Activate a device (Industry 8.1)
Review the activation and reactivation requirements for your Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry (Industry 8.1) device.
Activation is the process of registering Industry 8.1 with Microsoft to assure the product is genuine. Activation is used to do the following:
-
Reduce software piracy.
-
Protect the software industry, corporate intellectual property, software development investments, and product quality.
-
Ensure customers receive the product quality they expect.
All Industry 8.1 devices must be individually activated. Device activation must be completed by having each device contact Microsoft licensing servers directly through an Internet connection, indirectly through a proxy, or via telephone.
Important: |
|---|
| All activation processes require that the device has write filters turned off or disabled. Activation succeeds if write filters are enabled, but restarting the device resets the activation status, and you must re-activate the device. |
After a device has been activated, it will remain activated unless a significant change triggers a need to reactivate the device, such as a motherboard replacement or completely re-imaging the device with a different product edition.
When a device running Industry 8.1 is not activated, the device displays an immersive watermark on the lower-right corner of every attached display. In addition, you cannot change the Windows personalization settings, such as the desktop background or the lock screen background, on a device that is not activated. These are the only differences between an activated device and a device that is not activated.
Devices running Industry 8.1 do not display the interstitial UI that is displayed by computers running Windows 8.1 that are not activated.
Certain scenarios can cause a device to require to be reactivated. Any time a change is made to an activated device, the device is classified as either in-tolerance or out-of-tolerance.
In many cases, you can make minor changes to the hardware, such as adding additional RAM or swapping out a hard drive, without requiring the device to be reactivated. Major hardware changes, such as changing the motherboard of a device, can cause a device to be considered out-of-tolerance, which sets the device back to an unactivated state.
A large number of small hardware changes made at once can also push a device to out-of-tolerance, even if the individual changes themselves would be considered in-tolerance.
Attaching and detaching USB devices or other peripheral hardware has no effect on the tolerance state of the device.
Reimaging your device erases the activation information on the device, which sets the device into an unactivated state.
When a Industry 8.1 device requires reactivation, the device behaves the same as a system that has not been activated. Other than the watermark and the inability to change personalization settings, the device continues to work as normal, and there are no other changes in the behavior of the device.
- Activate a device automatically by using a direct internet connection after OOBE
-
Explains how to set up an image to automatically activate by using a direct Internet connection after it is deployed.
- Activate a device manually by using a direct internet connection
-
Explains how to activate a device using a direct Internet connection and either SLMGR or SLUI.
- Activate a device by using telephone activation
-
Explains how to activate a device by using the telephone and either the Windows Licensing Manager script (SLMGR) or the Windows Activation Client (SLUI).
- Manage activation by using Volume Activation Management Tool
-
Describes how to use Volume Activation Management Tool 3.0 (VAMT 3.0) to simplify the activation process.
- Select an activation method
-
Lists the activation methods available according to the Internet connectivity of the device.
Important: