this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2023
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OEM keys are linked to motherboards I believe. Mine is a retail key and I've used it across many different builds over the years.
Keys are usually stored in the TPM chip and/or tied to Microsoft accounts if you use one. If you don't have an account, there's actually a limit to how often a key can activate new hardware. If there's no TPM, there's simply a limit within a certain timeframe that it can be used to activate on the same hardware.
Right, I'm pretty sure this key is tied to my MS account.
Retail keys can also be linked to the hardware or Microsoft account