Windows10 Pro not activated.

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503 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#2869595 16-Feb-2022 12:50

Try to download a recovery image from the laptop vendor website, quite often this is the only way to activate windows, as the recovery image has activation built into it.

Moahunter

159 posts

Master Geek

#2869635 16-Feb-2022 13:59

Can I try to clarify the situation.

I bought a laptop advertised as ruuning on Windows10....no mention of Pro.

The machine runs perfectly well, I assume it's the original Home.

In September last year a previous owner (not the vendor) installed Pro but never activated itI

I don't want to spend hundreds of $$$$ activating it.

Linux

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#2869638 16-Feb-2022 14:02

If you do not have a Pro license then you will need to spend the $$$ to get it activated

xpd

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#2869644 16-Feb-2022 14:12

Feel like we're going in circles here.....

Regardless of who installed what, its obviously not meant to have Pro on it, and if you want that "Not activated" reminder to go away, your best bet is to reinstall Windows 10 and select the Home Edition. If that does the same, then go back to the seller and ask whats going on.

No money involved in trying a reinstall, just 15mins while it installs.

Obviously back up any data you want to keep.

Some people just install a random copy of Windows on a system just to prove it runs and don't care what OS it is.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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trig42

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#2869650 16-Feb-2022 14:20

What brand, and how old?

We have Dell business (Latitude) laptops at work, and if I install and OEM win 10 Pro on them, they activate fine (UEFI BIOS).

We use a corp install image of Win10, so never use the OEM licenses the laptops are purchased with. If, one of these was nicked, or someone just kept one, it would deactivate after not communicating with out license server after a while (same for our Office installs).

Oblivian

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#2869666 16-Feb-2022 14:40

And slmgr.vbs /dli mixed with the instructions I gave earlier will tell all.

Use them both to change back to original oem regularly if someone did a booboo.

Moahunter

159 posts

Master Geek

#2869686 16-Feb-2022 15:30

O you mean "Add" not "And slmgr.vbs /dli"

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Oblivian

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#2869699 16-Feb-2022 16:06

No, And

slmgr.vbs /dli

Is one command

And previously given the one to find if there is an OEM one tattoo in the system.

https://www.howtogeek.com/245445/how-to-use-slmgr-to-change-remove-or-extend-your-windows-license/

Moahunter

159 posts

Master Geek

#2869820 16-Feb-2022 17:46

Run that cmnd prompt again and it tells me that the device key it found has a different 4 last digits than the Pro which has not been activated.

xpd

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#2869838 16-Feb-2022 18:21

xpd:

Feel like we're going in circles here.....

Regardless of who installed what, its obviously not meant to have Pro on it, and if you want that "Not activated" reminder to go away, your best bet is to reinstall Windows 10 and select the Home Edition. If that does the same, then go back to the seller and ask whats going on.

No money involved in trying a reinstall, just 15mins while it installs.

Obviously back up any data you want to keep.

Some people just install a random copy of Windows on a system just to prove it runs and don't care what OS it is.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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Ruphus

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Ultimate Geek

#2869863 16-Feb-2022 19:18

Is the laptop the "Lenovo thinkpad 10 Type 20 C1(10020AU)" which you've posted about previously?

If it is, then according to the Lenovo specs for that laptop, it was released with Windows 8.1 and not Windows 10.

Oblivian

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#2869870 16-Feb-2022 19:50

Ruphus:
Is the laptop the "Lenovo thinkpad 10 Type 20 C1(10020AU)" which you've posted about previously?

If it is, then according to the Lenovo specs for that laptop, it was released with Windows 8.1 and not Windows 10.

Neither did half the other manufacturers. But thanks to retail shelf life got free upgrades if it overlapped on the W10 release dates so the still in warranty owners of 8.1 didn't go out with pitchforks.

And then unless you made direct to 10 media soon after, when you factory restore them, often put the original OS back on. Which you then need to bump back to 10 again.
Which is why we are in this dilema of people exploiting activation still being able to happen despite being outside of the eligibility period.
Thanks to such cses.

gorringS

71 posts

Master Geek

#2869878 16-Feb-2022 20:32

used these guys plenty time in past legal copies of windows at cheap price . Microsoft Windows 10 (digitalsoftwareplanet.com)

Moahunter

159 posts

Master Geek

#2869887 16-Feb-2022 21:00

Oblivian:
Ruphus:

Is the laptop the "Lenovo thinkpad 10 Type 20 C1(10020AU)" which you've posted about previously?

If it is, then according to the Lenovo specs for that laptop, it was released with Windows 8.1 and not Windows 10.

Neither did half the other manufacturers. But thanks to retail shelf life got free upgrades if it overlapped on the W10 release dates so the still in warranty owners of 8.1 didn't go out with pitchforks.

And then unless you made direct to 10 media soon after, when you factory restore them, often put the original OS back on. Which you then need to bump back to 10 again.
Which is why we are in this dilema of people exploiting activation still being able to happen despite being outside of the eligibility period.
Thanks to such cses.

No, I've given up on the aberrant cursor. But it does have Windows10 Pro installed. I'm checking if the license can be transferred to my current laptop.

Oblivian

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#2869947 16-Feb-2022 21:45

No, it likely won't be.

Not sure you quite understand how likely it is you've been had. If the machine isn't validated to run pro. Then neither is it likely to, to be used elsewhere using the one they put on.

Retail is the only one that can be inter changed

OEM is tied to a major piece of hardware. And valid for the machine it comes with. It generates a hash based on 5 aspects of the device. Change too much and you get to please-explain rearm call MS why it is not on the original hardware.

And I'm betting the seller just got a random one off a business sticker they've seen. (Or used one with local activation setup that is no longer reachable)

Now brand named machine come with OEM tied to them. Either via sticker on the device. Up to 8. Or embedded on the system in BIOS (the get wmic command recovers this)

OEM licences aren't actually transferrable

If it doesn't have one, and no sticker. It's likely not eligible for w10 anymore. And should not have been sold with it.

Now for the flavour, if it come preinstalled with home, or basic, and was valid for w10 upgrade, it would have only been eligible to get w10 home
If it was a business device with pro, or had say w7 ultimate, it would go up to pro automatically. Per this table
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/upgrade/windows-10-upgrade-paths

Now where does this leave you... It's been pointed out a few times. Wipe. Reinstall - Use the oem key if you can obtain it.

Either ascertain what the machine is eligible for using the provided commands. Enter that in the windows 10 download tool and using the key it has embedded will validate if it is eligible. And install the correct version/provide dl link the key is valid for.

Or discover what version is installed for it to not active to take it up with the seller as you've probably been short changed (potentially sold blocked one, or one trying to find a KMS server - the vbs tool tells this)

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