Reactivate Windows -- Yes or No?

[Nikilet]

My friend is in a fix. She suddenly got this page or pop up stating:
Since Windows was first activated on this computer the hardware on the computer has changed significantly. Due to these changes Windows must be reactivated within 3 days. do you want to reactivate Windows now. Yes or No

She upgraded to Windows 10 during the time Microsoft was offering it for free. Anyway, can someone tell me if this message is for real and if she should select YES to reactivate?

I've Googled it but every link I've read so far has to do with XP, not with Windows 10.

 

[Trouble]

IDK..... I've definitely heard of it, but don't believe I've ever actually seen it.
Perhaps it would be better to have her check her machine Settings -> Update & Security -> Activation (in left column) to see what the OS says about her license, rather than responding to a "pop up"

 

[Nikilet]

IDK..... I've definitely heard of it, but don't believe I've ever actually seen it.
Perhaps it would be better to have her check her machine Settings -> Update & Security -> Activation (in left column) to see what the OS says about her license, rather than responding to a "pop up"

I guess she can't do what you ask. She's got a 2-tone blue screen and on top of that this window with the messge about reactivation. There is no taskbar -- nothing.

To be clear, she says that she has not clicked on anything within this window since it first popped up. If she uses the keys Shift+Alt+Esc that window will disappear but then she's just left with that strange 2-tone screen.

She can't even try a System Restore because she can't get to it.

 

[Trouble]

And Ctrl + Alt + Delete doesn't provide any means of launching task manager or shutting down the computer?

 

[Nikilet]

And Ctrl + Alt + Delete doesn't provide any means of launching task manager or shutting down the computer?

No, it did not bring up Task Manager or anything.

While I was on the phone with her she did several forced restarts. She would get different Windows windows, meaning XP, Windows 7 and once she got the actual Windows 10. I had her go to Settings/Activation and it showed that her Windows is activated.

Then she tried to do a System Restore but it just went round and round and finally a whole page opened with the reactivation deal on it. It wasn't just a window on top of that 2-tone blue screen, but a whole page. This time she clicked "yes" but it could not activate. She could retry, remind me later or phone activate. She decided to go ahead and phone activate. I just hope she has her activation code. Is there a way to get that? Is that Product ID found under System/About the number?

Update: She went through the update process via phone and now she ends up with Windows XP.
Can anyone help, please?

 

[Regedit32]

That may be a new variation of a Windows License scam.

See here for details on it and how to remove it:

https://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-your-windows-licence-has-expired-virus-support-scam/

 

[Nikilet]

That may be a new variation of a Windows License scam.

See here for details on it and how to remove it:

https://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-your-windows-licence-has-expired-virus-support-scam/

Her message did not say that Windows 10 had expired. It said what I posted initally.

 

[Regedit32]

Well Microsoft posted this page re Activation

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change


That is really weird though that its rolling back to XP.

She may have to create a bootable Windows 10 disk and to an in-place upgrade to get things working again.

 

[Nikilet]

How can she create a bootable Windows 10 disk if she does not have Windows 10? Also, it would appear that the information contained in her files and folders all reverted back to older information. This is very disastrous because they run a pretty large farming operation and I can hardly believe it, but, she did not have this stuff backed up anywhere.

This all happened about 3:45 this afternoon. Another strange thing is that when her computer came back as XP, she went to System Restore and there is only one restore point there and it is today at 3:45 p.m. I wonder if using that restore point would take her back to before she did the reactivation and ended up with XP???

 

[Regedit32]

Well she'll have to borrow someone else's computer, download the iso and create one.

There is not a lot you can do if she has no backups at all.

Or telephone Microsoft and ask them to send her one.

If it really is on Windows XP now, then she may even need to do a Full Clean Install.


Is it possible this entire mess has something to do with Microsoft releasing a patch for that ransomware to XP users.

It may have snuck in onto her system. She ought to mention that to Microsoft if calling again,

If she can borrow a computer, and create a DVD or USB bootable she may be able to use the Recovery Console > Troubleshooting to get to more Restore points. When my own Restore points crashed a while back, using the Recovery Console revealed about 10 I had.

 

[Regedit32]

Can she get into Safe Mode with XP?

She could at least start backup up important files, emails etcetera.

 

[Trouble]

She would get different Windows windows, meaning XP, Windows 7 and once she got the actual Windows 10. I had her go to Settings/Activation and it showed that her Windows is activated.

Not too sure what might be going on here.
Does this computer have multiple operating systems install in a dual / multi boot type scenario?
My thoughts are that it is some kind of scam as Regedit32 stated. Especially if, as you reported she did finally manage to get into Windows 10 and it showed that it was activated.

I think the best question to ask now is....

the hardware on the computer has changed significantly

IS that true? Has she made significant hardware changes, which would mean a different motherboard or something equally as drastic?

 

[Wolfie]

Hi all,

I had this recently myself on a friends laptop after changing soundcard drivers (yes I know!), the best thing to do is to install a new version of W10 and then activate it by phone!.

See the following links which might help, basically, when you try and activate it because you changed hardware; it will lock-up the system, click on activate now and then when it throws you back, click on "Activate by phone" and select the country you are in and answer any questions and have pen and paper ready for a long set of numbers which you will need to enter!.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12440/windows-10-activation

https://www.groovypost.com/howto/fix-windows-10-product-key-activation/

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...-windows/33f31475-93b3-4d1c-812f-4b21fbd807a7

MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER VERSION YOU HAD INSTALLED EARLIER, IS THE SAME VERSION YOU ARE RE-INSTALLING!. If you installed home, then use that, likewise with Pro etc.!

 

[Regedit32]

I had this recently myself on a friends laptop after changing soundcard drivers

Hi Wolfie,

So you are saying you saw this pop-up with the message:

Since Windows was first activated on this computer the hardware on the computer has changed significantly. Due to these changes Windows must be reactivated within 3 days. do you want to reactivate Windows now. Yes or No

Did you also experience a roll back to a previous Windows OS, as the OP mentions the affected computer is currently displaying Windows XP.

 

[Wolfie]

Since Windows was first activated on this computer the hardware on the computer has changed significantly. Due to these changes Windows must be reactivated within 3 days. do you want to reactivate Windows now. Yes or No

Hi Regedit32,

I do remember the message above but not the part about Win XP!. I was working on a W10 installation at the time because we had changed soundcard drivers and ended up using the phone service.

Sorry; I did overlook the bit about XP, maybe the OP should try phone activation anyway, an MS employee will ask a few questions and then they will be certain that they are dealing with MS directly and not clicking on any strange links!. A list of countries will be shown and they just need to dial that number for their country (toll free).

Sorry if I misread what is being said here!.

If my remarks are not correct although well intended, please feel free to delete my posts in this thread, I don't want to add to confusion!.

 

[Regedit32]

Sorry if I misread what is being said here!.

I'm not saying your are wrong Wolfie.

I was interested in what you actually saw and how you dealt with it.

I've been thinking this seems more like a variation of a known virus, as I stated in my first reply.

They are convinced its not, so when you posted you've been through the same thing; it caught my eye.


I've seen some odd bugs, but nothing like has been described here.

 

[Wolfie]

Hi Regedit32,

I would try phone activation anyway if I were in their shoes as MS will tell them if something is afoot!.

It is a straightforward process and I have to ask the question:

"did the OP make any changes to their hardware?".

When I did the phone process; we did change hardware drivers and mucked around with a re-install and that is why I/we got the message, I don't know anything about a virus though?.

This might be useful?. (Click on run when it appears and a diagnostic tool will tell you what to do next!)

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52012

 

[davehc]

Difficult to understand the OP's dilemma.
fwiw. The message is, indeed, mreferring to what I assume was her original OS - XP

Microsoft introduced a “digital entitlement” option a while ago. this allows you to tie a successful Windows 10 activation to your Microsoft account. This was to help users who had successfully upgraded to Windows 10 and then to make a clean install of Windows 10; in a few cases, the cloud-based activation check would fail, leaving them with a copy of Windows 10 that would not activate.

“The digital License is tied to the Hardware ID, but to allow an exception after a motherboard change, the Microsoft Account can be used as a validation that you were the owner,

I understand a phone activation would result in the user getting the original XP key (in her case.). Which explains why she now has XP (Post #5)

No offence, but is it possible that a harddisk,already containing Windows 10, or a completed Windows 10 OS, , was transferred to her machine?

 

[Wolfie]

Hi Dave,

this is a quote directly from MS:

"You should not face any issue while activating Windows 10 unless you are performing any hardware changes. If your Windows is activated and you are installing Windows 10, it will be activated automatically. Since Windows 10 is hardware specific, the product key is embedded in hardware. ".

Original link:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...e-can-be/31d00ae7-9c01-428d-9c82-aef09e934e3b

Like you said (I asked the same thing above), the OP needs to tell everyone whether or not any hardware was changed!.

 

[davehc]

The link/QA, is very old
Have a look here:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/20527/windows-10-activation-troubleshooter

Look, for example, under the subject recently mad a hardware change.