceroy101 No, builds from here on will not be prekeyed or include keys. You can install on a PC that had an activated 10240 to activate.
— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) August 22, 2015