You must either connect to the internet or call Microsoft for activation. The product key by itself is no longer sufficient. Microsoft has to return the activation code based upon the code given to them which is as a combination of the Windows Product Key and hardware ID of thre computer.
Open device manager. Is there any yellow alerts of missing drivers?
My suggestion is to connect your laptop with a RJ45 cable directly to the router to activate it.
No harm in trying but I'd be happier fixing the cause rather than concentrating on activation right now - that will come once the real issue is fixed.
The Software Protection service (that provides activation) has a dependency on RPC which inturn enables "The client's local operating system to send the message (the activation data) from the client machine to the server machine" - this call I presume is the problem.
Things I would try:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealth
Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade
I had to read all the way to here to find out if you'd plugged in the Windows 7 key.
I'll bet when I read the next page (3), I'll see that you've done that and your troubles are over! Crossing fingers ...
Edit: Well, guess you haven't done that yet. It's my experience that the generic key no longer works, but the Windows 7/8.xx key will work.
NavyLCDR, thanks if all else fails I will make call since win10 will only connect from some of the internal apps but not all which it appears activation is one of them.
- - - Updated - - -
Megahertz, No alerts and tried laptop to router Ethernet cable and it still couldn't activate and gave check internet connection and try again statement.
- - - Updated - - -
Superfly, I agree which is why I'm trying so hard but this thing is so crazy it defies logic to me anyway.
Looking at properties under network adapters in device manager, the router properties (general) shows "This device is working properly" but activation & general help indicates no internet connection. At same time the update portion of 10 app has no problem downloading updates almost daily.
Don't know if this makes sense to anyone here, but it makes absolutely NO sense to me!!
What's even more confusing my wife has a Lenovo ThinkPad that was on Win 7 pro 64 bit same as this Laptop. It was upgraded to Win 10 few days before this one and it activated on same router network.
- - - Updated - - -
Wynona, thanks I'm going give that a try as soon as all efforts to repair connection problem are exhausted. Mainly because I feel that at some point down the road something else will come up that Win 10 can't do.I had to read all the way to here to find out if you'd plugged in the Windows 7 key.
I'll bet when I read the next page (3), I'll see that you've done that and your troubles are over! Crossing fingers ...
Edit: Well, guess you haven't done that yet. It's my experience that the generic key no longer works, but the Windows 7/8.xx key will work.
Last edited by Struggling10; 05 Oct 2019 at 13:44.
It won't matter if you change the product key to Windows 7. Microsoft still has to return the activation code for it.
What Antivirus and Firewall is on the laptop? Did you ever set any firewall rule to not connect to M$ servers?
If you can't activate now because the computer cannot contact Microsoft activation servers, changing the product key to Windows 7 product key is not going to fix that.
Quote
