Activation fails Error code: 0xC004C003

I've given up on upping the laptop to W10 after numerous attempts. Now for my PC. I have installed the W10 upgrade which is activated. I did a boot to DVD and performed a fresh install. It asked for the product key several times (skipped) and once installed I was unable to activate. So I restored my W10 upgrade partition. Then I read where it was necessary to run the install from within Windows selecting setup.exe from the W10 iso on the DVD. Again Microsoft wanted a key. I used the one that Speccy had shown for the W10 upgrade and it wasn't accepted; so I stopped the install and here I am still with the activated W10 upgrade. I didn't want to go through the trouble of installing and not being able to activate. I would like to do a fresh install; any ideas?

The idea is after upgrading to windows 10. MS wants to be sure you have the legit windows 8.1 or 7 key. You can do a clean install with the windows 10 media, by using UEFI or Bios depends on your machine, to boot up and install, you should be okay.

ramram55 said:

The idea is after upgrading to windows 10. MS wants to be sure you have the legit windows 8.1 or 7 key. You can do a clean install with the windows 10 media, by using UEFI or Bios depends on your machine, to boot up and install,
you should be okay.

You're saying to boot to the DVD and install from there; but what about MS not accepting my W10 as valid for activation after install. Why does it keep asking for a key if one isn't necessary?
Thanks for the reply.

your entry # 9 says "and here I am still with the activated W10 upgrade". Once you have the upgraded wins 10, you do the install with media via dvd boot up, should skip entering your product key and you are in business.

ramram55 said:

your entry # 9 says "and here I am still with the activated W10 upgrade". Once you have the upgraded wins 10, you do the install with media via dvd boot up, should skip entering your product key and you are in business.

Sorry; maybe a senior's moment, but don't understand why MS won't activate my fresh install; claiming it isn't valid. I'm afraid that down the road MS is going to shut me down because my W10 isn't valid.

AllanP said:

Sorry; maybe a senior's moment, but don't understand why MS won't activate my fresh install; claiming it isn't valid. I'm afraid that down the road MS is going to shut me down because my W10 isn't valid.

Are you sure you stayed with the same version of Windows 10 that was upgraded to previously, Home or Pro? Doing a clean install with a version that was not upgraded to will not activate.

Sequence on 3 of my computers now:

Verified current OS was activated, 1 Windows 7 and 2 Windows 8.1. (Two of the computers are older and have no product keys stored in bios at all).
Upgraded to Windows 10. Ran setup.exe from inside the running OS by extracting the ISO file to a folder on a removable hard drive.
Verified the Windows 10 resulting from the upgrade was activated.
Wiped out the hard drive by deleting all the partitions on them.
Reinstalled Windows 10 clean from USB created with Media Creation Tool, skipped entering product key when asked for it.
Clean installs all activated instantly.

NavyLCDR said:

Are you sure you stayed with the same version of Windows 10 that was upgraded to previously, Home or Pro? Doing a clean install with a version that was not upgraded to will not activate.

Sequence on 3 of my computers now:

Verified current OS was activated, 1 Windows 7 and 2 Windows 8.1. (Two of the computers are older and have no product keys stored in bios at all).
Upgraded to Windows 10. Ran setup.exe from inside the running OS by extracting the ISO file to a folder on a removable hard drive.
Verified the Windows 10 resulting from the upgrade was activated.
Wiped out the hard drive by deleting all the partitions on them.
Reinstalled Windows 10 clean from USB created with Media Creation Tool, skipped entering product key when asked for it.
Clean installs all activated instantly.

I've just been advised of that on another thread and I think when the choices for download came up I accepted the default "Home" forgetting mine is Pro; so I'll be trying it again with Pro.

I just finished a clean install after I was activated by following the initial recommendations but now all I get is windows activation key is not valid and it was blocked , I didn't even put in an activation code since it was activated previously and I checked in CP and it said permanently activated.


It's the same version as windows as well , updates won't install , this is extremely annoying.

fredc said:

I just finished a clean install after I was activated by following the initial recommendations but now all I get is windows activation key is not valid and it was blocked , I didn't even put in an activation code since it was activated previously and I checked in CP and it said permanently activated.

Exactly what process and what versions did you do?

Also I notice you have Kapersky and Malwarebytes. What else do you have running? You should have all those internet condoms disabled, better yet not even installed until you get a good activation.