Windows 10 Activation Error

Question

Greetings, 

recently my PC was asking me to activate Windows 10 (with that annoying watermark), this never happened to me so I didn't know what to do nor think, so I went online and tried to google myself out of this. 

The error I'm getting is 0xC004F074, with the message: "We can't activate your Windows on this device as we can't connect to your organization's activation server. Make sure you're connected to your organization's network and try again. If you continue having problems with activation, contact your organization's support person.".

Here's the thing,

My PC is home PC with Windows 10 Pro, and I don't have the Product Key because PC came with pre-installed Windows.

I tried running Troubleshoot, and it said: "We can't activate your copy of Windows. Make sure you're connected to the Internet and try again. If you're connected to the Internet and continue seeing this problem, contact your system administrator for more information.".

Is there a way to fix this?

Can I fix this if I reset my PC (re-install Windows again)?

Answer 1

Hi Hagashi!

Thanks for contacting us. I am Kenny, Independent Advisor. Understand you have an issue where an already-activated Win10 system was being asked to reactivate itself. Just to check, do you have the Product Key handy, and did you make any significant hardware changes to the machine before?

These details will come in handy as we go through the troubleshooting recommended for this scenario.

1. I am assuming your computer isn't connected to any domain and never was (i.e. a personal computer, not a domain-joined one at a company), so that message about unable to find the activation server is in anomaly.

To check the integrity of your Windows OS files, run the System File Checker

> Open start, type cmd.

Right click on "command prompt" in the search results and Run as Administrator, else the System File Checker will prompt you to run it again with Administrator rights.

> type sfc /scannow and hit enter to run the System File Checker

> It will take a while for the system to scan and repair all issues

> Thereafter, restart the machine and see if it's still asking you to activate Windows.

2. Run the Windows Troubleshooter to fix Windows Update & Activation issues

> Open Start, type Troubleshoot

> Under "Get Up and Running", click Windows Update

> Wait for the Troubleshooter to finish rectifying Windows Update issues

3. Run the Activation Troubleshooter to diagnose possible issues related to Activation itself.

If the Activation Troubleshooter doesn't fix the issue, contact Microsoft Support for assistance.

You can find more details on troubleshooting Activation and a link to contact Microsoft Support on their page related to this issue:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-sg/help/20527/...

4. Reset This PC

> Open Start and go to Settings

> Go to Recovery

> Reset this PC.

> If you wish to go this route, please select the option that retains all your files and installed applications. This will perform a reinstallation of Windows and fix any system file or configuration issues.

> Be sure to turn on Automatic Updates after this to ensure you keep your Windows 10 installation up to date.

These are the troubleshooting relevant to your Activation issue and I hope this short guide is useful to you. If you have any queries please feel free to comment below.

Answer 2

Hi Hagashi

I am Vijay, an Independent Advisor. I am here to work with you on this problem.

Generate following output

Windows Key+X > Click on either Powershell (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin)

Copy below and paste into Powershell / Cmd windows and Enter

slmgr.vbs /dlv

Look for the words KMS (Key Management Server), GVLK (Generic Volume License Key ). If KMS/GVLK appear - It is a volume license key used by organizations and is managed through Key Management System hosted on a centralized server. Hence, you can not use it. The key is not a valid key to be used. It is a counterfeit license. You will have to buy a new license for Windows and use that.

If KMS/GVLK don't appear, post the output here of Powershell script.

Do let me know if you have any more question or require further help.

Answer 3

Greetings, 

recently my PC was asking me to activate Windows 10 (with that annoying watermark), this never happened to me so I didn't know what to do nor think, so I went online and tried to google myself out of this. 

The error I'm getting is 0xC004F074, with the message: "We can't activate your Windows on this device as we can't connect to your organization's activation server. Make sure you're connected to your organization's network and try again. If you continue having problems with activation, contact your organization's support person.".

Here's the thing,

My PC is home PC with Windows 10 Pro, and I don't have the Product Key because PC came with pre-installed Windows.

I tried running Troubleshoot, and it said: "We can't activate your copy of Windows. Make sure you're connected to the Internet and try again. If you're connected to the Internet and continue seeing this problem, contact your system administrator for more information.".

Is there a way to fix this?

Can I fix this if I reset my PC (re-install Windows again)?

Answer 4

Windows 10 Pro

Answer 5

What Windows was on the computer when you got it?