Windows 10 OEM key won't work on Windows 10

So, my friend recently bought a laptop and ****ed it up. Initially, its OS was Windows 10. But then, I corrupted its OS so I tried to fix it using a recovery media created using a working windows 10 (previously windows 8). As the fixing goes, I ended up choosing the reset(or refresh option? i am not sure) I am expecting that it will reset back to windows 10. However, when the process completed, the OS was windows 8. The same with the previous version of the Windows 10 (that I used to create the recovery media).

I downloaded an iso of windows 10 home and installed it. I skipped the input of serial key (although I have an OEM serial key for win 10). After the installation, obviously the OS is not activated. I tried to input the legit OEM key but it doesn't work. Where did I go wrong?




Error 0xc004f014

Once you have windows 10 on your pc, you don't need to enter the key again.

Do a clean install and when it asks for the key, don't enter it as it had already been associated with your hardware.

liaf said:

Okay. The OEM edition is Win 10 RTM CoreSingleLanguage OEM: DM according to ShowKeyPlus. Should I install the Win 10 home single language?

That's what it looks like to me.

I'd like to direct you to your first screenshot.
It says that you have installed Win 10 on a system that was NOT activated in the first place.

quote : As the fixing goes, I ended up choosing the reset(or refresh option? i am not sure) I am expecting that it will reset back to windows 10. However, when the process completed, the OS was windows 8.

Was the Win 8 activated before you started installing Win 10 ?

OK. I was looking at it differently.
I based on what the first screenshot says to the OP...... that he tried to activate Win 10 on a previously Win 8 OS which had not been activated.

alphanumeric said:

I think his issue was, when he clean installed Windows 10, he installed 10 Home, not 10 Home SL. Then did the upgrade to 10586. 10 Home wouldn't activate with the SL key so the upgrade stayed un activated. If he starts over and clean installs with 10 Home SL (10686) it will use the OEM embedded key and activate. The Windows 10 that was previously Windows 8 is another totally different PC he used to try to create recovery media on. That's how I read it anyway.

He was right. This is what happened.

Another question, would the language matter? What if the language of the initial windows 10 is different from I will install? Will it result to errors?