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I've been having trouble with a Windows 10 upgrade, so a friend gave me a MAK key which has turned my version from Home to Enterprise. The key is legitimate (it belongs to our company).

But now I'm worried. Could the MAK be revoked if I left the company? What would happen to my PC, can I buy a Home/Pro licence and continue to use it? I have heard you cannot downgrade from Enterprise to Pro, and a reinstall is needed.

Is there a way to stop potential revocation, by altering my hosts or DNS? This is a home computer, not on a domain or VPN

All I wanted was for the free upgrade to work

Pete55
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2 Answers2

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It depends on the activation method. If you use MAK Independent activation, then it cannot be revoked, if you use MAK Proxy activation, then it can be revoked.

This is because a Proxy activation requires access to the company's VMAT server at least once every 180 days, and a Independent activation is independent from the VMAT server.

There are two ways to activate computers by using a MAK:

MAK Independent activation. Each computer independently connects to and is activated by Microsoft either over the Internet or by telephone. MAK Independent activation is best suited to computers within an organization that do not maintain a connection to the corporate network.

MAK Proxy activation. MAK Proxy activation enables a centralized activation request on behalf of multiple computers with one connection to Microsoft. MAK Proxy activation is configured using the Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT). MAK Proxy activation is appropriate for environments in which security concerns may restrict direct access to the Internet or the corporate network. It is also suited for development and test labs that lack this connectivity.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff793435.aspx

geek1011
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Direct downgrades through editions are not supported with Windows and require a reinstall.

Depending on the MAK key (independent or proxy) you would have different consequences.

Independent MAK keys would not be affected by corporate changes. However, it's 'morally' wrong to keep using the key as Microsoft will continue charging the company for the license.

Proxy MAK keys require a connection to the corporate network's VMAT server. If you leave the company, they should revoke your login into the network and without access to the network, your key will invalidate itself after 180(?) days.

Quinton M.
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