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A product key is required to proceed and use Windows 95. In one form, product activation refers to a method invented by Ric Richardson and patented (U.S. patent 5,490,216) by Uniloc where a software application hashes hardware serial numbers and an ID number specific to the product's license (a product key) to
Product key on a Proof of License Certificate of Authenticity for Windows Vista Home Premium. A product key, also known as a software key, serial key or activation key, is a specific software-based key for a computer program. It certifies that the copy of the program is original. Product keys consist of a series of numbers and/or letters.
On Windows 10 and Windows 11, the activation process can also generate a "digital entitlement", which allows the operating system's hardware and license status to be saved to the activation servers, so that the operating system's license can automatically be restored after a clean installation without the need to enter a product key.
This build treated Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 product keys as Windows 10 product keys, meaning they could be entered during installation to activate the free license, without the need to upgrade first to "activate" the hardware with Microsoft's activation servers. [99]
At the time of launch, Microsoft deemed Windows 7 (with Service Pack 1) and Windows 8.1 users eligible to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge, so long as the upgrade took place within one year of Windows 10's initial release date. Windows RT and the respective Enterprise editions of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 were excluded from this offer. [89]
Windows 10 Creators Update, or Windows 10 Version 1703, codenamed "Redstone 2", is a feature update to Windows 10 released on April 11, 2017. The first preview for this release was seeded out to Windows Insiders on August 11, 2016. The Redstone 2 release of Windows 10 is currently in the development branch and available for Windows Insiders.
The Windows Package Manager (also known as winget) is a free and open-source package manager designed by Microsoft for Windows 10 and Windows 11. It consists of a command-line utility and a set of services for installing applications. [5] [6] Independent software vendors can use it as a distribution channel for their software packages.
In March 2001, the company released one of the first home theater PCs, called the Takami system. [3] The PC was contained in a flat case with a similar form factor to a VCR, and was intended to be placed under a television rather than at a computer desk as was typical during the 1990s.