Windows 10: windows is no longer activated, windows update can't be started

I'm not entirely sure if this is the correct sub-forum, but it all started out with problems with activation and windows update, so whatever *Biggrin.

A couple of days ago, I suddenly had a watermark in the bottom right corner of my screen saying that I should activate windows. I have a legit copy of windows and had it registered before when I installed it (about 5 months ago) and had no problems until now. When I go to the activation window and attempt to re-register, I get this message:
"Windows can't activate right now. Try activating again later. If that doesn't work, contact support. Error code: 0xC004F012"

After trying this during different times of the day for about a week, I started checking other stuff and found another quite big problem: I can't start Windows Update.

The service is set to "disabled" and when I change it to anything but this, it automatically changes back after around 30 seconds. Up until now, Windows Update never had any problems and ran regularily. So then I started googling this problem and found some solutions, all of which do not work:

I tried resetting the Windows Update (https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Rese...), but that didn't help either, since it coulnd't complete every step. It failed when running "sfc /scannow" at around 15%.

So I searched for solutions to that problem and found this: https://www.infopackets.com/news/9620/how-fix-sfc-scann...
Checkdisk worked fine, but then I noticed another problem, I can't even run DISM to fix stuff. Attempting to run "Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth" returned an error, saying that the remote procedure call failed...

Here is my sfc log: sfc log - Pastebin.com
and here my dism log: dism log - Pastebin.com

-------------------------

Short version: suddenly windows is no longer activated, windows update can't be started, sfc and dism fail...
I would love a solution that does not require me to completely reinstall windows!



Here are my specs:
I have a Lenovo G700 (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/essential/g-series... or http://shop.lenovo.com/de/de/laptops/lenovo/g-series/g7...) with an i5-3230M @2.60GHz and a Geforce GT 720M (the rest wasn't configurable). My OS is Windows 10 Pro N x64, version 1511, build 10586.11.

:)

 

Windows 10 can no longer be activated.

Unfortunately, if you don't have your key, you will either need to try the activation troubleshooter in Start > Settings > Update & Activation. Sign in and choose your computer.

If that does not work, you are pretty much looking at purchasing a new license.

 

Windows 10 can no longer be activated.

The key I purchase was a Windows 7 Key years ago. I no longer have access to this key. It was not an OEM version. When I upgraded to Windows 10 for free during that time period, I did not expect to have to keep that key. I did not purchase a new computer,
my motherboard broke, and since that happened it no longer recognizes my windows being activated which I think its dumb since it was never an OEM license to begin with. I am even using the same SSD that had windows 10 installed on it that was activated. I
tried calling customer service and they needed my OLD windows 7 key in order for them to reactivate my windows which I think is incredibly absurd since I was using an activated Windows 10 on the same computer(different motherboard and processor) two days ago.
I tried the troubleshooter already, and it will not activate it either. Also, when I run the troubleshooter, it doesn't even give me the option to select I recently changed my hardware...

 

Hi SomeRandomUser, welcome to Ten Forums. I would try a repair install with an inplace upgrade. Choose keep apps and files. This is from the tutorial forum. Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade - Windows 10 Forums .

 

As good as sfc /scannow and dism /restrorehealth is, they cannot repair file permissions corruptions. Those that can only be done on an 'unmounted' Windows i.e boot from install media and the repair done (either via a restore point or repair install)

 

I posted some more logs in this thread http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/w...7011632&auth=1

Does repair-install / inplace-upgrade keep all my settings? Otherwise I'll wait for another solution in the other thread first^^.

 

In an elevated ("run as administrator") command prompt run:

slmgr /dlv

Please post the results here and it will help us determine your activation problem. There will be no uniquely identifying info in the result so you don't have to blank anything out.

 

The answer to that question is yes. The in-place upgrade repair install will keep all your installed programs and settings. It looks like you have some major file corruption and/or permission problems, so the in-place repair upgrade would be what I would try first.

 

Ok that's good to know *Biggrin. I'm out of town over the weekend but will probably try your solution sometime next week then.

 

Alright, I chatted extensively with a Microsoft Support agent and together we came to the solution, that a clean install is needed, since all of their "fixes" didn't work.

I rolled back to restore point before the issues first occured, performed an in-place-upgrade using an ISO from TechBench and another in-place-upgrade using the MediaCreationTool, but the SFC and DISM error still occur; the only thing that was fixed was the activation problem (which was my main concern). Even if those to command fail, I'm not hindered in any of my work, since all applications function properly again, so I will postpone the clean install until another time, because it just isn't very high on my list of priorities right now *Biggrin.

Just one last problem exists that one of you may be able to help me with: Windows Defender doesn't work quite right. I downloaded a know false positive file to test if it is active, and it did detect the file and gave me a choice to quarantine it and so on... BUT, the main Windows Defender window doesn't stay open long enough for anything. I wanted to update its definitions, because they are out-of-date (becuase of the restore point rollback), but the window just closes itself after about 3 seconds. I can't perform a full-scan because of this either, obviously.

Is there any way to completely reset Windows Defender? Or is there some place where I can download a fresh installer for it? I was not able to find anything promising using Google *Sad

 

I don't know if Windows Defender is contained in this list of Windows 10 apps, but wouldn't hurt to look:
[Guide] How to Reinstall All Default Built-in Apps in Windows 10 - AskVG

 

Unfortunately it is not included *Sad
I read in some other forum that removing update 'KB931099' from Windows Update and redownloading it would basically reinstall Windows Defender, but in my list of installed updated, it is not included lol...

 

Suddenly the watermark is back - my windows is no longer activated again *Biggrin.... clean install it is^^
/thread

 

Yup, a repair from boot media would correct those corruptions - once Windows is running a restore will not overwrite the corrupt permissions as those files are read-only - it has to be from PE.