Getting Windows 11 Pro OEM embedded key to upgrade to Enterprise via E5 license.
I am having problems getting Windows 11 Pro 24H2 to upgrade to Enterprise edition using the E5 license method. I have review all the step propose by Microsoft with regards to deploying Windows Enterprise License. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/deploy-enterprise-licenses?pivots=windows-11 The machine is Entra Hybrid Join and shows up in Azure. The login user has a license for E5 assigned to him/her and is signed into their Work and School account. The Device State of Microsoft Entra Join shows Yes for AzureAdJoined. Under Activation shows "window is activated with a digital License", but within activation setting it shows windows 11 Pro instead of Enterprise along with system information and via command prompt Winevr. Schedule task for licenseacquisition Subscription show it has run successfully. I am not sure what else I should looked for in term of why Our laptop are not switching to Enterprise with E5 License, perhaps someone with some tips or come across something like this let me know.
W11 Pro OEM not activating - also no key in the envelope
I've bought a Windows 11 Professional OEM. For reasons unknown to myself I could not start the installation from the DVD, meaning it didn't boot from the DVD. So I re-inserted my HDD with Windows 10 on it and installed it directly from and over Windows 10, which worked well. Problem: W11 is now harassing me by displaying a permanent message to activate it. From what I've read the OEM is supposed to do that automatically, but it didn't and no key is to be found anywhere. I tried every chain of characters on the envelopes the DVD came in but it didn't work. I've tried the "troubleshoot" option in the Activation Settings menu. I assume it didn't work out because of my method of installation, so I tried the "I recently changed hardware on this device", which technically is true as basically everything except the HDD I installed W11 on is new, but that didn't work either. Windows is simply asking me to spend another 200 something € after I've already spend a lot of money on the OEM. And yes, I've bought the OEM from a reputable source (alternate.de) which has been in business for over 30 years and is a known and trusted retailer of hard and software. I buy everything there and never had issues. So yeah, I'm at wits end.Save the date: Windows Office Hours - February 19, 2026
Join us for our upcoming Windows Office Hours on February 19, from 8:00–9:00 AM PT! A wide range of product experts, servicing specialists, and engineers from across Windows, Microsoft Intune, Configuration Manager, Windows 365, Windows Autopilot, security, public sector, FastTrack, and more will be online and ready to help. They’ll be in the chat to offer guidance, explore best practices, and answer any questions you bring. Want to learn more about how Windows Office Hours works? Visit the Windows IT Pro Blog for a full overview. If you’re unable to join live at 8:00 AM PT, you can still participate—just post your questions on the Windows Office Hours: February 19th event page up to two days beforehand.Is obs screen recorder the best option for screen recording on PC or Mac?
Looking for reliable screen recording software for both Windows and Mac. OBS Studio is frequently recommended, but is it truly the best option for screen recording on a PC or Mac? The primary needs are recording software tutorials and occasional gameplay, with a focus on solid video quality and clear audio capture. A free screen recorder tool is preferred, but ease of setup and a user-friendly interface are important factors to consider. Would appreciate comparisons between OBS screen recorder and other popular alternatives. Please share what you use and why it works best for your screen recording tasks.
Windows 11 not activating after mainboard replacement, troubleshooter doesn't run, can't get support
I work from home with my PC running Windows 11 Pro 25H2. My Windows license has a long lineage, starting with a retail Windows 8 DVD, which was successively updated for free to Windows 8.1, 10, and 11, activating it with a digital license automatically issued by Microsoft at every update and renewed without issue at every Windows reinstall. So, I don't have a Windows 11 product key, and since the original retail purchase was over a decade ago, I don't have the Windows 8 DVD or its key anymore either (not that I think that it would work anyway). During all those years, my PC had several hardware changes that affected the activation, but back in those days you could easily talk to a Microsoft support representative, and they always solved my problem. Now, however, Microsoft has made that extremely difficult. More about this later on. My mainboard just died a few days ago, and I was forced to replace it. I did not reinstall Windows, I'm still using the same old boot drive with the same Windows install. I knew I would lose the Windows activation, but I counted on that being easy to resolve, as it was the previous times. Was I wrong! I searched what I should do and found that I had to run the activation troubleshooter on the Settings -> System -> Activation window and inform that my hardware had changed. However, when I click on the Troubleshoot button, nothing happens, other than the mouse cursor briefly blinking. THE TROUBLESHOOTER WINDOW DOES NOT APPEAR AND IT DOES NOT RUN. I ran sfc /scannow, rebooted, and tried again. Nothing changed. I tried to contact Microsoft's support, but after walking in circles through a lot of knowledge base articles that the site force-fed me and that obviously didn't help, I finally found an actual contact link. It asked me for the type of issue, and I selected "Windows activation". After another truckload of useless KB articles, it asked me to inform my installation ID (not the product key), which, according to that page, should appear on the Activation window. The window does not show the installation ID. I searched again and found that I could obtain the installation ID with the command slmgr /dtl. Indeed, it showed the ID — in a separate pop-up window that doesn't allow copying the text. It's a very long sequence of digits (63, I think) that I had to manually and carefully type into the form. I had a few false starts (it's easy to mistype when it's 63 seemingly random digits), but the form warned me that the ID was invalid and I retyped it until I got it right. Then I got a response that said that my installation could not be validated and I could close the window. No contact link, nothing more. Dead end. Microsoft refused to even hear me! So, the recommended solution doesn't work and Microsoft won't even let me contact them and explain my problem. I don't want to buy a new Windows license, not only because of the expense, but also because it wouldn't be fair. After all, until a few days ago I was a legitimate user with a fully licensed and activated Windows install, according to Microsoft's own terms. In the meantime, I'm writing this with that ugly watermark on my monitor... What can I do? Thank you very much in advance for any help.
How do I unpair my windows license from my old PC
I recently built a new PC, and used my windows home license from my old custom built PC to activate windows. This happened automatically as I logged into my microsoft account. Now I want to sell my old pc, so I've done a full clean install of windows and fully cleared the drives. I also removed the old pc from my list of devices on my microsoft account. After reinstalling windows on the old pc, I bypassed the login offline to see if everything was successfully deleted without having to log into my microsoft account. I also checked my key activation. I then plugged in my ethernet cable, and almost instantly windows notified that it was activated. Despite my license already being active on my new pc, and being removed from my devices on my account, it still automatically pairs with my old pc once it connects to the internet. I've ofcourse already tried slmgr /upk and slmgr /cpky, but this didn't fix the issue, since once I press the "resolve issue" button next to the missing license, it just automatically pairs with my personal license. Microsoft most likely just has a database with pc and license pairs, to conveniently auto-connect product keys to pcs. my old pc needs to be removed from this, and it's ridiculous that there is no easy way to do this, if there is a way at all. I'm afraid that when I sell my old pc, the new user will automatically pair with my license, and (possibly?) throw my new pc off my own license. Does anyone know how to resolve this issue? I've already had 2 chats with microsoft support, and they had no idea what to do. I could ofcourse throw a 3rd party OEM license on it, but this doesn't seem like the intended behavior of product licenses.How to escalate support issues.
I have an issue with Microsoft's Backup and Restore and File History on Windows 11. Specifically, the shadow copy space is empty and set to 1GB, but the error complains that the shadow space is full or too small. (I've run through every support article available) This was all working fine (on Win 11) until a couple of weeks ago. However, the support chat claims this is 3rd-party software and that Windows 7 backups cannot be restored to Windows 11, which has nothing to do with the issue at hand. The machine has never had Windows 7 installed, but the support agent insists that Windows 7 is unsupported, and hence, I'm using 3rd-party software and will not transfer me to anyone else, and no longer responds. The agent's reasoning just doesn't make sense to me. Is there any way to raise a support issue for Windows 11 or its components? This reminds me of trying to install Windows Vista; although it was a forced upgrade that failed, the support agent just insisted Microsoft Vista wasn't Microsoft software.
Why does the "Properties" window still display a light theme in Windows 11's dark mode?
In Windows 11, even though the system theme is set to dark mode, when right-clicking on a file or folder to open the "Properties" window, its interface remains in a light theme, which does not coordinate with the dark design of other parts of the system. I want to confirm whether this is the system's established design, a known defect, or an issue that can be adjusted through settings, and seek possible solutions.
