can't activate windows

Question

its not allow me to activate my windows so i can't personalize my computer at all because of it and when i trouble shoot it doesn't give me any help.

Answer 1

Hello. I'm an independent advisor and welcome to Microsoft Q&A.

Let us help you solve this problem.

Please follow the steps below to check the status of your license key.

Please click the Start menu, type in CMD, right-click, and run as administrator.

Then, on the command prompt window, type in

slmgr -dli

This will show the kind of license that you have. It can be one of three types: Retail (FPP (Full Packaged Product)), OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), and Volume Licensing. The last type is usually for organizations that have multiple license keys and are not for resale. It is the type that is most often used for pirate copies of Windows.

If it doesn't work with that command, type in this command instead, then press enter.

slmgr /dlv

Please copy and paste the result into our conversation. Thanks!

To check if your copy of Windows matches the key you have, please

Press the Windows Key and the letter R on your keyboard to open the Run box. In the Run box, type winver and press Enter. Please copy and paste the results here. Thanks!

Answer 2

If you're unable to activate Windows, you might be encountering the error code 0x80070005, which indicates "Access denied". This error often occurs when the command you are trying to execute requires elevated privileges. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue:

1. Run Command Prompt as Administrator: Make sure you are running the command prompt with administrative privileges. Right-click on the Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator" before trying to activate Windows again using the command slmgr /ato.
2. Check DCOM Permissions: The error might be caused by incorrect DCOM permissions for the SELF account. You may need to adjust these permissions to allow the Licensing service to access the necessary resources.
3. Registry Check: Ensure that the required registry entries are present. Missing registry subkeys can lead to activation issues. You can check for the following keys:
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Profilelist\S-1-5-18
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Profilelist\S-1-5-19
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Profilelist\S-1-5-20
4. Group Policy Settings: If your computer is part of a domain, check if any Group Policy settings are affecting the activation process. You may need to consult with your system administrator to adjust these settings.
5. Contact Support: If the problem persists after trying the above steps, consider contacting Microsoft support for further assistance.

By following these steps, you should be able to troubleshoot the activation issue and hopefully resolve it so you can personalize your computer.

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References:

• Error 0x80070005 "Access denied" when you activate Windows
• Windows is not genuine error
• Troubleshoot Windows activation issues
• Troubleshooting tools for Windows activation issues on Azure virtual machines
• Gather information by using TSS for deployment-related issues