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Your Windows license will expire soon. You need to activate Windows in settings.

Hi, my name is Niya and yesterday I went on my computer so I could watch some YouTube and when I started up my computer a message popped up saying: Your Windows License will expire soon. You need to activate Windows in settings. I clicked close and it popped up again. I decided to go to settings and I saw it said Windows is activated using your organization's activation service. A few month's ago about September or October I got my computer's hard drive replaced and they people who repaired my computer installed Windows 10 Pro on it. Once I got my computer repaired I installed the Windows 10 creators update. I do not think that caused the problem. My Windows 10 Pro is activated because I checked in settings and by going to This PC>Right clicking on This PC>Properties. It says Windows is activated. I am very confused on why I am getting the message. I do not own a copy of Windows 10. The people who fixed my computer and replaced my hard drive installed Windows 10 on my computer. Is there any way I could fix my computer and stop the message from popping up and not have my Windows License expire? Here are some pictures of the message. 

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Hi. I'm sorry to hear that you're having problems, but I'm here to help.

This means that you have a volume license, which expires after a certain number of days. Is this your personal computer?

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Hi Niya. I'm Greg, an installation specialist and 8 year Windows MVP, here to help you.

Someone has installed a Volume License Key on the PC meant only to be legally used by organizations and businesses. That's why the error message in red means.

What whoever did this apparently doesn't know or care is that this means of activation must connect regularly to the organization's server to reactivate - like checking in with home to make sure the PC is still part of the network it's licensed for. So whoever did this has mess things up, since they could have legally upgraded Windows 7 Pro to Windows 10 Pro with a Digital License - for all we know there is one and the VLKey is messing it up right now.

What I would do is go offline to remove the Volume License key and then restore the Generic Product Key that is used to activate withe the Digital License issued by Upgrade. Then we'll see if it activates:

1) Go offline by opening Action center at the right end of Task Bar, then clicking on Airplane mode to turn off internet.

2) Next type CMD in Start Search, right click to Run as Administrator, then right click to copy and paste this command in and press Enter: slmgr -upk

3) Restart PC and then insert Generic Product Key for WIndows 10 Pro from here: http://winaero.com/blog/generic-key-to-install-...

This sets everything back to default so that if there is a Digital License issued during a proper Upgrade it should reactivate within a few days. If not we will need to try something else:

What Windows Operating System came on that exact model PC originallly - you can google it's make and model to read the specs to find out. If it says Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 Home version then that is a clue you need to reinstall Home instead of Pro to try to activate. We might even be able to still activate it fresh with the old OS Product Key read from the BIOS or on the Windows 7 COA sticker on the PC.

If nothing else works you may need to reinstall the licensed Windows edition that came with that PC, or buy a copy of Windows 10 Home to activate it.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and let us know how it goes. I will keep working with you until it's resolved.
Windows MVP 2010-2020 (ret).
Millions helped via my tutorials and personally in forums for 14 years.
Please notify me in my articles' Comments if a tutorial link is outdated or ads intrude.

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Yes, this is my personal home computer.

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I am going to try the first way you said but if that way does not work when I go to control panel I know one part says back up and restore to Windows 7 but I do not know what version of Windows 7.

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One more question, when i restart my computer how would it look when I have to insert the generic product key? 

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Insert the Generic Product Key for your version at Settings > Update & Security > Activation > Change Product Key. This will prompt it to activate with a Digital License if there is one because a Proper Upgrade from the same lower version was previously activated on that PC.

It might also work if this is a Windows 10 PC that has an embedded Product Key in the BIOS which also has registered a Digital License in Activation Settings.

However normally embedded Product Keys are Home version. There's a chance your PC never had any Digital License, but had an older edition of Windows that was not Upgraded, which is why the seller or a shop used the illegal Volume License Key to activate it - technically piracy and a theft.
Windows MVP 2010-2020 (ret).
Millions helped via my tutorials and personally in forums for 14 years.
Please notify me in my articles' Comments if a tutorial link is outdated or ads intrude.

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As to the Windows 7 Backup in the Control Panel, that is a feature still remaining in Windows 10 and not indicative that it once had Windows 7 on the PC.

Do you see a Windows 7 COA sticker on the PC anywhere with a readable Product Key shown in illustration below?

To see if the PC shipped with Windows 8 or 8.1, install ProducKey from this link and run it to look for a BIOS-OEM key listed: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/produkey-x64.zip
Windows MVP 2010-2020 (ret).
Millions helped via my tutorials and personally in forums for 14 years.
Please notify me in my articles' Comments if a tutorial link is outdated or ads intrude.

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Hello,
I am Sumit, an Independent advisor and a Microsoft MVP here to help.
General guide for Activation error in Windows:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/10738/...
https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/12440/...
To better diagnose the issue,
Right click Start>Command Prompt-Admin and type in the following command:
slmgr.vbs /dlv
If you have Powershell instead of Command Prompt Run these in order:
cmd.exe
slmgr.vbs /dlv
You will get a window, take a screenshot using snipping tool and paste it it next reply.
How to get a screenshot and post back:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wik...
Please let us know if you need any assistance in posting.
Mark Yes below the post if it helped or resolved your problem

Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not represent the views or opinions of Microsoft.

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Ok. It's strange that they would have used a volume license when they installed Windows. Unfortunately you'll need a new Windows key.

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My computer on my old hard drive before I got it replaced it came with either Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 and I think that was a Digital License Key I am not completely sure but I will look for a sticker.

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Last updated October 9, 2024 Views 49,740 Applies to: