Topic: Computer Help

[ocala]

Keep getting that annoying Windows watermark.
Activate Windows. Go to settings to activate Windows.
Have tried several different fix's and it'll go away for a day or 2 then come back.
Does anyone have a permanent fix to get rid of it.

[WeatherHost]

Which version?

[Greg_M]

Windows is somehow not activated. You need to activate it or it will shut down on you.

[vreihen]

Does anyone have a permanent fix to get rid of it.

Install Linux????? 

[92merc]

Click on the Windows button, start typing "command".  When Command Prompt appears, right click on it and "Run as Administrator".

At the prompt, paste this command in.  See if that helps.

cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato

If not, you may need to go Into the Control Panel.  Click on System and Security.  Then System.  At the bottom there is sometimes an activation option.  If you have a Windows 10 key, I recommend starting the process of activation.  Somewhere in that process, I forget exactly where, is an option to use a different key.  Then you can enter that key in.  If you didn't get a key, you may need to contact the vendor of your PC.

[ocala]

Click on the Windows button, start typing "command".  When Command Prompt appears, right click on it and "Run as Administrator".

At the prompt, paste this command in.  See if that helps.

cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato

If not, you may need to go Into the Control Panel.  Click on System and Security.  Then System.  At the bottom there is sometimes an activation option.  If you have a Windows 10 key, I recommend starting the process of activation.  Somewhere in that process, I forget exactly where, is an option to use a different key.  Then you can enter that key in.  If you didn't get a key, you may need to contact the vendor of your PC.

Tried that but it came back again.
The issue is that I bought a new PC and had a computer shop transfer everything from the old computer. The old computer was running Win 10 Pro and the new one is running 10 Home. They said when doing a transfer this can occur. The issue is that I can't get the product key for the new PC. You would think it would be available on the new PC but all it has is the last 5 digits of the key with the first 20 characters X'd out. According to the computer shop the full product key is not available on the PC. This doesn't make sense but this is my first new PC in a long time. Maybe this is how Microsoft does business now. Have always bought refurbs.
Also did the MS trouble shooting thing. Took a couple hours but it downloaded a new Home version. Initially the watermark was gone. When I turned it on today it was back.

[Bushman]

Sounds like you need a license downgrade.  Call MS - seriously.  I had an ugly home network issue that was finally resolved my MS support - in Nicaragua! 

[galfert]

Windows 10 is different. It is by design. This is the way Microsoft does business because previously people were not following Microsoft's licensing terms. Meaning the licence terms stated that you can't transfer Windows from one computer to another if it had an OEM license. An OEM license is the Windows license on a branded computer with Windows preloaded. That license was supposed to be used only on the original computer. People didn't follow this in practice by using the printed key on a different computer. So with Windows 10 Microsoft did away with the printed key. Now you would be forced to do what they've said from the onset of previous versions. You may feel it is your license to do as you please but it isn't. If you want a license to with as you please then you needed to have bought a retail Windows license and not an OEM license that ships with computers.

The store that helped you did you a disservice if they cloned your old computer onto the new one. Especially when they say that "this" issue with licensing "sometimes" happens. They know better and they are doing the wrong thing. They should have sold you a new license with the new computer. And they may very well have sold you that new OEM license but by transferring things the wrong way they messed up the licensing on the new computer.

If you still have the old computer running there may be a way to get the old license product key that the store that helped you said was impossible to find. I haven't tried this but it might be worth trying.
https://www.intowindows.com/how-to-view-your-windows-10-product-key/

If this doesn't work then I suggest doing some testing with a spare hard drive. Remove existing hard drive from new computer. Install spare hard drive. Install Windows 10 via flash drive. Prepare this flash drive on another computer using the Windows Media Creation Tool from Microsoft. Test installing Windows 10 Home. Give it a test run. If the licensing issue is fixed then the new computer has a valid Win 10 Home license. You won't need the key. They key is either in the firmware or Microsoft will recognize your new computer once it connects to the Internet and link the key to it that was registered for it when the computer was built. Windows 10 is easier to deal with reinstalling Windows from scratch because the license is in the cloud. Microsoft has a sort of a digital fingerprint of your hardware in the cloud. So you can reinstall without needing to enter the key.

My opinion is that Windows 10 is better than any version prior. Even before with previous versions of Windows, cloning a hard drive from one computer to another was never a good idea as a lot of baggage was brought over. A new computer is the perfect opportunity to start fresh. So cloning is always bad.

So if cloning is bad how do you do it? Well the computer store should have backed up your data only. Then fresh installed Windows on the new computer. Then fresh installed all your programs. Then reconfigure said programs and restore just data. More work but perfect results every time and no baggage from old computer. And no licensing issues.

[ocala]

Thanks Galfert.
I have had the computer store do transfers in the past but it was with different OS.
In this case the new PC had Win 10 Home. The old one had Win 10 pro.
I  used the MS Trouble Shooting Tool and it said  it "found a 10 home digital licence for this device running windows 10 pro". It directed me to the Media Creation Tool which in turn would install 10 home. After  the installation everything was fine. Turned it on the next day and the watermark was back. Went to shut it down and it said "shut down and update" so I clicked yes.
Turned it back on and the watermark was gone again. Turned it on this morning and it was back.
I'm not real good with computers so I think I might have to contact MS about it.  But I do appreciate your input.
Reason I did the transfer was because I have weather programs that are not available anymore. I still have them on the old PC but that would mean hooking it back up.

[galfert]

Sounds like Windows knows it is licensed for Home but parts of Pro are instslled. So it gets confused. This is part of this baggage I mentioned. Try pulling the Pro key from the other computer with the instructions from the link in my previous post. Then try entering that key into new computer. Because it sounds like Windows 10 Pro is installed which would make sense if the computer was cloned.

I understand you had old programs that are no longer available on the old computer. But you are just asking for trouble by cloning. Even if everything worked you've brought who knows what kind of gremlins over from the old computer. New computer would run better and less chance of future troubles and slowdown if clean install was done. Best practice is that everyone should keep software installation media for all programs they use and licenses so that you can do clean reinstalls or facilitate moving to new hardware. I do clean reinstalls every year or two just because it freashens things up. That said I have yet to see old software that isn't available anymore. Someone always has a copy if you really search the Internet or ask for what you need and someone may have a copy to share.