The CompTIA Tech+ Study Guide (Exam FC0-U71, 3rd Edition, 2025) explains that software requiring activation often stops working after a trial period—typically 30 days—until a valid product key is entered:
“Activating software is a different story—you have to do it. Either you will need to enter the product key before the app will work the first time, or it might work for a few times for free then ask you to activate. Some products… include activation features that lock the installed copy… Usually you have 30 days to do so, or a certain number of uses, before it stops working.”
This clearly identifies a product key as the required input to activate or continue using the software.
Verified Reference:
Chapter 5: Software Applications — “Registering and Activation” (pp. 288–290).
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