Windows 10: Windows needing activation after updating, for some reason

I updated windows yesterday on my home desktop PC and now it has the watermark in lower right corner of the screen to activate windows, it was not there prior to the update.There is no product key in the system settings Win + I.My win11 dvd case cardboard envelope has printed on it "Gently scratch to reveal product key" but there is nothing there to scratch, gently or otherwise. This garbage site fails to upload screenshots so I can't include any.I am running Windows 11, version 23H2This is the update in question:"Security Intelligence Update for Microsoft Defender Antivirus - KB2267602 V

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windows 10 says it needs to update for security reasons, then updates and restarts, then upon restart it restores the previous version

Hi Kathleen,

One of the usual reasons why you are experiencing this issue can be because of corrupted or missing system files that are interrupting the update process. We would like to know the following to isolate the root cause of the issue:

• Were you able to login to the computer before it updates and restarts?
• Which version of Windows 10 are you using? Is it Windows 10 1703 or Windows 10 1709?

If you are using the Windows 10 version 1703 or 1709, we suggest setting up the
Active hours on your computer to prevent automatic restart. This will help us perform the needed troubleshooting steps without the computer suddenly restarting.

Kindly follow the steps below to set it:

• Open your Settings.
• Choose Update & security.
• Under Windows Update, choose change active hours.
• Choose the time where you will perform the troubleshooting steps.
  
  
  
• After you successfully set it up, we recommend downloading the troubleshooter on this article and run it:
  Windows Update Troubleshooter.
  This will identify the root cause of the issue and provide the appropriate fix for it.

Update us with the outcome so we can provide further assistance.

 

Windows updates...

Oh. Your "Registry" must have gotten screwed up FLY3R. If for some reason you couldn't download your updates I suppose you could go to the update site, and run throught the steps 'till it fails activation. Then you could go up to "Tools > Manage Add ons > then disable "Windows Genuine Advatage Validation Tool." Of course you should only use this method if you are having problems updating your legitamate copy of Windows XP. Perhaps do to a corrupted piece of software? *Smile

 

Activate Windows

Hi Justin,

Corrupted update components could be one of the several factors why you are experiencing a continuous loop after updating. If you are getting a message that says you need to activate Windows, we suggest checking this
article and follow the steps listed under
Activating after reinstalling Windows 10.

Let us know if the above solutions work for you or if you need additional assistance.