Win10 Activation
I upgraded from Windows 7 Pro to Windows 10 Pro for free when that was offered a few years ago. Today the following message showed up in the bottom right hand corner of my computer: “Active Windows Go to Settings to activate Windows”
When I go to Settings it shows Windows is not activated. When I Troubleshoot I get the attached message. For the record, I’ve not made any hardware or software changes.
I spoke with a Microsoft activation customer support specialist who through remote access tried unsuccessfully to resolve this for me. She couldn’t explain why I received this notification today after having run Win10 Pro for many years. She insinuated that after a certain period the free upgrade installation requires purchase. I told her that was not clear to me when I installed the free upgrade and asked if this meant millions of people are now being asked to pay for the Win10 upgrade they was free. She didn’t give me a straight answer. Instead she said I have three options:
1. Input the Win7 Product Key
2. Provide Microsoft with Win7 Proof of Purchase
3. Buy a Win10 installation
I don’t currently have the Win7 Product Key handy and will look for it tomorrow. In the meantime, I’m asking:
1. Does anyone know why this happened?
2. Is it true everyone is going to have to pay for that free upgrade from a few years ago?
Greg
Win10-activation-troubleshooting.pdf
When I go to Settings it shows Windows is not activated. When I Troubleshoot I get the attached message. For the record, I’ve not made any hardware or software changes.
I spoke with a Microsoft activation customer support specialist who through remote access tried unsuccessfully to resolve this for me. She couldn’t explain why I received this notification today after having run Win10 Pro for many years. She insinuated that after a certain period the free upgrade installation requires purchase. I told her that was not clear to me when I installed the free upgrade and asked if this meant millions of people are now being asked to pay for the Win10 upgrade they was free. She didn’t give me a straight answer. Instead she said I have three options:
1. Input the Win7 Product Key
2. Provide Microsoft with Win7 Proof of Purchase
3. Buy a Win10 installation
I don’t currently have the Win7 Product Key handy and will look for it tomorrow. In the meantime, I’m asking:
1. Does anyone know why this happened?
2. Is it true everyone is going to have to pay for that free upgrade from a few years ago?
Greg
Win10-activation-troubleshooting.pdf
By the way, the fact that you upgraded to Windows 10 during the Free Upgrade period offer has bugger all to do with it! Your installation is legal.
up to now, my free upgraded systems just run fine, without that message.
so , either you have malware on the system causing this, or something else is happening ( weird things keep happening with windows)
but is your system a standalone, or connected to a server - delivering the activation?
so , either you have malware on the system causing this, or something else is happening ( weird things keep happening with windows)
but is your system a standalone, or connected to a server - delivering the activation?
1. Does anyone know why this happened? - happened on 1 out of 80 systems here for no particular reason - shutdown activated started up not activated. I guess the answer is "because computers are not perfect".
2. Is it true everyone is going to have to pay for that free upgrade from a few years ago? - of course that's not true and the idea alone is funny. Imagine the legal trouble that MS would face. No, unless you change your hardware significantly, it will stay activated forever.
2. Is it true everyone is going to have to pay for that free upgrade from a few years ago? - of course that's not true and the idea alone is funny. Imagine the legal trouble that MS would face. No, unless you change your hardware significantly, it will stay activated forever.
It would seem something has changed. Any of the systems we upgraded stayed activated. Perhaps malware as suggested above.
Try running Windows 10 Repair Install and Keep Everything, This rewrites the system and may correct the error.
Go to the Media Creation Link:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
Windows 10 is running, so click on the Download button (not Upgrade Button, select Save.
Create a USB Windows Installation key and then run Setup on the USB Key.
This will launch the Repair and proceed normally.
Try running Windows 10 Repair Install and Keep Everything, This rewrites the system and may correct the error.
Go to the Media Creation Link:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
Windows 10 is running, so click on the Download button (not Upgrade Button, select Save.
Create a USB Windows Installation key and then run Setup on the USB Key.
This will launch the Repair and proceed normally.
Read https://borncity.com/win/2018/11/08/windows-activation-server-currently-down-11-8-2018/ which might be the reason.
And did you change the hardware perhaps? if so -what ?
Also read this article.Good article find John, and also the reason I suggested the author persist with Microsoft Support via the link I gave. Clearly, the MS Tech that Greg spoke to had little to no interest in helping him solve the problem, so often, speaking with another tech resolves the issue in no time.
It is likely Microsoft will find a fix and have it in place tomorrow
It is likely Microsoft will find a fix and have it in place tomorrowHopefully, that will be the case, but I'd still encourage the author to complain to Microsoft about the sub-standard support he received from the technician he spoke to. They need to be made aware of Tech's that aren't helping their paying customers in my opinion.
Microsoft is very aware of the issue, although some individual technicians may not have had the information earlier in the day.
although some individual technicians may not have had the information earlier in the day.If that's the case, then they (Microsoft) also need to know that they need to update all of their support technicians more promptly than they're doing now IMO. A lot of Greg's time was wasted due to his experience when trying to obtain MS support about such an important issue as activation for a purchased product by being given incorrect information by the technician involved.
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Thanks and I trust Activation is working
ASKER
Thanks to everyone for your input. I suspected it was a bug that would be resolved with an update, so I decided to wait a few days and after a new update and restart Win10 activated on my desktop and laptop.
A fair division of points would have been appreciated.
I would lodge a complaint with Microsoft because I'm of the opinion that the rep you spoke to gave you some incorrect information! She should have activated your copy of Windows 10 for you on the spot - I've had Microsoft Support do that for me countless times with my customer's machines and even once for me, where I installed a copy of Windows 10 Pro into an Oracle Virtual Machine that wouldn't activate and by contacting Microsoft Support over Live Chat, they ended up getting a level 2 or 3 technicians to log into my VM to try and troubleshoot why it wouldn't activate.
The end result is that they issued me with a new Windows 10 Pro key at no charge and activated it that way for me remotely.
Don't give up on this - you ARE entitled to free activation help if you have a legal copy of Windows 10 Pro and the steps about using a Windows 7 key sound to me like a load of crap. Buying a copy of Windows 10 borders on the technician you were speaking to not knowing what the heck she was talking about as that will not be necessary!
I would suggest contacting Microsoft Support again via Live Chat at the following link:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/contactus/
Click either of the above options I've highlighted, explain your situation and try again is my advice. I've honestly used that option a dozen times or more and never failed to get a resolution without having to pay a cent.
I hope that's helpful.
Regards, Andrew