From: winstonmvp@gmail.com
VanguardLH wrote on 12/24/2025 8:37 PM:
> winston wrote:
>
>> VanguardLH wrote:
>>>
>>> There are 2 places where a user might associate or create a new Windows
>>> account to link to their MS account:
>>>
>>> Settings -> Accounts, expand "Microsoft account" section, Sign in.
>>>
>>> Or:
>>>
>>> Settings -> Accounts, expand "Your info" section, Account settings ->
>>> Local account, Sign in with a Microsoft account instead
>>>
>>> The first option hints the existing local Windows account under which
>>> you are currently logged into would get linked to the MS account.
>> => It does not
>>>
>>> With the "instead" mention, the second option hints a *new* Windows
>>> account gets created.
>> => It does not
>>
>> i.e. your understanding is the opposite of what each does(backwards)
>>
>> The latter('instead') does not create a new Microsoft account(MSA), it
>> replaces your Windows Local account signon with a Windows Microsoft
>> accountMSA) signon. The MSA account for the 'instead' option can be an
>> existing MSA, if not using an existing MSA a new MSA can be created.
>> Your userprofile name and folder remains unchanged
>> Your digital license for Windows 11 is linked(device and license) to
>> your MSA and only stored on the Windows activation server. It(your
>> license) does not 'get recorded' to your Microsoft account. i.e. its the
>> other way around - the device/license/MSA stored on Microsoft's
>> activation server, not your Microsoft account,
>
> I'm not privy to how the backend works. In Windows 10, I go to Settings
> -> Update & Security -> Activation, and it says:
>
> "Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft
> account"
>
> As I recall, on a reinstall, and you log into an MS account, your MS
> account gets checked for the license. That the license lookup passes
> through MSA to an activation server is unimportant to the user. The MSA
> is the tracking interface to the user.
>
> https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/activate-windows-c
9005d4-95ee-b91e-b399-2820fda32227
> "It is essential that you link your Microsoft account to the Windows 10
> license on your device. Linking your Microsoft account with your digital
> license enables you to reactivate Windows using the Activation
> troubleshooter whenever you make a significant hardware change."
>
> The user is reinforced the MSA is involved in recording the license.
> There may be further views on the entire process, but to users the MSA
> is the interface.
>
> It's like with mail servers. Users only care about the frontend or
> boundary IMAP, POP, or SMTP servers, not how frontends weave through a
> network, or how load balancing is accomplished in a server farm. All
> that backend stuff is out of control and invisible to the user. But
> thanks for the info, anyway.
>
>> You really don't want to use the former option(Sign in - One account for
>> everything) to accomplish your task.
>
> So, to keep my current Windows account (vanguardlh) to link to my MSA, I
> to go to Settings -> Accounts, and:
> - Skip (do NOT expand) the "Microsoft account" section to reach that
> Sign in button.
> - Instead expand the "Your Info" section, Account settings -> Local
> account, Sign in with a Microsoft account.
>
> Thanks for the correction. I doubt I'm the only confused by the
> multiple avenues for registering the OS license.
>
Not exactly...
The process is not substantially different for a Local and MSA account.
One first activation(Retail[product key entry] or OEM[Product key entry
or Product key on device firmware]) the device's Hardware ID and edition
is stored on the MSFT server(i.e. backend)..for both Local and MSA
accounts. If the latter, the MSA account is also stored with the Hardware ID.
=> The Hardware ID in both cases is the primary data for validation.
=> The Hardware ID is a unique fingerprint of the device's
components(CPU, Mobo and other key devices but excluding storage
components like SSD/HDD's)
On a subsequent clean or reinstall, that stored Hardware ID determines
the legality for activation.
If the hardware was significantly changed, then the linking of an MSA
only provides one additional feature - if the hardware was significantly
changed(e.g. CPU, Mobo) it provides the ability for the Windows
Troubleshooter to allow/permit the user to inform it is the same
previously licensed device but with the new hardware(this option is not
available when only a device with a Local account was digitally licensed
with its Hardware ID).
-i.e. on subsequent clean or reinstall the MSA is not checked for the
legality of the license, only coming into play if the current hardware is
different than previous hardware ID's footprint and providing that
additional 'troubleshooting' feature.
It's not really like mail servers authorization.
Yes, use the 'Your info/Sign in with a Microsoft account instead' option
to keep your existing user profile and all of its previous configured
settings) *and* any apps or features included in Windows or downloaded
store apps requiring use of an MSA(syncing across devices, OneDrive,
Teams, Office, Xbox, sign-in security[2FA, Windows Hello, etc.)...and as
noted above, that extra troubleshooting feature for activation(for a
subsequentvclean or reinstall when key hardware has been changed).
--
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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