What are Windows 10 Activation Points? How many of them are there in total and why are they needed?

This is typical not only for Windows 10, but in Windows 10, unlike previous releases, online activation was applied by default (+removed SLIC activation as a class, although the possibility of offline activation for vendors was left, but it became much more complicated).

The online activation system Volume Activation 2.0 (VA2) was proposed by Microsoft for Windows Vista in 2006 and implemented to activate not only Windows, but also Office, Visio and servers. Feature this approach is that the product key, in general, the user does not need (moreover, the first month of using the product, he may not think about activation at all, a kind of "trial" period), but online activation is necessary, in which the activation data is stored not only on the user's computer (example: SLIC activation), but also on the company's servers.

At the same time, there are two possible approaches to such activation: a multiple installation key (MAK, more often used for non-corporate user) and licensing via a local service (KMS, more often used in companies).

Accordingly, when MAK-activation is performed, 25 virtual points (Activation Hardware Tolerances) are allocated for the user's activation key for possible hardware replacements. When the initial activation is set to 0, the counter is then increased by a certain number of points, depending on the equipment being changed.:

CD-ROM/CD-RW/DVD-ROM    1
Видеокарта  1
Память, 1 балл на каждый диапазон (0–512 MB, 512 MB–1 GB, 2–4 GB и т.п)
Звуковая карта  2
MAC-адрес 2 (если у вас сетевая с меняемым MAC'ом, и вы его поменяли, это тоже 2 балла)
SCSI-адаптер    2
IDE-адаптер     3
CPU     3
UEFI BIOS ID (фактически, замена материнской платы, хотя возможны экзотические варианты, например её ремонт с заменой микросхемы)   9
Смена серийного номера системного HDD/SDD (фактически, его замена, но возможен и ремонт с заменой электронной части)    11 

There is one point: in the case of replacing the system disk in the first month, only 1 point was added earlier. At the moment, something incomprehensible is happening, and 11 points are always added.

Accordingly, if you suddenly decide to change the motherboard + processor + memory + video card (for example: replacing Intel with AMD with the addition of a newer discrete video card), you are almost guaranteed to get 25 + points, and, in order not to buy Windows 10 (this also applies to previous versions activated in the same way) again, I recommend it pre-contact tech.support MS and clarify the question of how to do it correctly in your case.

Despite the fact that MS claims that since version 1607, with any hardware replacement, re-activation goes smoothly if you use an MS account to log in, and not a local user, this does not always work (it was tested on replacing from AMD AM3+ to AMD AM4 with 32 GB of memory). So be careful!

Unfortunately, MS does not publish more than detailed information about activation points, the specifics of their storage and accrual, and does not allow the toolkit to find out how many of them are left after a particular change of equipment.

Update 1. And even more unfortunately, even with versions 1701+, with a serious hardware replacement, you can permanently lose activation (and the money, respectively, paid for the software!). Be careful! In order not to sprinkle ash on your head, I recommend that you first call the doctor before seriously replacing the iron. Microsoft's TP and register this case. At least then it will be easier for you to claim compensation from them.

Update 2. If you installed Windows 10 on top of the licensed Windows 7 for free, as part of a special offer, then changing the motherboard or system disk is almost guaranteed to threaten the loss of the license.