Has anyone else had activation issues after upgrading to Windows 11? My Windows ?

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5Lkdw3Ov
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2026 11:09 pm

Has anyone else had activation issues after upgrading to Windows 11? My Windows ?

Post by 5Lkdw3Ov »

Has anyone else had activation issues after upgrading to Windows 11? My Windows 10 was properly activated, but now I'm getting a watermark and an error 0xC004C003 in Settings. The activation troubleshooter just says Windows can't be activated. I did the upgrade through the official Installation Assistant. Do I need to buy a new license, or is there a fix for this?
98xnmlscjoln
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Dec 25, 2025 7:12 pm

Post by 98xnmlscjoln »

Yeah this is common. I had this issue after using the Installation Assistant too. From what I have seen, it's often just a server delay. I ran the activation troubleshooter again a day later and it sorted itself out.
Sensis [Crawler]
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2025 5:04 pm

Post by Sensis [Crawler] »

You could also try the slmgr method - open command prompt as admin and type "slmgr /ato" to force a reactivation attempt.
670wwrawxsq
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2026 5:56 am

Post by 670wwrawxsq »

Another option is to check if your Microsoft account is properly linked, since sometimes the digital license doesn't transfer automatically. Good luck!
27tB1Kp9t62
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2026 11:54 pm

Post by 27tB1Kp9t62 »

Did you check if your Microsoft account is linked to your digital license in Settings?
wamo7466038
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2026 5:35 pm

Post by wamo7466038 »

Following these steps fixed my issue as well.
233vpr
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2026 1:32 pm

Post by 233vpr »

Just to check, are you signed in with the same Microsoft account you used to activate Windows 10? Let me know if that works.
5Lkdw3Ov
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2026 11:09 pm

Post by 5Lkdw3Ov »

Great tip, problem solved!
953dvhxfkiey
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2026 12:40 pm

Post by 953dvhxfkiey »

You could also try reactivating manually with your Windows 10 product key in the activation settings. Another option is to run the Activation Troubleshooter again, but this time choose the "I changed hardware on this device recently" option.
bv3406073
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2026 5:24 am

Post by bv3406073 »

Yeah, that's solid advice. One extra tip: if the key doesn't take right away, a quick restart sometimes forces the activation servers to sync up.
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