Would you mind (and will you then do it) sharing your solution with the rest of this peer-to-peer volunteer-based public web forum so that it might help the many who will come across it in the future?
Windows 8.1 Product Key and Activation
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Anonymous
About a week ago, I downloaded Windows 8.1 from MS Store. This was an upgrade for Windows 8 which came installed on my new HP PC.
The download was successful and Win 8.1 installed. However, Win 8.1 did not get activated and I keep getting a reminder screen to Activate Win 8.1.
This Activate Screen asks me to enter a Product Key. It gives me an error code of 0xc004c003 which states that the activation server has blocked my product key. It also gives the last five(5) characters of the blocked product key.
Well, I never entered a product key during the upgrade so I'm not sure where the product key came from.
I did a web search for the last five characters of the product key and it appears to be all over the web.
I used an application that showed the last fifteen(15) characters of the product key in my PC for Win 8.1 and they match the product key that I found all over the web.
It's no wonder that MS has blocked this key.
My question is. How do I activate Windows 8.1 since I have no product key. MS Store did not provide a key with the download.
Dennis J. Ferrier
Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Licensing and activation
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
127 answers
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Anonymous
2015-09-04T12:17:37+00:00 -
Anonymous
2015-09-04T13:11:23+00:00 I HAVE A OLD PC. TRIED THE STEPS DID NOT WORK
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Anonymous
2015-09-04T13:15:54+00:00 WILL NOT LET ME IT START TO DOWNLOAD AND STOP SAY NEED NEW PRODUCT KEY TO CONTIUNE
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Anonymous
2015-09-04T13:28:40+00:00 Which part?
Did you get a phone number? Did you call? Did it refuse to activate? Did you speak with an operator? Did they refuse to activate?
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Anonymous
2015-09-04T14:53:37+00:00 answer to your questions is yes I talk to a tech. rep. he tried to activate window would not work . he tired it twice didn't work. said I have to get a new product key and reactivate window