Question Windows activation watermark

[kev_in]

Good day, I tried searching for an alternative solution to remove the Activate Windows watermark by using the notepad trick. I was wondering if there is a solution on how to undo it since after doing the trick, it made my laptop functions slow where apps take a bit long to open and other settings.

 

[Shmee]

I am not familiar with the notepad trick, but you should really just buy a legit key for Windows. If this is Windows 10, it is already very forgiving on activation, and should take a legit Win 7 or Win 8 key as well. Regardless, there are quite a few keys you can buy for much cheaper than retail on certain sites such as ebay etc...

As for the fix, of reverting back from the notepad trick, I am not sure, but I suppose it is possible that your laptop is infected, given the windows was not activated. I would do some anti-malware scans, and consider doing a fresh install of Windows after backing up your data. If you already have a backup image or even a system restore point, you could just roll back to that point.

 

[WilliamM2]

I haven't seen a laptop in over 10 years that didn't have an embedded OEM key in the bios. Should have already been automatically activated.

 

[Shmee]

That is a good point. Almost all laptops come with a key. What Windows are you running and what Windows did the laptop come with? What laptop is this?