Solved Windows Store - Using Extra Licenses?

RhinoCan

New Member
Messages
67
I recently used TeamViewer to help my mother install a game from the Windows Store. We both have Windows 8.1 laptops. This was the first time either of us had ever purchased anything from the Windows Store and I was surprised to be notified that our purchase (which was only $4!) had come with an additional 81 (yes, that's EIGHTY-ONE) licenses for the game.

I can't imagine why it would give us 81 additional licenses - 1 would have seemed more than generous - but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I really just want to use ONE of those licenses. I already have the free version of that game on my computer. How can I obtain one of those licenses and apply it to my copy of the game to unlock the extra levels that it provides?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS K55N
    CPU
    AMD A8-4500 APU with Radeon HD Graphics 1.90 GHz
    Motherboard
    not sure
    Memory
    8.00 GB installed, 7.46 GB usuable
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon
    Sound Card
    not sure
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built-in laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    one 750 GB
    PSU
    Not sure
    Case
    Not sure
    Cooling
    Not sure
    Keyboard
    Built in to laptop
    Mouse
    None; I use the touchpad
    Internet Speed
    6 Mbps down, 0.25 Mbps up
    Browser
    current versions of Firefox, Chrome and IE
    Antivirus
    Avast Free
    Other Info
    I *think* many of the questions to which I've answered "not sure" are irrelevant because it is a laptop but if you need to know specifically what model of cooling fans or keyboard or whatever where built in to the laptop, I can try to find that out if you tell me where to look. I don't see this information in the Windows/System display but maybe it is elsewhere. I'm not sure what a "PSU" is: Powe

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I'm really confused and I'm not sure I can explain why clearly but I'm going to try. I think the main issue is the various accounts involved and distinctions between Microsoft accounts and user accounts....

I've spoken to my mother and she is absolutely fine with me using one of her 81 licenses for the game she purchased on my copy of the game. The game was already installed on both her computer and mine in what I will call "free mode". We could both play the game but only the first few levels; all the rest were locked pending the purchase of a key. I helped her purchase a key and the game is now in what I will call "paid mode": she can play every level now. My copy of the game is still in "free mode".

I read the first tutorial and, being unclear about the subtle distinctions between the different scenarios, I followed the first one: I opened the Windows Store, clicked on Account/My Account and enter her account information, which is her email address. I'll pretend that email address is mom@yahoo.com for discussion purposes. I can see a summary of her account information and the expiry date of her credit card.

Now I'm ready to apply one of those licenses to my "free mode" copy of the game on my computer. Let's pretend my email address/Windows account is RhinoCan@yahoo.com. Do I follow the Option 1 or Option 2 instructions to get one of her licenses to apply to my copy of the game? Also, will I be able to play the game while signed in to the RhinoCan@yahoo.com Windows user account? Or will I need to add a mom@yahoo.com Windows user account to my computer and switch user to that account every time I want to play the game?

I am not remotely clear on the distinction between a Microsoft account (for the purposes of purchasing a program with a credit card) and a user account in Windows 8.1. It seems to me that I might well have several of each, although I expect the average person is going to want to prefer all purchases to come out of the same account. (Or not. If one of the accounts is for personal use and another account is for business use, it might make good sense to have each on a separate credit card and put business purchases in the business account and personal purchases in the personal account.) I'm also puzzled by the whole 81 licenses thing. I get that some people may have multiple devices - a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, and a cell phone - all of which may want to run that program but that justifies 4 licenses, not 81. I don't see why a developer would consent to giving 81 extra licenses for a program either. If I were developing a program, I'd want to get paid for EVERY copy of the program I sold, not get paid for 1 and then find 81 given away for free by the customer.

If someone could kindly explain what I need to do to play this game on my computer with one of my mother's free licenses, I'd be grateful.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS K55N
    CPU
    AMD A8-4500 APU with Radeon HD Graphics 1.90 GHz
    Motherboard
    not sure
    Memory
    8.00 GB installed, 7.46 GB usuable
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon
    Sound Card
    not sure
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built-in laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    one 750 GB
    PSU
    Not sure
    Case
    Not sure
    Cooling
    Not sure
    Keyboard
    Built in to laptop
    Mouse
    None; I use the touchpad
    Internet Speed
    6 Mbps down, 0.25 Mbps up
    Browser
    current versions of Firefox, Chrome and IE
    Antivirus
    Avast Free
    Other Info
    I *think* many of the questions to which I've answered "not sure" are irrelevant because it is a laptop but if you need to know specifically what model of cooling fans or keyboard or whatever where built in to the laptop, I can try to find that out if you tell me where to look. I don't see this information in the Windows/System display but maybe it is elsewhere. I'm not sure what a "PSU" is: Powe
When you download or purchase an app from the Store, it is owned only by the Microsoft account that did so.

To install the purchased app on another computer, you would need to be signed into the Store with the Microsoft account that owns the app.

You will first need to uninstall your unlicensed app, sign in to the Store with your mother's Microsoft account, and install the app using OPTION ONE.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
The app is allowed to be installed on 81 PC's connected to via that MS account..
Each PC can be assigned it's own name, and authorized on that account
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
Thanks for clarifying, Brink and KYHI! The game is now installed on my computer and all portions are unlocked, which is exactly what I wanted. I don't even have to sign in to a different user account to play it. :)

They sure don't make this very intuitive. I never would have figured this out without your help. Thanks again!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS K55N
    CPU
    AMD A8-4500 APU with Radeon HD Graphics 1.90 GHz
    Motherboard
    not sure
    Memory
    8.00 GB installed, 7.46 GB usuable
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon
    Sound Card
    not sure
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built-in laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    one 750 GB
    PSU
    Not sure
    Case
    Not sure
    Cooling
    Not sure
    Keyboard
    Built in to laptop
    Mouse
    None; I use the touchpad
    Internet Speed
    6 Mbps down, 0.25 Mbps up
    Browser
    current versions of Firefox, Chrome and IE
    Antivirus
    Avast Free
    Other Info
    I *think* many of the questions to which I've answered "not sure" are irrelevant because it is a laptop but if you need to know specifically what model of cooling fans or keyboard or whatever where built in to the laptop, I can try to find that out if you tell me where to look. I don't see this information in the Windows/System display but maybe it is elsewhere. I'm not sure what a "PSU" is: Powe
Glad we could help. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
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