HWID/Ohook vs TSforge and what are the mentioned addons?

[m-fessler]

Hi everyone,

first of all, many thanks for all your work - this is truly a brilliant project!

The documentation is outstanding, but I still could use a bit more help:

If I understand correctly, despite the introduction of TSforge, using HWID and Ohook is still the most recommended method for "normal" Win 10/11 and Office.
Is TSforge more intended for special cases where HWID doesn’t work or more for the future (e.g. Win 10 ESU...)?
Or is it perfectly fine to use it instead of HWID, assuming one can live with the fact that it's not persistent across a Windows reinstallation or feature upgrades?

The fact that, unlike Ohook, it doesn’t leave any files in the system to retain the activation status actually sounds pretty good.
Source: https://massgrave.dev/chart

The tables are great, but maybe a short flowchart or a dropdown menu would be quite useful.
What Software/Version do I have -> Solution(s) including pros/cons.

Also, could someone please briefly explain the addons?
ESU... it can replace BypassESU from MDL - except for .NET 4 ESU Bypass right?
OCUR...OpenCable Unidirectional Cable Receivers?
RP...Release Preview?
APPXLOB...was this for AppX sideloading on Windows 8/8.1?

Thanks a lot for any help!

Best regards, Martin

[WindowsAddict]

If I understand correctly, despite the introduction of TSforge, using HWID and Ohook is still the most recommended method for "normal" Win 10/11 and Office.

Yes

Is TSforge more intended for special cases where HWID doesn’t work or more for the future (e.g. Win 10 ESU...)?

Yes

Or is it perfectly fine to use it instead of HWID, assuming one can live with the fact that it's not persistent across a Windows reinstallation or feature upgrades?

If you are fine with manually reactivating after reinstall and feature upgrade then it doesn't matter. But HWID is better than TSforge.

The fact that, unlike Ohook, it doesn’t leave any files in the system to retain the activation status actually sounds pretty good.

The main reason MAS recommends Ohook over TSforge for Office is that Ohook can survive annual feature upgrades, but TSforge can't.
Most people are on Windows 10/11 GAC editions, and it's better if Office activation can survive more than a year.
Also, Ohook can activate O365, which provides the most features.
Needless to say that if you know what you are doing, then it doesn't matter.

The tables are great, but maybe a short flowchart or a dropdown menu would be quite useful.
What Software/Version do I have -> Solution(s) including pros/cons.

Users are expected to understand the cons and pros themselves basis on the given info.
Btw, MAS highlights the preferred method in green color depending upon the scenario.

ESU... it can replace BypassESU from MDL - except for .NET 4 ESU Bypass right?
OCUR...OpenCable Unidirectional Cable Receivers?
RP...Release Preview?
APPXLOB...was this for AppX sideloading on Windows 8/8.1?

Yes. Btw, MAS just does the ESU activation, it doesn't change anything else. BypassESU script can do more, like tweaking the system to get server updates on Windows 8.1, etc.

OCUR, yes

RP is RedPill license, it was in early beta builds of 8 to enable some features. https://archive.org/details/rpfiles-8102-eeap

APPXLOB, yes.