โFeb 07 2021 06:37 AM
Hi,
I'm using the Windows 10 Evaluation software (been using the software for years) but since a few days when I install the OS it gives an 'license has expired' and 'product key has been blocked' when I try to activate.
downloaded the latest ISO, same issue.
dear Microsoft: please check the (pre-pidded! product key in the activation servers and remove it from the blacklist please.
โFeb 07 2021 07:50 AM
โFeb 07 2021 07:55 AM
have you ever installed the ISO from the evaluation center? then you know that it is pre-pidded (eg: is has a product key factory installed that can be activated for an unlimited amount of times but it only activated windows for 90 days and then the installation is expired
this is mainly used for lab installation (such as the config I'm using it for)
so no you don't need to buy a product key, you can reinstall and reinstall the 90 day eval every time.
what I mean by 'using it for years' is that I have been using this evaluation construction since windows XP (you could get an eval for that)
โFeb 07 2021 07:57 AM
@HotCakeX This exact same behaviour happens to me. For posterity, I am a fully licensed Windows 10 user with a copy of Windows 10 Professional. I use the Evaluation version to build test machines in Hyper-V that I use for blogging. Since 2015, I have been able to rearm each Windows 10 evaluation version twice and then rebuild them once the evaluation expires. As I am constantly running tests this model works perfectly - these are not production machines and are regularly rebuilt.
As the OP says this model of using the evaluation version for testing (surprisingly, that's what it is meant for!) has worked for nearly six years, yet last week, ALL product keys for Windows 10 evaluation are now blocked. EVERY version of Windows 10 (from RTM through to 20H2) now shows "product key blocked". I created a brand new VM and installed from a freshly-downloaded copy of the Windows 10 Enterprise ISO - the same happened, instantly expired and blocked.
It's all very well claiming "you must buy a copy" but for ALREADY FULLY LICENSED USERS running VMs on (Windows 10!) Hyper-V for evaluation purposes, how many copies do I need to buy to use the virtualization software Microsoft have provided? As OP said, this model has worked since inception and clearly Microsoft have now blacklisted or blocked the evaluation keys.
โFeb 07 2021 08:05 AM
๐๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ. ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐๐ช๐ค๐ณ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฐ๐ง๐ต ๐ด๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ณ 1-906-373-3599, ๐ต๐ฐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ.
โFeb 07 2021 08:17 AM
@JamesRankin wrote:@HotCakeX This exact same behaviour happens to me. For posterity, I am a fully licensed Windows 10 user with a copy of Windows 10 Professional. I use the Evaluation version to build test machines in Hyper-V that I use for blogging. Since 2015, I have been able to rearm each Windows 10 evaluation version twice and then rebuild them once the evaluation expires. As I am constantly running tests this model works perfectly - these are not production machines and are regularly rebuilt.
As the OP says this model of using the evaluation version for testing (surprisingly, that's what it is meant for!) has worked for nearly six years, yet last week, ALL product keys for Windows 10 evaluation are now blocked. EVERY version of Windows 10 (from RTM through to 20H2) now shows "product key blocked". I created a brand new VM and installed from a freshly-downloaded copy of the Windows 10 Enterprise ISO - the same happened, instantly expired and blocked.
It's all very well claiming "you must buy a copy" but for ALREADY FULLY LICENSED USERS running VMs on (Windows 10!) Hyper-V for evaluation purposes, how many copies do I need to buy to use the virtualization software Microsoft have provided? As OP said, this model has worked since inception and clearly Microsoft have now blacklisted or blocked the evaluation keys.
Well like I said, you need to contact Microsoft support directly
https://support.microsoft.com/
This forum is not Microsoft support, users can't help with that kind of thing which is operated strictly by Microsoft employees.
โFeb 07 2021 08:23 AM
@bakker_erik wrote:
have you ever installed the ISO from the evaluation center? then you know that it is pre-pidded (eg: is has a product key factory installed that can be activated for an unlimited amount of times but it only activated windows for 90 days and then the installation is expired
this is mainly used for lab installation (such as the config I'm using it for)
so no you don't need to buy a product key, you can reinstall and reinstall the 90 day eval every time.
what I mean by 'using it for years' is that I have been using this evaluation construction since windows XP (you could get an eval for that)
Okay, that sentence kind of threw me off, thought you've been using evaluation software for years, meaning non-stop, that's why I suggested to buy a product key.
but yes I've used evaluation copy/trial many times.
โFeb 08 2021 03:54 AM
โFeb 08 2021 06:10 AM
@Dean Brighton Hello same issue here. One solution I found is to use the Windows 10 LTSC 1809, the activation key is still working.
โFeb 08 2021 07:47 AM
@Dean Brighton You mean you CAN get it to activate for 90 days? Mine show expired as soon as they are built :(
โFeb 08 2021 09:26 AM
โFeb 08 2021 10:57 PM
@bakker_erikJust tested again and it has been fixed now.