Windows deactivated out of the blue !

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  1. Posts : 165
    Windows 10 Professional x64
       #1

    Windows deactivated out of the blue !


    Dear forum readers,

    It just happened minutes ago, I've got an "Activate Windows, Go to settings to activate Windows" watermark, and in the settings it indeed says that I've no product key or digital license.

    Problem is, it's wrong. I've been using this laptop since 2014 now without any hardware change (what nears it most it my Nvidia driver update one week ago, but that's something I do every month), upgraded from legit 8.1 to 10 at the time it was free, and suddenly it's not activated any more. Dear MS, I hope you're not seriously expecting me to pay twice the price ? I've no problem with licensing enforcement, as long as it doesn't suddenly remove from my hands something I paid for, in all honesty.

    I'm going to reboot to see if it changes anything. I'm somewhat fearful things would become worse if I try to go through the activation procedure since I didn't have to do this in the first place, after all. I would accept linking my digital license to my MS account, as long as it doesn't force me to link my whole admin account as well : I want all my accounts to be local only.

    Any advices ? In case it comes from some defective hardware I didn't notice, is there a licensing log I could check that would point me to said hardware ?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 33
    Windows 10 Pro
       #2

    Is is Windows 10 Pro because there has been microsoft activation server issues.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 165
    Windows 10 Professional x64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Mike8 said:
    Is is Windows 10 Pro because there has been microsoft activation server issues.
    Yes indeed, it's pro. So maybe I just have to wait and it will vanish by itself ?
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 68,668
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
       #4

    You could try using the Activation troubleshooter to see if it may help, but yeah it should be fixed soon.

    MSFT acknowledges some Win10 Pro licenses being mistakenly deactivated - Windows 10 Forums
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 33
    Windows 10 Pro
       #5

    Or, if the server is now active again:
    Go to an elevated c:\ prompt (right click on the c: command prompt and select run as administrator, when black box comes up type in

    slmgr /ato
    and press enter
    This may well activate it if the server is working.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 165
    Windows 10 Professional x64
    Thread Starter
       #6

    @Brink : Thanks for the info, I'm feeling much better
    Mike8 said:
    Or, if the server is now active again:
    slmgr /ato
    Thanks ! I just ran "slmgr /dli" unprivileged instead and the watermark disappeared. Checking the settings, it now says my license is activated. Problem solved, it seems...

    But now that brought me back to the idea of linking my license to my MS account, just in case. Is is possible to do that while keeping my account local ?
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 68,668
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
       #7

    You could switch to a Microsoft account (MSA), link the license to your MSA, and switch back to a local account.

    Switch to Microsoft Account in Windows 10 | Tutorials

    Link Microsoft Account to Windows 10 Digital License | Tutorials

    Switch to Local Account in Windows 10 | Tutorials
      My Computers


  8. Posts : 7,606
    Windows 10 Home 20H2
       #8

    NovHak said:
    But now that brought me back to the idea of linking my license to my MS account, just in case. Is is possible to do that while keeping my account local ?
    It was impossible at my end. See below:
    Windows 10 Activation questions - Page 8 - Windows 10 Forums
    The screenshot there was the consequence of doing the following:
    Brink said:
    switch to a Microsoft account (MSA), link the license to your MSA, and switch back to a local account.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 68,668
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
       #9

    Probably best to wait until the activation server issues has been fixed first though.
      My Computers


  10. Posts : 165
    Windows 10 Professional x64
    Thread Starter
       #10

    Matthew Wai said:
    It was impossible at my end. See below:
    Windows 10 Activation questions - Page 8 - Windows 10 Forums
    The screenshot there was the consequence of doing the following:
    Interesting... I will probably keep things the way they are then !
    Brink said:
    Probably best to wait until the activation server issues has been fixed first though.
    For me it works again, at least ! All in all, I think it lasted less than an hour... but that's just for me.
      My Computer


 

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