Windows 8.1 Product Key and Activation

Anonymous
2013-11-22T04:35:23+00:00

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

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-09-04T13:11:23+00:00

    I HAVE A OLD PC. TRIED THE STEPS DID NOT WORK

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-09-04T12:17:37+00:00

    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?

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-09-04T12:04:37+00:00

    i have sorted my problem out and gone further and downloaded windows 10

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-09-04T11:35:49+00:00

    Hi Dennis,

    When you upgrade to Windows 8.1 from Windows store, then you don’t need any product key for Windows 8.1. This issue might occur if Windows activation file gets corrupted. I would suggest you to activate over phone.

    1. Press Windows key + X then click Run, then type: slui.exe 42. Next press the 'ENTER' key
    2. Select your 'Country' from the list.
    3. Choose the 'Phone Activation' option.
    4. Stay on the phone (do not select/press any options) and wait for a person to help you with activation.

    Please reply with the status of the issue, so that we could help you better.

    did not work

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  5. Anonymous
    2015-08-09T03:08:19+00:00

    my version is windows 8.1 pro x64 build 9600 installed 21/10/2014

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