Activate Windows 10 Pro
Edelira Longinotti
I just finished upgrading to windows 11 home from windows 10 home and decided I would like to purchase windows 11 pro. I used the link in settings to upgrade my version of windows. I bought the 99 dollar windows pro from within the Microsoft store. It showed the purchase was successful and a button appeared saying install now.
I restarted my computer to see if that would fix the issue. As I restarted, my computer said it was performing updates. When it finished performing updates, my computer turned back on it now how's that I have windows enterprise installed and it will not let me activate. The trouble shooter does not work and it displays the error code 0xc004c003.
My my Microsoft account shows my purchase of windows 11 pro but it doesn't give me an access to a product key. When I click on more details it takes me to a broken link within Microsoft website saying this page no longer exists.
if you upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Pro , please follow these steps :
1Select Start > Settings > System > Activation.
2Under Upgrade your edition of Windows, select Open Store
3Select "I have a Windows 10/11 Pro Product Key", then input the product key
4: If you have any error warning , please reboot your PC and try it again
and I get my windows 11 pro key from the microsoft partner online store keyingo.com, and i upgrade with the key and follow the instructions without any problems
I am having the same problem and spent two hours on the phone with Microsoft. They said I had to upgrade my Windows 11 home, but it would wipe out
every other application on my computer that wasn't a Microsoft product. This is a new laptop with Windows 11 so I don't know why I would have to upgrade it
to use the key to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro. So frustrating.......when I try to enter that default key I get an error. Did you have any experience with this?
this seems to be a generic key for windows 10 not 11 , Currently having the same issue with a brand new windows 11 PC and upgrade to windows Pro
Microsoft message screen says select troubleshoot below. Which of course there is no Troubleshoot below !
In the end I had to get the vendor to log in and fix this problem, firstly by changing the version to Windows 11 Pro un-activated in Powershell/Terminal and then activate it with a fresh valid product key through System settings (several activation keys had been attempted through the System Settings previously to no avail)
So the best approach is to go to a Microsoft authorised vendor in the first instance)
I buy my license on the Microsoft site. They said that the product key is on the mail sent when I bought the license buy it doesn't. and in the order history doesn't appears the product key. I'm asking for every possible way to get my product key, my actual windows is a home ed, but I need some features of my pro version.
I want to upgrade but without my key is impossible. I already have my ms account associated to my login and is an administrator account. the only way to upgrade it is using the key or buy a new license (is totally illogic buy a new license to get my old license...) and nobody answer from Microsoft. the only thing the have is a troubleshoot step by step that goes in circle. Is sooooo hard to them give me my already bought key?
I recently had a motherboard and processor replacement performed by an HP service technician. Everything was fine at the completion of his work and the problem I was having was resolved.
The complication appeared later that evening when Windows 10 did its background tasks and began urging me to Activate windows. I followed the instructions of going to Settings > Update & Security > Activation where I have the error shown here
I used Troubleshooting and I went as far as logging in using both my skype and live.ca logins, but since I do not (refuse to) login to windows with those credentials, there is no record or recorded devices stored there. I was able to use restore to reverse the affects of that move, thank expletive lord, and did a little more research. I discovered from process of elimination where to find the OEM Key for my current OS and the new motherboard, as shown below.
If your system originally came with Windows 7, then the OEM license mechanism requires a SLIC table to be active within BIOS. This SLIC table is added and enabled at manufacture time using proprietary HP tools. Then an associated xrm license file and OEM product key, which are included in the HP reinstall disk along with the install scripts, are processed and this results in the OS becoming "activatated" the install without needing internet or user action.
However, to use the HP reinstall disks, the firmware needs some HP special sauce which the technician that replaced the mobo should have added. This special sauce is the featurebyte, BuildID and other data that the HP reinstall disks uses to work out what should be installed on your PC.
Jumping into BIOS and hitting "CTRL" and "A" key at the same time, before jumping to "System Information", will expose some of these special sauce data fields that the tech should have filled in. If they are not filled in, you should be able to find that data on the labels of your system and do it yourself - just don't put the wrong data in the wrong field
If at a later date you upgraded from Windows 7 to the free Windows 10 install, MS license servers would have taken note of this fact so a reinstall should occur without issue. However, if some major components are changed after the free update was made, then the system may not longer be seen as 'the same' comupter you installed the free Win10 on. As such you will need to call MS and explain what has happened and as @DGroves stated, MS is usually OK with such issues and so should provide you with a new Win10 license (write it down).
However, if your system came with Windows 10 from HP, which uses a different OEM activation mechanism to Windows 7, then likely the technician didn't enter the appropriate Windows10 5x5 license key into the firmware (which is where i believe it should be stored and tools can read it)...
In either case, and especially if the special sause data fields are not populated in BIOS, i'd call HP tech support and get them to come out and fix the system they failed to fix the first time around
I am, thus far, not happy with the solution provided by HP Elite support(David), who is sending me the 8.1 Pro restore media. He claims there is a path to the free Windows 10 upgrade still out there somewhere!? That is an elusive answer, and I want to find a conclusive statement to back that up, from someone of authority.
Being that the reason I had to have a new board and processor installed because of the latest (since pulled) BIOS update for my system, rushed to release by Intel and provided by HP, I think they both are responsible for the costs, even my inconvenience, for this. I am not done with this by any means.
Some expensive programs are allowed to work only if the MAC address of the communicating workstation matches a centrally stored authorized MAC, and an even higher level of security is based on matching of the UUID of the workstation instead, or one we use requires match of both the UUID and the MAC. Reportedly the central Microsoft W10 activation servers store the UUID of a W10-activated workstation and thus you can reinstall W10 of the same type without having to have access to your W10 license code ever again (your purchased code or your MS gift code). Since that is based on the UUID if you get a new motherboard and try to reinstall W10 the central MS servers won't recognize the new motherboard unless it was programmed with the original motherboard's UUID.
When you get a brand new motherboard out of its HP-sealed wrapper the chassis serial number comes starting with a C, and the tech (or you if you know what you are doing) get one shot to enter the critical values. After that they can't be changed. So, if you are using one of the highly secure type of programs noted above you'd want to capture that info ahead of time, and keep it in your files. A HP FSE might program all but the chassis serial number by mistake, I believe, but you can fix that to match what is on the labels of your box using the access method below.
You can get to what Skylarking is talking about by F10 into BIOS, tab over to the Security tab, arrow down to System IDs so it is highlighted, and then use CTRL + A. That does not need to be hit simultaneously... use the usual pattern of CTRL first and then A immediately after while still holding down CTRL. Then lift up and hit ENTER. You'll see more than you see usually inside System IDs. Copy that, and keep for if you ever need to "clone" these settings with a brand new motherboard.
Thanks for this further info. I have gone in and poked around with the system ids. I did not and as far as I can recall, see the service tech alter the UUID but did set the serial number. I had to set the Product Id and Model myself.
Wanted to get back to you about the google search topic I gave you..... the upgrade to W10Pro64 still works fine today if the current W7Pro64/W8Pro64 is activated and proper. There is still also another method if you use assistance as you'll see.
I'm typing this from a HP workstation just upgraded today to W10Pro64 from an official install from my HP OEM COA W7Pro64SP1 installer DVD, and the install now has been upgraded without cost to W10Pro64 - without trickery or hassle. The answer is that it is a win-win-win for MS, HP and us.
MS wants as many of us on W10 as possible, HP wants that too and knows its base will upgrade later when ready to upgrade hardware, and we all want flexibility still on the issue of W7 vs W10 using our current hardware. There still is a MS income stream from upgrading by those who don't read up on the issue. Actually, if you do some reading you'll see that the upgrade fees are small potatoes to MS in the big picture.
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