Windows 10 upgrade and failed activation


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I can not get windows 10 to activate on 8 machines so far...

all machines are retail keys or OEM keys from major companies like Dell and HP.

 

every windows update install I did shows the system now having the same product key, which then fails with an error code.

what else is everyone out there seeing?

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This has been brought up numerous times on this board already, not sure we needed another thread.
 
 
The servers are being slammed right now, keep trying. I upgraded around noon today (PST) and it just not activated on its own at 5:45PM (PST). Try again and see if it works, otherwise try tomorrow morning. The key isn't what matters, Microsoft links your hardware ID to your email account, so when you go to clean install or reinstall using an ISO, you skip the key part and just sign in. Then it will activate. Seems normal that multiple units of yours have the same key.
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This has been brought up numerous times on this board already, not sure we needed another thread.
 
 
The servers are being slammed right now, keep trying. I upgraded around noon today (PST) and it just not activated on its own at 5:45PM (PST). Try again and see if it works, otherwise try tomorrow morning. The key isn't what matters, Microsoft links your hardware ID to your email account, so when you go to clean install or reinstall using an ISO, you skip the key part and just sign in. Then it will activate. Seems normal that multiple units of yours have the same key.

You say it's linked to an email account, but the problem with that is I never once entered an e-mail for any of my machines... Windows update showed windows 10 as available, I installed it from windows update, never "reserved" it in the reservation program... windows installed, never asked me for an account to sign into or anything... no MSA nothing, it just did the install with my local account, and still under my local account.

and it's not just the "same key" it's the same key everyone else seems to have also

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You say it's linked to an email account, but the problem with that is I never once entered an e-mail for any of my machines... Windows update showed windows 10 as available, I installed it from windows update, never "reserved" it in the reservation program... windows installed, never asked me for an account to sign into or anything... no MSA nothing, it just did the install with my local account, and still under my local account.

and it's not just the "same key" it's the same key everyone else seems to have also

I know the feeling. The only "fix" I've found atm was I switched to a ms account (only ms account I have is the one I use for the insiders program) went into activation and tried again and it activated... Then I switched back to local account and it remained activated....

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This upgrade has been absolutely TERRIBLE. What the absolute ###### Microsoft, or perhaps I should blame Cisco? I tried upgrading my SP2 w/ Cisco VPN installed, and after upgrading, I have no network adapters available. I tried so many things to revive network, but nothing works. There are threads on reddit, and Microsoft forums about problems upgrading with VPN client installed. I had to downgrade back to WP8.1, then uninstall all Cisco software, then upgrade back to W10, activated my key. Just to be sure, I wanted a clean install, so I did just that. Now I can't reactivate my key. Error code: 0xC004C003. Just awesome...Worst upgrade experience EVER. I can't imagine how this got past QA, and according to the Upgrade tool in W8.1, my SP2 was "ready" and had no app comparability issues. 

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it is normal, just give it some time and try again either in a few hours or tomorrow. The servers are just slammed right now.

What do you do when it says that the key you're using is blocked? Wait a bit more? -_-

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What do you do when it says that the key you're using is blocked? Wait a bit more? -_-

Keep trying (some people need ~40 tries, I needed 10 tonight). Or wait, if you want to be kind to the servers. :p

The server doesn't throw a "busy" error. I can't remember my error - it might have said something like a valid license couldn't be found.

I submitted some feedback in the post-installation program asking that they have the activation servers throw a busy message rather than rely on the OS to supply something misleading or generic.

Edited by zhangm
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I could not do a clean install after booting from the ISO since my old Windows 7 key did not work directly.

So, I choose to do an upgrade from Windows 7, without keeping anything. That was the closest thing of a HD reformat I could do

The upgrade process went rather smoothly.

The activation ... cough ... did not go well until now. I kept getting connectivity errors until it went thru.

I guess the Windows activation servers are agonizing under the workload.

My advice would be to keep trying and do not panic.

 

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Keep trying (some people need ~40 tries, I needed 10 tonight). Or wait, if you want to be kind to the servers. :p

Followed your instructions, mine was activated on the third try (Y)

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Mine didn't initially activated. I checked 1-2 hours latter and it self-activated correctly.

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One option for the problem of it erroring out when it tries the initial activation after you have finished the install, was to rapidly click on the activation button several times. It immediately activated both times I have tried doing this method. My error was that no license was found.

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Hello. Everyone... I am unable to update windows 10 on my windows 8.1 PC. I used the media creation tool to update my PC, it downloaded all the necessory files and then ran the setup, downloaded the updated files.. asked me for keep previous files & etc... and continued with the setup again. But when system restarts for the first time and runs the 100% setup, it restarts again at the 3% mark and resumes to windows 8.1 with the error that problem occured and your windows 8.1 is restored. 

.... I also tried using my ISO burned on my USB... but that update method asks for windows 10 key.

please help

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Some OEM machines are being activated through a generic key which the server auto-blocked because it thinks they are all illegal copies for some reason.

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This upgrade has been absolutely TERRIBLE. What the absolute ###### Microsoft, or perhaps I should blame Cisco? I tried upgrading my SP2 w/ Cisco VPN installed, and after upgrading, I have no network adapters available. I tried so many things to revive network, but nothing works. There are threads on reddit, and Microsoft forums about problems upgrading with VPN client installed. I had to downgrade back to WP8.1, then uninstall all Cisco software, then upgrade back to W10, activated my key. Just to be sure, I wanted a clean install, so I did just that. Now I can't reactivate my key. Error code: 0xC004C003. Just awesome...Worst upgrade experience EVER. I can't imagine how this got past QA, and according to the Upgrade tool in W8.1, my SP2 was "ready" and had no app comparability issues. 

The network issue is definately a cisco issue, anyconnect should have died years ago, I constantly get problems with it on my windows 7 work laptop, here's generally what happens:

  1. Get OS setup and everything installed
  2. Install cisco anyconnect
  3. Connect to VPN - all working so far
  4. Turn laptop off
  5. Flick the WiFi switch on the laptop to OFF
  6. Power up the laptop
  7. Suddenly the VPN connections are no longer visible in network configuration, and the wired ethernet connection has gone too!
  8. Rebooting or re-enabling the WiFi switch does nothing to remedy the problem, reinstalling anyconnect doesn't do anything, there is only one solution: remove anyconnect
  9. Reboot, suddenly the ethernet connection comes back
  10. Reinstall that damn awful anyconnect client and reboot
  11. Wifi, Ethernet and VPN connections visible and available to be used
  12. Go back to step 4
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Some OEM machines are being activated through a generic key which the server auto-blocked because it thinks they are all illegal copies for some reason.

My mom's computer has this issue, upgraded perfectly fine, now it's saying the computer has an invalid key... Anyone see any way to try and request a new key using your old Win 7 key?

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I had been using 10 via insider builds now for a couple of months. Yesterday, I downloaded the upgrade tool and "upgraded" and did a "keep nothing" install. Windows has not activated so I called Microsoft support. I explained my situation, advised it wouldn't accept my windows 8 key. He said don't worry, that I should just hold tight and I would get a notification automatically with my Windows 10 product key. I thought this seemed weird, but I guess I'll let it go and see if it self-activates. I hope so lol

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Hello. Everyone... I am unable to update windows 10 on my windows 8.1 PC. I used the media creation tool to update my PC, it downloaded all the necessory files and then ran the setup, downloaded the updated files.. asked me for keep previous files & etc... and continued with the setup again. But when system restarts for the first time and runs the 100% setup, it restarts again at the 3% mark and resumes to windows 8.1 with the error that problem occured and your windows 8.1 is restored. 

.... I also tried using my ISO burned on my USB... but that update method asks for windows 10 key.

please help

If you had 8.1 activated on the machine, when you get the prompt in Windows 10 setup to input the key, just click 'Skip'.  This will happen twice, but if your 8.1 PC was activated, Windows 10 will activate automatically once you've installed it.  Check out Thurrot.com for a whole article on this procedure.

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The network issue is definately a cisco issue, anyconnect should have died years ago, I constantly get problems with it on my windows 7 work laptop, here's generally what happens:

  1. Get OS setup and everything installed
  2. Install cisco anyconnect
  3. Connect to VPN - all working so far
  4. Turn laptop off
  5. Flick the WiFi switch on the laptop to OFF
  6. Power up the laptop
  7. Suddenly the VPN connections are no longer visible in network configuration, and the wired ethernet connection has gone too!
  8. Rebooting or re-enabling the WiFi switch does nothing to remedy the problem, reinstalling anyconnect doesn't do anything, there is only one solution: remove anyconnect
  9. Reboot, suddenly the ethernet connection comes back
  10. Reinstall that damn awful anyconnect client and reboot
  11. Wifi, Ethernet and VPN connections visible and available to be used
  12. Go back to step 4

What version of AnyConnect are you using? I'm using 3.1.08009 and not one single network related issue.

And why do you think AnyConnect should of died years ago?  What should Cisco be using as a VPN client?

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