Backup Win11Pro license?

[jeanmars]

Hi,
probably this question is not related to AM06 series but this is the one I just bought.
I plan to use my AM06 minipc for running proxmox, at least for a test, so I will have to erase the 512GB SSD to install proxmox.
But I may want to get back to Win11Pro, so how can I save this license to restore it back in case proxmox is not OK with me?
Thanks,
Jean

[Gabe]

When you first connect to the net Microsoft logs your PC's Windows Activation on their servers. When you reinstall Windows after your Proxmox test, it will automatically Activate on connection to the net. However, to ensure this even further, and for the long term, make sure to sign into your Microsoft Account while using the initial installation of Windows 11 on the PC. This way, not only is the PC's Windows Activation logged on Microsoft's servers, it's also logged on your Microsoft Account. This ensures that, going forward, no matter how long it is you use something else on the unit, when you again install Windows 11 and sign into your Microsoft Account during setup, the Windows installation will automatically Activate. If you'd rather use a Local Account on your PC you can switch to it afterward, but the initial signing into your Microsoft Account will guarantee that Windows will Activate on the machine.

The Product Key itself is embedded in the BIOS. There are programs and methods to extract the actual Product Key so you can copy it down, though I've never used them, so I'm not familiar them, nor which ones work well.

[jeanmars]

Thanks Gabe,
to make sure I understand this well as I didn't receive my AM06 yet, if I'm using a local account instead of a Microsoft account, install Win11Pro and activate Windows, then erase everything and install Proxmox, then if I reinstall Windows Pro again, I'll will still get an official Win11Pro license as my PC has already been registered some time ago?
Cheers,
Jean

[Gabe]

The unit will come with Windows 11 preinstalled. All you need to do is go through the initial Windows setup steps when you turn it on, and make sure to sign into your Microsoft Account during the process. If you don't have a Microsoft Account, you can create one during the setup process. Then once you're finished setting it up, check to make sure Windows is Activated, which it should be. You can check it in Start>Settings>System>Activation.

Before you install Proxmox, however, I would make sure that the Windows 11 install is fully up to date, and then save the drivers folder, as you may need a few drivers after you reinstall Windows. There's likely to be a few that Windows itself won't be able to provide, so you'll need to update them in the Device Manager from the driver folder you saved. You can save it on a USB flash drive. It'll probably be somewhere between 2.5GB and 3.5GB in size. The folder you want to save is in C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore. The folder you want to save is "FileRepository". This contains all of the drivers on the system, including ones that aren't actually being used by anything. When you reinstall Windows 11 after the Proxmox thing, if there are drivers missing when you check the Device Manager you can used the saved folder in the search criteria when you go to update the driver for a specific device, and it will automatically find the correct driver and install it. What I normally do is just copy the saved FileRepository folder from the USB drive onto the desktop of the freshly installed system, then use that desktop folder in the search criteria for updating a driver, as the system tends to install them faster from a folder already on it compared to one on a flash drive.

Plus, it's also just a good idea to have all of the drivers from the system for safe keeping, in case you ever need them later, like for another reinstall, or if you ever have to replace the system drive. Believe it or not, I actually have the FileRepository folder saved from every unit I have, which is ten of them so far.

If you reinstall the system from the system file available here, I honestly don't know if you'll need to reinstall any drivers. I can't remember if what's available from here includes the drivers preinstalled or not. If you use regular Windows 11 installation media you've created, like when using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool, you'll almost assuredly need to install a few of the drivers after the Windows install.

Once you've made sure the system is Activated and you've saved the FileRepository folder, you can try your Proxmox. And then after you reinstall Windows (making sure to sign into your Microsoft Account during setup), check if you need any drivers and install them if you do. Then check to make sure the system is Activated, which it should be. At this point, you're all set, save for doing the normal Windows 11 updates to bring it to current. And if you want to use a Local Account at this point, you can switch to doing that, but the unit will stay Activated. The Microsoft Account is just an extra level of insurance for Activation, but you don't have to keep using it once the unit is Activated if you don't want to.

And yes, it will still be an official Windows 11 Pro license, just like the unit came with. Every time you reinstall Windows 11 it will Activate with a digital license for Windows 11 Pro, as it was saved on both Microsoft's servers and your Microsoft Account. Just make sure to sign into your Microsoft Account during initial setup, then later change to a Local Account if you want to instead use a Local Account.

[jeanmars]

Very clear, many thanks Gabe!

[Gabe]

You're quite welcome.

[davidphorne]

Great explanation.

I have a slightly different scenario I want to ask about. I want to replace the ~500gb system drive on my AM06 Pro with a 1tb ssd and install Windows 11 Pro on this as the new boot drive. Will the description above still hold with a new drive rather than a re-format of the existing drive? Is there any issue related to the TPM module and the identity of the boot drive?

BTW, you don't need a third-party utility to get the Product Key for Windows. the following PowerShell command will retrieve it for you (run as administrator):

powershell "(Get-WmiObject -query ‘select * from SoftwareLicensingService’).OA3xOriginalProductKey"

[Gabe]

davidphorne,

Yes, it will still hold true with a newly installed drive. Microsoft expects that people will upgrade parts over time, especially system drives, so it's very forgiving with that kind of thing. The vast majority of the time the BIOS embedded Product Key is entirely sufficient. The Microsoft account thing is just extra insurance, so to speak.

Regarding finding the product key on the system, great info! I should actually do that with mine, writing the Product Key on a little Post-it Note for each one and putting it in the box for the unit, or even on a sticker type thing on the bottom of the unit itself, for that 'just in case' scenario.

[davidphorne]

Thanks Gabe!

[Gabe]

Thanks Gabe!

You're quite welcome.