Activation Error: 0x80072EE2

Anonymous
2025-01-01T15:10:43+00:00

Can't activate windows, use microsoft store nor use the "Get help" app because of Error: 0x80072ee2.

I've tried a ton of solutions and spent around 7 hours trying to solve it. Even tried doing a clean reinstall of Windows 10 Pro 3 TIMES and apply the solutions again, yet no results.

I can provide proof of what solutions I used (youtube videos and microsoft community) if needed (I would post a screenshot here but it doesn't let me as a big sad face appears with the text "not found").
I was able to get all my windows updates though, which seems to be different from some people's issue since this error affects their windows updates aswell.

A few of the sites from which I tried solutions: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-update-error-0x80072ee2/8a57d23c-45a8-41fe-82df-c026ae357a56 (microsoft community)

https://youtu.be/5ak6zJmUJqU?si=mXkLXJi_3U66u2SI (youtube https://youtu.be/sdhKPGHRbvo?si=kkVzt16s1m822IzK  videos)

Please help me. I'm out of options and don't know any other method of doing it

I want to be atleast able to activate my Windows 10 Pro. If that issue is solved atleast, then I'm satisfied,

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Licensing and activation

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  1. EmilyS726 270.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-01-02T18:51:16+00:00

    Ok, and where did you get this C9XTY key?

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-01-02T19:03:33+00:00

    From the person I bought the pc from.

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  3. EmilyS726 270.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-01-02T19:09:59+00:00

    So there's no guarantee that this key would work.

    I suspect that this person had a Windows 7 or 8 key initially, and it could be perfectly a retail key then, and this is the key that ends with C9XTY. But later this person claimed the free upgrade to Win10, which turns the license to a digital license, hence it would only show generic key last 5.

    The problem is - since Sept 2023, Microsoft no longer allows the use of old Win7 or 8 keys (retail or not) to activate Win10. If free upgrade was already claimed prior, then it can only use digital license to transfer. So this is why the old license key would no longer work as Microsoft no longer has a pathway to connect to Win7 or 8 activation server.

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-01-02T21:01:07+00:00

    It could be possible, but he showed me that it was a pre-built and he bought it like in 2022 so it is unlikely he had windows 7 or 8.

    But even so, the problem still remains.

    Let's say that every key of mine is faulty for now. But in order to do anything properly and call it accurately then this error has got to dissapear first.
    So how do we fix this error first ?

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  5. EmilyS726 270.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-01-02T21:04:40+00:00

    Are you saying you are getting an error code before you even try any license, even after the clean install?

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