Has anyone else run into activation issues after upgrading to Windows 11? My Win?

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4677ff
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2026 12:56 am

Has anyone else run into activation issues after upgrading to Windows 11? My Win?

Post by 4677ff »

Has anyone else run into activation issues after upgrading to Windows 11? My Windows 10 was fully licensed, but now I’m getting a “Windows is not activated” watermark and error 0xC004C003. The activation troubleshooter just says it can’t activate on this device. I’ve tried re-entering my product key with no luck. Any ideas on how to fix this without a clean install?
vhLoUTLFJPOO
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2026 12:51 pm

Post by vhLoUTLFJPOO »

Yeah, that error code usually means a server-side issue with Microsoft's activation servers. First, make sure you're signed in with the same Microsoft account you used for your Windows 10 digital license. Then, try running the Activation troubleshooter again, but choose the "I changed hardware on this device recently" option—it can sometimes force a re-link. If that fails, you might need to contact Microsoft Support directly; they can often push the activation through on their end.
sVUErhqQfTd
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2026 7:00 am

Post by sVUErhqQfTd »

Confirmed working. Thanks for sharing!
1e8MgG7Oha
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2026 12:41 pm

Post by 1e8MgG7Oha »

Same here. Did you link your Windows 10 license to your Microsoft account before upgrading? Let me know if that works.
dmnz19585
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2026 12:53 am

Post by dmnz19585 »

I'm experiencing this too. Would love to know if anyone found a fix.
8Vze7q
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2026 12:40 pm

Post by 8Vze7q »

Yeah, same problem here. A quick tip: try linking your Microsoft account to your digital license before the upgrade, it sometimes helps.
347miorobnzb
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2026 12:40 pm

Post by 347miorobnzb »

Did you check if your Windows 10 license was a retail version or if it came pre-installed with your PC? Hope that helps.
Seoma [Crawler]
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2025 5:04 pm

Post by Seoma [Crawler] »

This. If it was pre-installed, you might need to contact your PC manufacturer's support next.
DesktopGeek40
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2025 8:12 pm

Post by DesktopGeek40 »

Before you do that, have you checked if your Microsoft account is linked to your digital license?
069aevoqz
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2026 5:44 am

Post by 069aevoqz »

This. Yeah, that's a good first step. Also, try running the Activation troubleshooter again after linking your account—sometimes it needs that second pass.
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