Why is there a watermark in Windows 8?


Recommended Posts

I just got back from Office Depot with a new HP Pavilion 23. It's up and runnung. Came with Windows 8 pre-installed. Why is there a watermark on the lower right corner?

Can it be removed? It's REALLY annoying.

Bottom right corner it says

Windows 8

Build 9200

I'll get a screenshot as soon as I can...

AH! Never mind. I just completed a Window Update and it dissappeared. Odd.

Is it part of the background? I've never heard of a Windows 8 watermark.

Change the background to a solid color and then post a screen shot.

Its there if you dont activate enterprise his oem might have messed up the bios oem activation.

Go into system properties or do a slmgr.vbs /dlv to make sure you are activated. It goes away (and returns) even if you are not activated

I just got back from Office Depot with a new HP Pavilion 23. It's up and runnung. Came with Windows 8 pre-installed. Why is there a watermark on the lower right corner?

Can it be removed? It's REALLY annoying.

screen shot? I've never seen a watermark on any OEM systems, only beta software had them and software that was not activated

I have seen this all the time on OEM I have been deploying. Most do not come activated from the factory which I suppose is some new anti piracy method or simply Microsoft new rules. For those not seeing OEM with this it is possible those units are tested before leaving the assembly plant.

Just go to your main start windows and type windows activation, click on settings, activate, reboot, and your done. You will need to be online to do this. I have not tried offline activation yet, I am sure you can do this to, you just have to call in to Microsoft.

Usually removes itself after activation. I tend to find that doing Windows updates should kick start it or make sure that it's able to get through a network proxy if you have one.

Should be fine. It will come back though if you restore the system to it's OEM default state (I'm talking about a restore DVD / partition and not the "Refresh my PC" option in Windows 8).

Have you activate the Windows? If not, that's why you have the watermark on there. After you activate it, it will go away.

OEM has the key in the BIOS no activation needed on the user part.

OEM has the key in the BIOS no activation needed on the user part.

Not anymore since Windows 8. The mechanism has changed, each machine now has a unique key in the BIOS that needs to be activated through Microsoft and is only valid for that specific machine. They did that to stop Windows Loader-like piracy options for Windows 8.

Not anymore since Windows 8. The mechanism has changed, each machine now has a unique key in the BIOS that needs to be activated through Microsoft and is only valid for that specific machine. They did that to stop Windows Loader-like piracy options for Windows 8.

You just said the same thing I said ;)

My watermark dissapeared only when I restarted my pc after I activated it. Then when I applied the WMC key for about a month ago, the watermark appeared again then dissapeared after some time without restart.

OEM has the key in the BIOS no activation needed on the user part.

Sometimes it doesn't get activated automatically... which is why you have to activate it manually. If not working. then activation system is messed up and the user will have to contact retailer or Microsoft for activation problem.

Don't forget that you have to be online in order to activate the Windows. If you install Windows without internet access, watermark will show until you activate it via internet as soon as you get internet enabled...

My laptops are OEM... I have to activate them manually. My newest laptop was activated automatically because I enabled internet connection during Windows 8 installation.

If you do not have internet access at all, you have to call Microsoft to have it activated via phone which they give you numbers that you enter it on the screen so it can be activated without internet.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • I am not a US citizen nor a Trump fan. Respect to both left and right. But I will, for the sake of fun, predict something for my own. There will come a day when the US and China will collide like titans ( over Taiwan or anything else ). Then, on that day, some people in this comment section will realize how good an idea it was to become independent in areas like that. ( Or atleast try )
    • Microsoft Edge gets tons of security features, including AI model that can see your screen by Usama Jawad Microsoft Edge may not be the most popular browser out there, but it does receive quite frequent updates that sometimes bring surprising new features and axe others that are not as popular. Now, Microsoft has detailed some of the new security enhancements that it has introduced in Edge for Business, typically used by commercial customers. Microsoft has emphasized that security features are baked into Edge for Business and offer native integration with security and governance tools like Defender and Purview. Browser sessions are governed by default on managed devices but can also be governed through dedicated work profiles on unmanaged devices. An important aspect in this area is controlling the use of shadow AI. We have talked about this before, but it essentially restricts employees from using unsanctioned AI apps through data loss prevention (DLP) policies, with Edge redirecting them to trusted AI services like Microsoft 365 Copilot. This feature, available as a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) license, ensures that confidential data never exits AI boundaries set by your organization in Purview. Additionally, Microsoft also has strong DLP policies for contractors. Contractors leveraging a Entra ID-joined work profile provisioned by their contracting company on a device managed by their actual employer can be restricted from downloading files locally. In such scenarios, the file is saved on the contracting firm's OneDrive rather than being downloaded locally. Another useful Edge security feature disallows copying and pasting from unmanaged locations and apps. Similarly, DLP policies can be configured at a granular level to restrict screenshots or downloading of files from certain locations. In the same vein, IT admins can block the installation of extensions, hosted apps, themes and scripts, and control if users can install extensions from external locations. They can also enable the installation of specific extensions and allow users to request access to certain extensions, so that they can be managed on a case-by-case basis. Finally, Edge for Business now has an on-device AI model that uses computer vision to see what's on your screen and block potentially malicious content immediately. This does not rely on site reputation, as it simply monitors what is being displayed on your screen, which means that it is effective against malicious content that takes over your screen and employs scareware tactics. Since this is an on-device AI model, it does use your system's resources, so it's enabled by default only on devices with at least 2GB of RAM and four CPU cores. You can find more details in the Microsoft Mechanics video here.
    • Could you come up with a slightly less depressing background for Tux instead of that gray gradient? Doesn't have to be cheerful, just less of a downer...
    • Linux 7.2's first release candidate gets off to a good start by Paul Hill Credit: Larry Ewing It has been a few weeks since the release of Linux 7.1, and in that time, the Linux 7.2 merge window has been open, where developers can submit their features and patches ready for the upcoming release. That window is now shut, and the release candidate phase has begun so that new features can be tested and further fixes applied. According to the founder of Linux, Linus Torvalds, this week’s release candidate looks “reasonably normal”. Although we are super early in the release candidates, this is a good sign as it makes it more likely that an eighth release candidate will not be needed. Torvalds even mentioned that the update’s stats are only larger than they really are because there was another AMD header drop with a third of the patch just being AMD GPU register definitions, which aren’t big changes but make the code contributed look larger overall. In addition to this, he noted that just over half the patch is drivers, even when excluding the AMD register dump. The rest of the changes are spread out over architecture updates, tooling, documentation, and core kernel updates. In the next week, Torvalds says that he will be chilling out, taking the week “mostly off”. Despite this, he will be reading emails and keeping up with things, so if he is slow responding, now you know why. He said he is hoping for a calm week, but we will just have to see if the second release candidate is actually like that. We should expect seven or eight release candidates before Linux 7.2 is released, so expect it around the end of August. If you missed it a few weeks ago, be sure to check out our coverage of Linux 7.1's release.
    • Ridiculous claim that the labor cost difference of $6000 annually would increase cost per phone by $200. The employees produce 3 phones per month or what?
  • Recent Achievements

    • Dedicated
      Zeynel earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • One Month Later
      JKR earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Dedicated
      Asgardi earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Conversation Starter
      jessse3334 earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • Reacting Well
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Reacting Well
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      496
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      248
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      154
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      86
    5. 5
      macoman
      65
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!