| Browser Feature | Effect on Activation | |----------------|----------------------| | | Rotates IP address mid-session → Microsoft sees two different devices and rejects the handshake. | | Brave Shields “Strict” mode | Blocks Microsoft’s telemetry cookies needed to maintain the activation session. | | Firefox Enhanced Tracking Protection | Strips referrer headers → aka.ms refuses to redirect. | | Chrome Third-Party Cookie Blocking | The login popup (login.live.com) cannot talk to the main activation page. |