Windows 10: I am getting the watermark "Activate Windows" all of a sudden.

Hi guys. I have been googling back and forth trying to figure out how to deal with this but nothing helpful came up. I have also tried getting in touch with Microsoft support but the live chat option is not working for me and I would prefer not to do this over call, as I have zero reception in my work room and I need to be close to the computer for the technical info.


So my problem is that all of a sudden I spot the "Activate Windows" watermark and when I go to check it in settings, I get the error message

"We can't activate Windows on this device because we can't connect to your organisation's activation server. Make sure that you are connected to your organisation's network and try again. If you continue having problem with your activation, contact your organisation's support person. Error code: 0x8007007B"

Now my problem is that I bought this PC second hand. So I did not do any of the OS installing and the only thing I have added so far is a new graphics card and RAM but this was months ago. The seller and I did not leave on the best of terms due to the above that I had to install a new graphics card because he sold me a faulty one. So I will not be able to get the activation key from him and I am not sure where he got his from.


So what are my options here? Did he use a company activation key and I need to buy a new one? Any help is appreciated.


//Ludwig

:)

 

Activate Windows Watermark

Hi Duncan,

The Windows activation watermark is usually appearing if the activation servers detect that a device is not activated. For further help with activating your copy of Windows 10, visit this
link. If the same issue persists after performing the troubleshooting suggestions on the link, follow these steps:

• Using Cortana, type Notepad and then click on Notepad (Desktop app).
• Type the following commands in Notepad:
  • @echo off
    
    taskkill /F /IM explorer.exe
    
    explorer.exe
    
    exit
    
    
• 
  Save the file and name it as Activation.bat.
  
• 
  Change the Save as type to All files.
  
• 
  Locate the file, right-click on it and then choose Run as Administrator.
  
• 
  After running the file, restart your computer and then check if the same issue persists.
  

Let us know if further assistance is needed.

 

Can't permenantly get rid of "Activate Windows" watermark

I started on a clean install of Windows 10 on a new home PC build last year using one of the public keys available. Since then there have been several times that I've needed to reinstall Windows when I ran into problems and everything has been fine.

A couple weeks ago I needed to reinstall again and did as I have before. Only now there is the ever-present

"Activate Windows

Go to Settings to activate Windows."

watermark. I go into settings and click activate but I get red error text "Windows can't activate right now. Try activation later. If that doesn't work, contact your system administrator. Error code: 0x8007232B"

The only way to get rid of it is to go to Settings->Update & Security->Windows Update where I have a bulletin

"There's a problem with getting preview builds...

• Your preview build settings need attention. Go to Advanced options to fix this issue."

When I go to advanced options underneath "Get Insider Preview builds" and my microsoft account it says

"Your security settings need attention to get Insider Preview Builds" with a box saying "Fix me" beneath

Clicking the box displays a message box saying "Your security settings need attention. We need to change security settings on your device so you can get Insider Preview builds. We'll fix this right now, then you'll need to restart your device"

I confirm and restart the PC. When it reboots the watermark is gone! However after several hours the watermark will reappear and the cycle restarts which is very annoying. I've tried activating through command prompt and even get "Successfully activated!"
message but the watermark remains. How can I get rid of this watermark for good?

 

Activate Windows watermark will not go away.

The "Activate Windows" watermark on the lower right of my screen will not go away. I have successfully activated windows. The issue is the persistence of the watermark. I have had multiple suggestions from people on this forum of things to modify in the
registry, none of which have worked. I have installed all of the latest available Windows updates.

Thanks,

Dennis