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How Do I Activate Windows 10?

Anonymous
2023-09-20T03:22:54+00:00

Hi! My dad bought a Dell laptop that came with Windows 7 Home on it. Later on, he upgraded to Win10. A while after that, it stopped working and he bought a new one. (He gave it to me)

I have recently recovered it by reinstalling Windows. Silly me, I forgot to keep track of the product key! After reinstalling, to get dark mode, autohide taskbar and hide activate windows prompts I had to mess around with the Registry Editor until I found the right values. I don't want to do this anymore and would like to be using a legitimate copy of windows.

The activation code is on a sticker on the bottom, and it is a bit smudged, but I was able to read exactly what it said, with 100% guarantee that there would be no typos. I entered the activation code, and: "The product key you entered didn't work. Check the product key and try again or enter a different one. (0xc004f050)" which made me upset. I understand that the activation code was made for Win7, but I would like to activate the computer.

I do not have the $200 required to pay for a Windows 10 Pro license. Hopefully this can be solved.

Thank you for reading!

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Licensing and activation

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-09-20T04:05:41+00:00

    Hi, BloxxyVidsYT. I'm Robinson, and I’m happy to help you today.

    When your dad upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 the new Windows license for Windows 10 was attached to his Microsoft account.

    To be able to activate Windows you will need to sign in using the same Microsoft account that was used on the computer during the upgrade from Windows 7 and run the activation troubleshooter and select the option "I changed hardware on this device recently".

    1-Select the Start button, then select Settings > Update & Security > Activation > Troubleshoot . The troubleshooter will show Windows can’t be activated on your device.

    2-Select "I changed hardware on this device recently", then select Next.

    3-Enter your connected Microsoft account and password, then select Sign in. The troubleshooter will only work with the connected Microsoft account.

    4-From the list of devices that are linked to your Microsoft account, select the check box next to "This is the device I’m using right now".

    5-Select Activate.

    I hope this information helps. If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll be glad to assist you further.

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-09-20T04:14:40+00:00

    Oh, if it's linked to his Microsoft account would that mean I have to stay signed into his account, or will I be able to activate then log out to have a local account?

    Either way, thank you for letting me know that it is possible. I'm so excited to be able to have full features!

    Edit: Forgot to say, what if he used a local account? Would I still be able to recover it? (I'll be asking him, but I would like to know just to be prepared to ask)

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-09-20T18:40:05+00:00

    Shoot! I installed Win10 Enterprise. How do I switch to home without deleting my files?

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  3. Neil D 32,745 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-09-20T17:28:40+00:00

    Are you sure you have installed the same addition as was previously installed. Windows 10 Home or Pro. To check what is installed now type winver in Search and select the top result. Post back the details or post a screenshot.

    If there have been no major hardware changes (motherboard) then Windows 10 should activate whether a Microsoft or local account is in use.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-09-20T17:19:10+00:00

    Yes, you should be able to activate Windows log out of the account, and use a local account.

    If you don't find the account that was used during the upgrade, you may need to install Windows 7 again and activate it with the key, and then upgrade to Windows 10 again.

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