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I have an HP laptop that came pre-installed with windows 10. MSFT update asked me to update to windows 11. Now I can't activate it. I tried using the original product key and it's is rejected. How can I fix this or get support from someone at MSFT?
I reinstalled from scratch making a boot usb drive and using this hack to allow me to go to previous version of install, so I could ensure Windows 11 Home was selected. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYoQ_pPs_MQ&t=144s. After the install it was automatically activated (likely found the digitial key).
Unfortunate that windows update led me astray.
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The installation should use a key in BIOS and install correct edition automatically.
Meanwhile please repair system files by
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
command from Windows Terminal (admin) environment and re-run commands to see a key.
Seems something is wrong with the system.
Please contact HP support and ask whether Windows was preinstalled to this laptop.
the HP support sent me over here. It did come preinstalled. I'm going to a clean install of windows and hopefully it let's me choose Home. Then I'm not sure where I'll go from there. Not sure if the ShowKeyPlus is giving me the right code.
Please run Windows Terminal and run
powershell "(Get-WmiObject -query ‘select * from SoftwareLicensingService’).OA3xOriginalProductKey"
command. If it will show product key (do not type it here), reinstall Windows 11 Home.
Not sure if I did powershell right but here are the results of both the suggestions.
Hi,
My name is Igor. It's a pleasure for me to help others and I'll try to help you. I am merely a fellow user trying to provide insight and information that may be helpful to others.
What exactly did you receive as a confirmation Windows 10 retail version? Please show Activation page of Settings and the result of slmgr /dlv command.
Note, this is strange purchase, because laptop with retail Windows is noticeably more expensive than laptop with preinstalled Windows. I may suppose that unfair seller took a laptop without Windows and installed illegal system.
Hi Igor,
I got that retail information from ShowKeyPlus but looking back at my original receipt that doesn't look right. Again - this laptop was purchased directly from HP and I'm the only owner, purchased new. When I look at my receipt it says Windows 11 Home 64 Plus. So maybe the issue is that for some reason Windows Update updated me to Pro instead of Home. Is there a way to down grade to Home?
I've attached screen shots for some of what you requested - oddly slmgr gives an error.
Generally an update from Windows 10 to Windows 11 will always follow the edition that was installed previously.
If you want to try you can see if the HP device has a licence embedded in the bios. Open a Command prompt (Admin) and enter:
wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey [press return] and it should display a 25 character product key. This is the licence from HP. Use ShowKeyPlus to check the product key edition.
There is no easy way to downgrade Pro to Home other than a clean install.
