Is This MS Operation Normal? Termination of Validity - $200 One Year?

You can pay for extra support programs if you wish- but you don't have to. And like everything, there are scams around- which shouldn't apply if you called a valid number.

If your PC really is such a problem- why not buy a new one, or a good second hand one?
This laptop - Lenovo- (see specs) came with Win 10 Pro- 3 years old when I bought i- decent screen, business laptop features, great battery- removable and small internal- £200.

No need to struggle with an ancient monitor, if that's one issue for you.

If you have a retail license- it's transferrable - if so you could even buy a PC with no OS installed.

That's a scam, if you google the international number you get hits for it spamming quickbooks support.

If you gave them access to your PC then you need to reload it from scratch, if you gave them card details then cancel it and if you did internet banking etc from that PC then reset you passwords from a clean PC.

Almost certainly this is a scam, the problem that you now have is that the scammers have had full access to your system remotely. the minimum you need to do is completely wipe your system and reinstall - the licence is held on Microsoft's server not your PC so the licencing is automatic.

If you leave your system as it is then the scammers can read any thing you type including online user and password credentials.

I would also be tempted to contact the real Microsoft and give them all the details you can. they have the resources to get these scams shut down

Very hard for me to see anything on this fashionable black background/fine white font thing nowadays on this ancient monitor I've got.

Then go to Settings, Personalisation, Colours and set your default Windows mode to Dark. As the little illustration on that page will show you, this returns your display's sanity.

I just noticed that faintly in fine white letters on the black background it was saying to activate Windows.

You can always check your activtion status in Settings, Update, Activation.
I believe that the saying to activate message was the start of the scam.

Clean install Windows 10 - TenForumsTutorials

Added a couple of hours later -

somehow caused it to lose it's activation I set about doing it - activating. And found I couldn't. It wanted the product key. I've no idea what that is now after all this time. And if MS couldn't find it in the machine then no use me looking.

- It is worth resolving this particular issue before starting the clean installation that is now unavoidable.
- Was Windows activated at any stage?
- How did you get your Windows 10 - retail purchase? upgrade from Windows 7? ...?

Denis

Bree said:

..and the US number appears to be an old support number for Intuit QuickBooks

(PPT) Any QuickBooks Related issue call Now 1-800-976-2560 Quickbooks Toll Free Number | Zack Smith - Academia.edu

Nope it's never been a genuine number (the page you linked is a typical spam post), they spam all over the net with these scam support numbers they are just recycling it.

And another thing from your original post -

somehow caused it to lose it's activation I set about doing it - activating. And found I couldn't. It wanted the product key. I've no idea what that is now after all this time. And if MS couldn't find it in the machine then no use me looking.

It is worth resolving this particular issue before starting the clean installation that is now unavoidable.
- Was Windows activated at any stage?
- How did you get your Windows 10 - retail purchase? upgrade from Windows 7? ...?

Denis