Product Activation was first introduced into the Windows family with the
release of Windows XP in 2001. Activation pairs your product key with
your computer. It is also used as a mechanism for copy protection in
addition to defining support rights depending on the product channel
from which the software was acquired: Retail, OEM, Volume License,
Trial. With Windows 10, Microsoft has made huge announcements regarding
product distribution. The most notable being that Windows 10 will be
free to existing Windows 7, 8/8.1 users for the first year. Regardless
of this, product activation remains a part of Windows 10. In this
article, we take a look at product activation and troubleshooting steps.
Details
Things you should know:
A Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 product keycannot activate Windows 10. Windows 10 uses its own unique product key.
By default, Windows 10 builds are pre-keyed, meaning, you do not have
to enter a product key and should not be prompted to enter one as long
as you upgraded from an activated Windows 7 or Windows 8 or Windows 8.1
license or Windows 10 Preview build.
If you perform a clean
install on first attempt, you will have to start over from an activated
Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 installation.
If you are prompted to enter a product key, clickDo this laterand give it a few days, Windows 10 will activate automatically.
Activation servers are being overwhelmedat the moment because of the
volume of upgrades, so give it some time if you get an error message
such as (0XC004E003, ,0x8007000D, 0x8007232b or 0x8007007B) Windows 10
will eventually activate as long as you upgrade using the appropriate
method.
There is no need to know your Windows 10 product key, read the following 'Understanding Product Activation in Windows 10:
Understanding Product Activation in Windows 10:
In previous Windows releases, when you installed an upgrade version of
Windows, if you wanted to reinstall the upgrade version, you had to
first reinstall the qualifying version from which you upgraded,
reactivate it, then upgrade again and reactivate again.
With
Windows 10, this is no longer the case. Once you have upgraded to
Windows 10 and activate, you can simply create a bootable copy on DVD or
USB and reinstall just Windows 10 without the need to reinstall the
qualifying version and it will reactivate automatically.
Quote:
"Windows 10 handles keys differently. When you upgrade to Windows 10
via Windows Update from Windows 8.1 or Windows 7, the process registers
your computers hardware, and qualifying OS with a Microsoft Product
Activation Server. The device is then considered a Windows 10 device.
Subsequently anytime you re-install (or clean install) the installation
checks with those servers, finds the unique installation ID and
produces the validation"
ZigZag3143 (MS - MVP)
Important Note to persons installing build Windows 10 10240
In order to activate Windows 10 build 10240 (RTM), you must upgrade
from a previous qualifying operating system that is genuine and
activated: this includes Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10 Insider
Previews.
If you are running the Windows 10 Enterprise Preview, you
either need to stay in the Windows 10 Insider Preview Program or
activate using a product key from the Volume License Service Center
(VLSC) when it becomes available in August. If you are not eligible to
be running Windows 10 Enterprise, I suggest you make preparations to
rollback the original version of Windows your system was licensed for
and make a reservation to upgrade to Windows 10.
Learn more:
Resources:
How to migrate from Windows 10 Preview Releases: Dual Boot Setup and Protect Accumulated Data
How to: Reinstall or Restore your original Windows installation after evaluating the Windows 10 Previews
How to: What to do if your currently installed build of Windows 10 expires?
Can I perform a clean install using the Free upgrade?
No, it will require that you are running a previous qualifying version
and start the upgrade from within the qualifying version. You can
initiate a clean install after completing the Upgrade.
Please be
aware that you cannot use the free upgrade offer to perform a clean
install on first attempt. You must first upgrade from the qualifying
version of Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 (whether you do it through Windows
Update or using the .ISO file). Ensure the upgrade is completed
successfully and then ensure that it is activated. You can then proceed
to do a clean install by using recovery media or using the Reset
function in Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery
> Reset this PC (Get Started).
To find out which edition of Windows 10 you are running, see the following article:
How to know the Edition, Architecture, Channel and build of Windows 10 installed.
If Windows does not activate.
If Windows 10 does not activate even after detecting an active Internet
Connection, restart and try again. Or wait a few days and Windows 10
should automatically activate itself.
I downloaded the .ISO file but
Windows 10 setup is prompting me for a product key or indicates the
product key does not work with this edition.
Please note: The copy of Windows 10 you download must correspond with the edition of Windows you are upgrading from:
Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Windows 8.0 Core, Windows 8.1 Core must use a Windows 10 Home ISO
Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8.0 Pro, Windows 8.1 Pro must use a Windows 10 Pro ISO
Your currently installed copy of Windows must be activated. If it is not, you will be prompted to enter a product key.
If you are using Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8.0 Enterprise, Windows
8.1 Enterprise editions, or volume license Windows 7 Professional you
won't be able to use the free upgrade offer.
I upgraded from a
activated copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 then I decided to reinstall
using either the .ISO file, Reset this PC or Recovery drive, but I am
prompted to enter a product key:
ImageClick Do this later
Windows 10 will automatically re-activate within a few days.
I just installed or reinstalled a preview build of Windows 10 and I
want to upgrade to the final release, but it will not activate.
Microsoft has suspended Preview Builds and also deactivated their
product keys at this time. This means you won't be able to download,
install or activate builds 10162 and 10166 or earlier builds in order to
qualify for the final release.
Your best option is to reinstall a
valid license you have for either Windows 7, Windows 8.0 or Windows 8.1,
make sure it is actvated, then upgrade from that to Windows 10 on July
29th or later.
See: How to: Reinstall or Restore your original Windows installation after evaluating the Windows 10 Previews
If you maintained your current activated Windows 10 Preview, you should be able to upgrade from it to the final relase.
How to upgrade from the Windows 10 Insider Preview to Windows 10 RTM build
How do I check my activation status?
Click Start > Settings (press Windows key + i) > Update & security > Activation
Activation Error: 0XC004E003
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938450 Wait a few days and try again or just leave it and let it activate on its own. The activation servers might be overwhelmed.
Contact the Microsoft Activation Center for further assistance:
Try the appropriate phone number listed here: Microsoft Activation Centers Worldwide Telephone Numbers:
http://www.microsoft.com/…/existing…/activation-centers.aspx Reset your license status:
Press Windows key + X
Click Command Prompt (Admin)
At the command prompt, type the following commands:
slmgr.vbs -rearm
Hit Enter on your keyboard
Exit the command prompt
Restart your computer
Enter the product key using the instructions about.
Scan for broken operating system files:
You can also try running the system file checker utility to see if
might resolve any problems that might be preventing product activation.
Scan and Repair System files (SFC)
The issues below are more likely to affect retail bought and volume license clients.
If you are unable to enter the product key:
Press Windows key + X
Click Command Prompt (Admin)
At the command prompt, type the following commands:
slmgr.vbs -ipk xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx (allows you to replace the current product key with the specified)
xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx - represents your product key
Hit Enter on your keyboard
Exit the command prompt
Restart your computer
Try Activating by telephone again
Resources:
How to: upgrade from previous versions of Windows using Windows 10 ISO file
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