Windows 10 ESU

[1gvqn]

How do I know that my ESU is activated?

[Gmochey]

Similar question here.
I have an (official) OEM_DM Win10 Pro license and want to know if the VOLUME_MAK ESU licenses TSForge "creates" will work - Windows Update settings now say that I won't receive security updates anymore.

The only way I know to ckeck if those licenses are 'active' is entering "smlgr /dlv" into the command prompt, which lists all active licenses, but how do I know if windows actually recognizes them (i.e. continues getting security updates)

[WitherOrNot]

If the Client-ESU licenses are activated, then Windows will get ESU updates. These licenses are all that is checked to determine if ESU is allowed to be installed.

You can check the status of these licenses with slmgr /dlv or Check Activation Status in MAS.

[Gmochey]

If the Client-ESU licenses are activated, then Windows will get ESU updates. These licenses are all that is checked to determine if ESU is allowed to be installed.

You can check the status of these licenses with slmgr /dlv or Check Activation Status in MAS.

So the TSForge ESU won't work (since they are commercial licenses)? I went with that because the official enrollment doesn't work for whatever reason...

[WitherOrNot]

Client-ESU is the commercial license, this is what TSforge activates.

[Gmochey]

Client-ESU is the commercial license, this is what TSforge activates.

Oh alright! I misread Client-ESU as Consumer-ESU ^^'

[morths]

Hi. Despite successfully activating ESU with TSForge method (checked also with slmgr /dlv), as of today windows update displays message 'Your version of Windows has reached end of support. Your device is no longer receiving security updates'. Is this normal?

[WitherOrNot]

Yes, it's an issue with the setup page.

[WindowsAddict]

@jay9225 @erkinalp ESU in TSforge works for Home edition.

[abbodi1406]

Home x86 isn't eligible for ESU

Don't spread false info, and with false confidence
at least say "i think..."

[erkinalp]

@WindowsAddict as i know, none of the 32-bit editions except 1607 Enterprise LTSC and 1809 LTSC are supported currently (all new branches after 2004 are 64-bit only)...
which means 32-bit home isn't supported, and x86-64 is different from x86

[WindowsAddict]

@erkinalp No, Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 10 LTSC 2021 are available in 32 bit.

[abbodi1406]

@WindowsAddict as i know, none of the 32-bit editions except 1607 Enterprise LTSC and 1809 LTSC are supported currently (all new branches after 2004 are 64-bit only)... which means 32-bit home isn't supported, and x86-64 is different from x86

Stop making false assumptions with with big confidence

[tboy1337]

Same issue for me

#1119

[Stonga2]

I'm also getting the EOS message under Windows Updates after the TSForge activation of ESU, but as @WitherOrNot said, that's an issue with the update page, is that correct? I have double checked that year1, year2, year3 and year6 licences is activated.

I'm also getting the message about enrolling. Can I ignore that now?

[Close04]

I didn't find it mentioned specifically anywhere but is Windows 10 Enterprise (not IoT/LTSC) supported for ESU activation with TSForge? Everything looks fine in the script, same issue as above on the update page, but I'm not sure if the Edition is supported properly.

[WindowsAddict]

@Close04 @Stonga2 @tboy1337 @morths

https://massgrave.dev/tsforge#windows-10-esu-faq

It’s just a visual bug, and it even appears on Windows 10 LTSC 2021. Your ESU is activated correctly. Hopefully, Microsoft will fix it in the upcoming updates.

[erkinalp]

What if they purposefully invalidated certificates generated by this method when they saw this? The message I got is not just "no longer receiving updates", it's actually "no longer receiving updates" and "failed to connect to update server".

[WindowsAddict]

It's just a bug, otherwise why else they would show it on Windows 10 LTSC 2021 as well?

[MonfGeiger]

so.......even if the activation check script says the ESU is activated up to year three, why does the ClipESU.exe say its only up to one year?

this was from a Win10 instance in VirtualBox

[Stonga2]

ClipESU doesn't say "up to one year", it says "for at least one year". Big difference in meaning.

[MonfGeiger]

my bad, was running on coffee fumes

So......in the end, which is right, the ClipESU.exe, or the other activation status checker methods?

[WindowsAddict]

Both, Slmgr /dlv is an official documented method.

[MonfGeiger]

oh.......ok, now if i could only figure out why i can't slipstream this one Cumulative Update file into a windows 11 iso then i'd have a better time at updating, but that's an entirely different matter. Thanks :)

[0-SamboNZ-0]

So, to be clear, despite the update window showing 'end of support' after successfully activating the ESU updates, clicking 'check for updates' is actually working as normal?

[WindowsAddict]

Yes.

[0-SamboNZ-0]

Yes.

Brilliant thank you!

And thank you @WitherOrNot for creating, sharing and maintaining this amazing script!!

[erkinalp]

The same concept might apply to Windows 10. If 4-6 year ESU licenses are activated, it is possible they could enable manual installation of LTSC 2021 updates on GAC editions (Home, Pro, Enterprise, etc) of Windows 10.

But LTSC 2021 is behind ESU 2022?

[WindowsAddict]

@erkinalp LTSC 2021 (21H1) and 22H2 both share the same base build, which is 19041. 19044 (21H2) and 19045 (22H2) are just enablement packages.

[erkinalp]

How do we know that won't be blocked by Microsoft (to block local-only or domain-only installations)? Would it break too many support contracts if they did that?

[WindowsAddict]

Key-based ESU is supposed to work completely offline; domain-joined is not a requirement.

[erkinalp]

... supposed to ...

until Microsoft no longer accepts users using that family of keys and actively enforces the Microsoft account requirement in the server side

[WindowsAddict]

... supposed to ...

until Microsoft no longer accepts users using that family of keys and actively enforces the Microsoft account requirement in the server side

[WitherOrNot]

... supposed to ...

until Microsoft no longer accepts users using that family of keys and actively enforces the Microsoft account requirement in the server side

You can check your enrollment status by running this command:

reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform\ESU" /v Win10CommercialKeybasedESUEligible

This is the value sent to Windows Update servers to request ESU. As long as it says 0x1, you will get ESU.

[solstice-r]

Hello, similar question here, would the ESU updates still apply if this is set? This GPO prevents the computer from upgrading to Windows 11 if possible, and showing the nagging in Settings, but I don't know if it affects ESU in any way.

[WindowsAddict]

@solstice-r That won't affect ESU updates.

[MonfGeiger]

one last question: let's say, for the sake of doing it fair, that my dad decides to either pay the one time $30+change fee (or use his banked up microsoft rewards points instead) for the ESU, lets that run out, then uses the script, will that change anything for him, at all? would that effectively extend his ESU subscription to that 4-6 year period (or three year period, whichever ends up being the actual correct outcome), or would nothing happen?

[WitherOrNot]

It doesn't extend anything, the support period will still end in 2028.

[WindowsAddict]

@MonfGeiger You can use key-based ESU (via the TSforge option) after the consumer ESU has expired.

[erkinalp]

until Microsoft patches their server side to no longer accept those family of keys and suddenly starts requiring Microsoft account logins for Windows Update

[WindowsAddict]

They are already selling MAKs for ESU. That would require them to invalidate all those keys they sold.

[erkinalp]

@WindowsAddict for those, they could enforce a server-side whitelist of keys (about a million such purchased licences exist, not a huge burden for a software company running their own cloud compute infrastructure) and no longer grant further key-based ESU licences

another question: how much is the divergence between Windows 10 22H2 ESU x86-64 and Windows 11 24H2 IoT LTSC x86-64? unless they genuinely need NTVDM or a handful of components removed in Windows 11, Windows 11 IoT should perform better in those machines than Windows 10 ESU does

[abbodi1406]

@WindowsAddict for those, they could enforce a server-side whitelist of keys (about a million such purchased licences exist, not a huge burden for a software company running their own cloud compute infrastructure) and no longer grant further key-based ESU licences

another question: how much is the divergence between Windows 10 22H2 ESU x86-64 and Windows 11 24H2 IoT LTSC x86-64?

No they could not, and they will not stop

[WindowsAddict]

@WindowsAddict for those, they could enforce a server-side whitelist of keys (about a million such purchased licences exist, not a huge burden for a software company running their own cloud compute infrastructure) and no longer grant further key-based ESU licences

Do you also get nightmares of them disabling your Windows PC, locking you out because you used some piracy tools to activate it?