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Can’t reserve / activate Windows 10?? Causes & possible solutions.

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get windows 10 app

Not able to Reserve Windows 10

In case you want to upgrade to Windows 10 but you are not able to see the “Get Windows 10 app” (click here to read more about how to upgrade to Windows 10) on your PC, here are possible reasons and solutions to this.

Some possible causes are:

1) Your device may not be compatible. Check the eligibility and stem requirements here.

2) In case any of these two are the reason behind you not able to see the update, you won’t be able to get Windows 10 anyway.

  • If your device is or has been connected to a domain, or is managed by a system administrator, it may be blocked from the upgrade reservation. Check with your IT administrator.
  • If your copy of Windows is not genuine, or if you have a Volume License copy (intended for businesses), the icon will not appear. To check this, open a Command Prompt (from the Start menu or screen, search for cmd, right-click on Command Prompt in the results and select Run as administrator), type slmgr /dli and then hit Enter. A window will appear with the channel in the Description line (Retail, OEM, or Volume), and the License Status. If your copy of Windows is not activated, refer to Knowledge Base article 950929 for more information. If you have a Volume License copy, it does not qualify for the free upgrade.

If neither of these two causes are the case with your copy of Windows and you have a genuine Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 running PC, you can try the various resolution steps below.

Resolution:

Step 1:
Click and run this Windows troubleshooter to resolve the issue or you can also try these manual solution steps, but the troubleshooter will be faster and easier.
Check your Windows version, edition, and Service Pack level.
  1. Windows 7: Open System by clicking the Start button, right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.
    • If your edition is Windows 7 Enterprise, this PC is not eligible for the free Windows 10 upgrade, because it is a Volume License edition intended for business use.
    • If Service Pack 1 is not listed, you need to install it before you will get the upgrade icon. You can download it by going to: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5842
  2. Windows 8.1: From the Start screen, swipe in from the right to bring up the charms, and select Search, or just start typing to search. Search for pc info.
Step 2:

Make sure Windows Update is turned on – for instructions to turn on Automatic Updates, see Knowledge Base article 306525. Then check to see if the necessary updates are installed. You need to have updates KB3035583, KB2952664 installed on Windows 7 and  KB3035583, KB2976978, KB2919355 on Windows 8. Either run automatic updates after turning it on else you can try doing below steps of you are more Windows savvy.

To do this, from the Start menu or screen, search for cmd, right-click on Command Prompt in the results and select Run as administrator. Type or paste the command dism /online /get-packages | findstr 3035583 – if the update is installed, you will get a return with Package identity followed by a string of information. If nothing is returned, the update is not installed, and you need to check for updates and install it.

  1. Windows 7: also run the command dism /online /get-packages | findstr 2952664
    If this update is not installed, install it now.
  2. Windows 8.1: also run the commands
    dism /online /get-packages | findstr 2976978
    dism /online /get-packages | findstr 2919355

    If these are not installed, from the Start screen search for Check now, and select Check for updates to install those updates.

After you have completed all of these updates, reboot your device and you should be able to reserve Windows 10 upgrade.

In case, you are still not able to resolve the issue and you think your device has genuine Windows 7 SP1 / Windows 8.1 and also meets the system requirements, you may try to upgrade using ISO directly. Click here to read in details how to upgrade to Windows 10 using ISO.

 Not able to activate Windows 10

In case you upgraded to Windows 10 by using whatever method (Windows Update or ISO), but now your Windows is not activated, you should wait a bit as the Microsoft servers are very busy because of the general Windows 10 release. Leaving your device for one day may help in getting activated itself.

If it doesn’t yet get activated, you can try these preliminary steps.

  1. Go to Start , then select Settings > Update & security > Activation.
  2. Select Go to Store, and check to see if a valid license is available for your device. If a license isn’t available, you’ll need to buy Windows from the Store.

If above steps didn’t work then there may be several reasons behind this. Some of the reasons are given below but for a bigger compilation of error codes click here.

Error 0xC004F061:

You upgraded to Windows 10, but didn’t have a previous version or the correct edition of Windows installed.

  • You’re using a product key to upgrade to Windows 10, but a previous version of Windows wasn’t installed on your PC. To update, you need to have Windows 8 or Windows 7 already on your PC.
  • If you formatted or replaced your hard drive, you won’t be able to use a product key to update to Windows 10. You’ll need to install your previous version of Windows, and then reinstall Windows 10.

A different version of Windows or the product key might have been used as part of a repair:

If you took your PC to a repair shop or to someone who builds and fixes PCs, it’s possible that a different version of Windows was installed to complete a repair. Or, if a different product key was used for your PC during the repair, that key might be blocked if it was used on more PCs than the Microsoft Software License Terms allow.

If Windows was activated before your PC was repaired or rebuilt, then re-entering the product key that came with your PC or original copy of Windows might solve the problem. You can also try reinstalling your original version of Windows.

One copy of Windows might have been installed on multiple PCs (error 0xC004C008):

If you have one copy of Windows and installed it on more than one PC, activation might not work because the product key has already been used on another PC, or it’s being used on more PCs than the Microsoft Software License Terms allow.

If your product key is being used on more PCs than the Microsoft Software License Terms allow, you’ll need to buy a new product key or copy of Windows for each of your PCs in order to activate them.

Counterfeit software:

If you have a counterfeit copy of Windows that wasn’t published and licensed by Microsoft, activation won’t work because Microsoft won’t be able to create a match between your PC’s hardware profile and your 25-character product key.

The How to Tell webpage on the Microsoft website can help you figure out if your copy of Windows is counterfeit. If it is, you’ll need to buy a new copy of Windows.

Used PC:

If you bought a used PC with Windows already installed on it, it’s possible that the product key is being used on more PCs than the Microsoft Software License Terms allow.

You might need to ask the seller you bought the used PC from for the original Windows DVD and product key. If the DVD and product key aren’t available, or if you tried them and still can’t activate, you’ll need to buy a new key or copy of Windows.

Hardware changes:

If you made substantial hardware changes to your PC, such as replacing your hard drive or motherboard, Windows might no longer be activated on your PC. For info on how to activate your PC, see the product activation article.

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