Question Windows 7 optiplex upgraded to Windows 10 years ago won't activate on reinstall

[barrelrider]

We have a dell optiplex pc that came with windows 7 pro and was upgraded during the free time to windows 10. I had to reinstall windows 10 on it and it will not activate. I've tried everything I could find on the internet re how to activate and none work. Because it was activated before, it is supposed to automatically activate after a reinstall, as I understand it.
I can't find a way to contact msft about activation issues like I could before.

Does anyone know a sure fire way to solve this? The following might be the best article I've found on this issue, but nothing there solves the issue:

Fix Activation Error 0xC004F213 on Windows 10

Did you recently get activation error 0xc004f213 suggesting that Windows 10 could not find any matching product key? Fix it with this guide.

www.technipages.com

I contacted msft but without a support contract on the pc they don't care.

 

[NanoSuit3]

Have you ever tried pressing the I recently changed hardware on this device? It usually works..................

 

[barrelrider]

Have you ever tried pressing the I recently changed hardware on this device? It usually works..................

That's not offered on the activation page or the troubleshoot dialog. I did change one of the two sticks of ram, but I don't think that usually triggers anything. Where is that "I recently changed hardware on this device" hiding?

 

[punkncat]

I believe there has been a fairly widespread issue in this regard.

This touches on the issue, but there is a lot of information out there, and surely better sources for it:

https://www.reddit.com/r/windows/comments/16uk5uv/you_can_no_longer_activate_new_windows_11_builds/

 

[NanoSuit3]

Usually when you go to troubleshoot these activation notices it'll show it in clear text somewhere . . . let me see . . . https://www.howtogeek.com/444351/ho...sing Right Now.” Select “Activate” to proceed. It'll be like this if it'll display it here

 

[NanoSuit3]

https://static1.howtogeekimages.com...hardware-link.png?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5

 

[barrelrider]

Thanks nano, but the link with "I recently changed hardware on this device" is not show on that dialog.

 

[barrelrider]

I believe there has been a fairly widespread issue in this regard.

This touches on the issue, but there is a lot of information out there, and surely better sources for it:

https://www.reddit.com/r/windows/comments/16uk5uv/you_can_no_longer_activate_new_windows_11_builds/

Thanks for that ref. I read through all of that; nothing there seems to apply or I've already tried. It does make it all look like a classic Microsoft mess. If you have any other ideas or links let me know. I'll keep looking but the amount of time I have already sunk into this old pc on impulse looks like a losing proposition.

 

[punkncat]

Is this an application you can work with a Linux build on?

I mean, for productivity and surfing using something like Ubuntu would work quite well even back to a 3 digit model number on that Dell.

 

[barrelrider]

Not in this case; I need it for testing, and that has to be in the MSFT environment.
And originally I meant to recycle this machine, it's pretty old, but then I thought I'd give it a whirl just to stay in practice, recovery and all of that. It has been instructive in that sense, just no working box so far.
It used to be not so hard to get to MSFT about activation issues, I think via a call, but I don't find that any more.

 

[punkncat]

Pardon me for asking as I have not heard of MSFT outside a stock ticker for Microsoft....IE, you need it to be on a MS OS?

Have you considered setting up a testbed on a virtual machine, assuming you have a more powerful system on hand to run it?

edit- also, not for nothing, but you can install W10 on a machine unlicensed still and only have a few minor irritations as a result. Does this testbed need desktop personalization?

 

[barrelrider]

I wanted a physical box for testing.
Possibly I've never just left a windows 10 installation like this, unactivated. Or maybe I did years ago - that's what you're talking about correct? Running unlicensed? For sure I don't care about the normal personal touches, and I do recall that there were some bits that were not adjustable. I'd forgotten about that option. If I can't get it to activate, and that looks to be the case, I'll just leave it as is. What I need I have, the ability to connect to a domain and perform basic operations.
Maybe that's how I'll leave it. Thank you Punkncat, I don't think I'd have remembered this route. It'll be much better than recycling the unit.

 

[USAFRet]

I wanted a physical box for testing.
Possibly I've never just left a windows 10 installation like this, unactivated. Or maybe I did years ago - that's what you're talking about correct? Running unlicensed? For sure I don't care about the normal personal touches, and I do recall that there were some bits that were not adjustable. I'd forgotten about that option. If I can't get it to activate, and that looks to be the case, I'll just leave it as is. What I need I have, the ability to connect to a domain and perform basic operations.
Maybe that's how I'll leave it. Thank you Punkncat, I don't think I'd have remembered this route. It'll be much better than recycling the unit.

As a test, I have a Win 10 Pro install, running in a VM.
Installed Dec 8 2016, left Unactivated. Just to see what happens.

Except for the known limitations, it runs just fine, now 7 years later.