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Question Windows 10 activation problem

Markfw

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
I I have what certainly appears to be genuine windows 10 installation CDs with the code hidden under a "scratch to see product key" and I paid like $50 on ebay for them apiece, but when I use that code to activate, it jut says "activation could not be done" or something like that.

Whats up ?
 

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Does it tell you the activation code is invalid or does it say it's already been used? A screenshot would be great.
 
bba-tcg said:
Does it tell you the activation code is invalid or does it say it's already been used? A screenshot would be great.
Click to expand...
I will try again. I don't think it said anything, but failed, but I will try one more time (I hate all those letters and the magnifying glass and light to see it !)
 
Markfw said:
I will try again. I don't think it said anything, but failed, but I will try one more time (I hate all those letters and the magnifying glass and light to see it !)
Click to expand...
Come on man. Learn how to be efficiently lazy. Type it into something like Notepad first so that if you need it again you can copy/paste.
 
It could be fake. I think the 5 charters x 5 MS 25 digits product key usually is a mix of letters and numbers. Yours looks like all numbers (at least the last 5)
 
lantis3 said:
It could be fake. I think the 5 charters x 5 MS 25 digits product key usually is a mix of letters and numbers. Yours looks like all numbers (at least the last 5)
Click to expand...
Oh, no lots of letter, I covered the code very well in the pic. More letters than numbers even. That has the holographics labels, part numbers. If its a fake, I have never seen anything close to this.
 
I just noticed. It says something about "for OEM" Thats probably the reason it fails. How could I get scammed like this !

Is that the reason it fails ?
 
OEM just means it's bounded to the motherboard or machine once it's activated and you can't transfer the license to another machine if the motherboard/machine fails. That's why It's cheaper than standard version.

Call MS to verify?

Some sample keys found on Github, does yours look like these?
gist.github.com

Windows Product Keys

Windows Product Keys. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.
gist.github.com gist.github.com
 
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It looks something like those, but it was covered by a "scratch to reveal the code" so I doubt its been used before. It was hell to reveal it, way worse than lottery scratch its.

and its not even close to matching any of those exactly.
 
lantis3 said:
OEM just means it's bounded to the motherboard or machine once it's activated and you can't transfer the license to another machine if the motherboard/machine fails. That's why It's cheaper than standard version.

Call MS to verify?

Some sample keys found on Github, does yours look like these?
gist.github.com

Windows Product Keys

Windows Product Keys. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.
gist.github.com gist.github.com
Click to expand...
"call MS to verify?" for a deaf person (me) thats hard, but I will as I paid a lot for these, like $75 each
 
Some youtubers have affiliated links to OEM Windows/Office for the cheap, never tried them. I'm now moving away from MS products slowly.

MLID channel

Affiliated links below the video. He promoted in the video too around 10:40
Don't know if it's legit.
 
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Markfw said:
View attachment 106219
But its the product key in the CD. I checked twice
Click to expand...

From a supplier that I am sure is selling legit licences, I've bought likely over 200 at this point over 20 years, I had one that said invalid product key. They were mystified, tried the key themselves, then sent me another.

At a glance, the photo of the packaging looks legit but I once bought a couple of MSO 2013 licences off Amazon where at a glance the packaging looked legit until I looked closer and noticed missing letters / misspellings. Possibly the result of OCR.
 
Mark, if you just need the Windows 10 product key, I would recommend just going to one of the discount key sites like cdkeys, kinguin or G2A and buying some, where you can find them typically for under $10. I am not saying it's perfect, but I have had really good luck in my searches, and you can use Paypal for buyer protection if you don't necessarily trust the site.

Heck you can just search for Windows 10 pro key and get good shopping results.
 
Shmee said:
Mark, if you just need the Windows 10 product key, I would recommend just going to one of the discount key sites like cdkeys, kinguin or G2A and buying some, where you can find them typically for under $10. I am not saying it's perfect, but I have had really good luck in my searches, and you can use Paypal for buyer protection if you don't necessarily trust the site.

Heck you can just search for Windows 10 pro key and get good shopping results.
Click to expand...
I have done that before, but the key only works for minutes, and ebay I am sure has removed these non-legit service. I needed 3 keys, and this time I invested in what I thought were legit services.
 
Markfw said:
I have done that before, but the key only works for minutes, and ebay I am sure has removed these non-legit service. I needed 3 keys, and this time I invested in what I thought were legit services.
Click to expand...

One other thing you might try is to download the most recent Windows ISO and try to install from it using the key.

You can also try to troubleshoot by using the telephone activation process if you can get someone to help you with it.

You should be able to access it by going to Start->Settings->Update and Security->Activation. There should be an "Activate by Telephone" option there.

Years ago, I bought an OEM boxed version of Windows 7 Pro for a new build on eBay. It refused to activate via the online process no matter how many times I tried, to the point where I was convinced it was a counterfit.

However, it activated via the telephone process just fine. It did the same thing the several times I subsequently had to reactivate it on the same hardware after a system wipe and clean reinstall. I did that up until I found Advanced Tokens Manager which allowed me to back up/restore the Windows activation. Never had to worry about it again after that.

That Win7 product key was eventually used to upgrade to Win10 and is still in use today on that same old hardware.
 
bba-tcg said:
I've had that error a couple of times.

If it had given the option to troubleshoot, you might've gotten a screen where you could choose to call to activate.
Click to expand...
Since it didn't activate, he should be able to hit the Close button and then access the telephone activation option from Start->Settings->Update and Security->Activation.
 
Steltek said:
Since it didn't activate, he should be able to hit the Close button and then access the telephone activation option from Start->Settings->Update and Security->Activation.
Click to expand...
Every time I've needed to call in, when Windows gets to the screen with the telephone number on it, Windows generates an installation ID, which needs a valid key. I don't have a system that needs activated right now, so I can't test to see if I can get to the call in screen without a valid key, so I'll have to take your word for it that it's possible.
 
bba-tcg said:
Every time I've needed to call in, when Windows gets to the screen with the telephone number on it, Windows generates an installation ID, which needs a valid key. I don't have a system that needs activated right now, so I can't test to see if I can get to the call in screen without a valid key, so I'll have to take your word for it that it's possible.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I meant there is a troubleshooting link that has a "Contact Support to Get Help" link on that particular page.

@Markfw,

I just found a Win10 Pro ISO and installed it in a virtual machine without a key code.

When I try to go to troubleshoot the activation by going to the "Contact Support to Get Help" link, it opens a web browser that gives me the following error: "Try again later. Something went wrong on our end. We're working on it"

I'd wait a few hours and then try use the "change product key" option under Start->Settings->Update and Security->Activation. If it still doesn't work, try the troubleshooting link again to get to support.

EDIT: Well, it still isn't working, so that means Microsoft probably just screwed it up and then never bothered to fix it. You may have to call the support number @lantis3 provided above.
 
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Do you need to activate it? Not sure what your intended use is for these machines, but Windows will work without activation. Some things are limited and you will see an icon on your screen that says it is not activated, but that may be good enough for you to use it.
 
Markfw said:
I have done that before, but the key only works for minutes, and ebay I am sure has removed these non-legit service. I needed 3 keys, and this time I invested in what I thought were legit services.
Click to expand...
These aren't necessarily from ebay. Like I said, you can check cdkeys, g2a, kinguin etc and other sties. They typically work fine for me. Just pay with buyer protection, and they aren't very much anyway.
 
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