Microsoft Windows 11 Pro Digital Licenses

Question

I have two machines with a digital license. The first machine is a laptop and the second is a mini desktop. My issue is that when I go to the mini desktop system, it seems I am looking at a very old version of my accounts versus a new version with all my new mini and Windows Pro selections. For example,

1, Edge and Google connections display old dead bookmarks and links which would not exist on machines bought in 2023 and fourth quarter 2024

2. Windows restores old profiles and is holding OneDrive access in this new machine so I cannot log into a new OneDrive or the old one.
3. CoPilot Pre, Outlook Pre, and Dev Home Pre appear in the new installation if OS is reset.

Some of these things would never even exist in fourth quarter of 2024. Even when updates for 24H2 are apparent, the system still sees old settings that have been removed for years. Microsoft is now using Entra ID instead of Azure ID for sign-ins. However, Entra ID was supposedly a trial version a month ago and now our sign-ins and BitLockers are being put into it. I did not agree to buy extras because my new Windows Pro that came with my new machine does not seem right. It looks like someone stole my new copy and gave me back an old one from a 5-year-old machine.

How do I verify my digital licenses are correct on both machines as they are two separate licenses? Both my machines were bought with Windows 11 Pro not Windows 7, 8, or 10. The vendors will not even give you the activation codes in the documentation when you buy the machines or with Microsoft so you cannot verify your systems if someone steals your license.

***moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Install and upgrade***

Answer 1

Hello,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

Based on the description, I understand your question is related to Microsoft Windows 11 Pro Digital Licenses.

If your machines were purchased recently, the vendors might also provide support for these issues, especially if they are related to the initial setup. Try bring it to vender to do a check.

You can go to Settings > System > Activation. Normally, there will be a line saying "Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account"

You might need to unlink and then re-link your Onedrive account. Go to OneDrive settings and select Unlink this PC. Then, sign in again with your Microsoft account.

For old profiles, consider creating a new user profile and transferring your data to see if this resolves the issue.

Have a nice day. 

Best Regards,

Molly

Answer 2

Molly;

I have tried everything including reinstalling Windows 11 Pro. I think the OneDrive login is trying to open a Family Office 365 account that expired in October 2024 the existed on my laptop somehow. However, these are to different 11 Pro licenses and two different machines. Windows could not be dragging over that account through One Drive login. However, that account did use the same email address at one point. There essentially is no reason why downloading a new OneDrive that is 5 GB wouldn't allow log in on a brand-new machine. There is no old Windows folder where One Drive would look for log in on the machine itself.

At one point, the system stated that the uscrt.dll file was bad for One Drive but I uninstalled it and removed any empty folders. So technically, a fresh download of One Drive should not cause this issue, correct?

Answer 3

Molly:

I appreciate your prompt response. However, my domain name is associated with this particular Windows 11 Pro so removing the digital license to a new email address does not solve the problem for OneDrive. Unless somehow the Entra ID is seeing my other machine and picking up old settings.

Yes, my OneDrive on my old laptop works just fine because it is a personal account and works with Windows Live but has a different email address associated with the account. But the Work and School account does not as the products though MS products, sit only related to the domain name i.e., Outlook 365. The Windows 11 Pro license could / should never be seeing anything but a new OneDrive on it. The machine is new, it only has the necessary drivers to function.

Even if the vendor where the domain is housed limits Outlook 365 / Exchange and does not sell OneDrive or allow downloads without purchase of a higher cost MS package, the 5 GB OneDrive that comes with 11 Pro is free on purchase of the OS and should not be reading anything old.

Answer 4

Hello,

Based your further description, I understand your question is related to One Drive. Since there are no engineers dedicated to one drive under current topic. in order to be able to get a quick and effective handling of your issue, I recommend that you repost your question about One Drive separately under this topic:

Microsoft 365 and Office/Onedrive

Have a nice day.

Best Regards,

Molly