this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2026
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722
Microsoft kills official way to activate windows without internet (www.neowin.net)
submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by 1984@lemmy.today to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Now when trying to activate the OS by attempting to call the phone number for Microsoft Product Activation, an automated voice response says the following: "Support for product activation has moved online.

Linux is this way, guys.

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[โ€“] BreadstickNinja@lemmy.world 24 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I would note that every single time I've tried to reactivate windows after a mobo or CPU upgrade, it has failed.

I guess it's supposed to work better if you sign into your Microsoft account ever, which I don't, because I see literally no reason they would need me to expect to advance spyware and adware.

The phone activation is the only thing that has worked. Good thing I've been dual booting a Ubuntu fork for the past six months. I guess after my next hardware upgrade I'll be Linux only.

[โ€“] oftenawake@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 6 days ago

Who wants a computer which might not work after an upgrade and not because there's an actual problem but because a corporation says no? It's more stress and more work out of nowhere. Corporations should never be allowed to brick devices, but since they are, I choose "not corporation" as my permanent fix. It's a good move!