I can't activate Windows

[Stanka1]

Hello everyone. I have some issues with my PC HP Compaq dc7800 CMT. When I type the Product Key to activate Windows 7 Professional, it blows a dialog with the error: "Licensing service detected, that the rating of the license failed." What can be the issue?

P.S.: The HDD SAMSUNG HD320KJ with Windows 7 was been switched from my not working desktop HP Compaq dc7900 Small Form Factor.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

The problem is twofold...

1. No HP dc7800 came with W7 so there is no W7 marker in the BIOS like there is in a dc7900.

2. It is against the Microsoft licensing rules to transfer an OEM license from one PC to another.

I have attached those rules below.

[PortlandiaIT]

Where are you getting the Product Key from?

There are 2 types of product keys out there.  The first type is often on a sticker on the back or bottom of the PC.  This is an OEM product key.  It will say what version of Windows that the key is good for.  Windows 7 Professional, Windows Vista, Windows 8, etc.

Microsoft USED to allow OEM Product keys for 8 to be used to activate windows 7 because for a while after machines were first sold with 8 on them, MS allowed for "downgrade rights" because many people were not willing to run 8 on the machines.  They would be offered a choice of 8 or 7 on initial boot.   The same thing was done for Vista and XP - many machines that have OEM Product keys for Vista will activate XP on them.

But then MS stopped having manufacturers put product key numbers and stickers on PCs and they locked out downgrade rights for OEM keys.  Then later on, they locked out activation for OEM keys for ANY version of windows other than windows 10.  OEM Product keys on machines today are useless for anything other than activating 10 on that machine, so if your machine lacks adequate ram or CPU for 10, then that key is useless.

OEM machines ALSO come with a BIOS SLIC code for 7, 8, 10 or 11.   Machines with 7 or 8 SLIC codes generally auto-activate if you load 10 on them. (with one exception I'll cover later)  Machines with SLIC codes for 10 will (obviously) activate with 10 but will also (currently) activate with 11.  I haven't tried loading 11 on a machine with a SLIC code for 7 or 8 but since all of those machines were pre-Nehalem CPU's they wouldn't be officially supported by 11 anyway.  I would assume a machine with a SLIC code for 11 will NOT activate 10.

With major maker machines from HP, Dell, Lenovo, etc. none of them came with OEM product key stickers after 7 early 8 years.

In addition, with OEM keys or SLIC codes for 7 and 8, you MUST normally use the "recovery load" from the manufacturer.  That is, the 7 or 8 install CD _MUST_ have on it the manufacturer's name.   You cannot use a Lenovo 7 install CD to load 7 on an HP, or a Dell.  That is because those CDs only contain SLIC License approvals for the versions from that manufacturer.  There IS a way to create what is known as an "AnyOEM" 7 install CD that contains SLIC license matches for ALL major manufacturers but once more, it is only going to allow you to activate 7 on a machine that has a BIOS SLIC code for 7.

Now, if you bought your Windows 7 over the counter from Microsoft, you will have gotten a box with a Product Key in it, and these keys are Retail product keys that are NOT tied to the BIOS SLIC code.  Same goes if you bought your Windows online, you will have got a Product Key via email.  Those can be loaded and activated on ANY machine (that has hardware with compatible drivers) as long as they are only loaded on ONE machine at a time.

In general, Microsoft has made it impossible to activate windows 7 on anything unless you are very very VERY cognizant on licensing technology and know EXACTLY what you are doing.  And this is as it should be because windows 7 systems are terribly insecure now and SHOULD NOT be used on the Internet for web surfing, etc.  Professionally I never load 7 on anything nowadays (with one exception) even specialty stuff that never touches the Internet.  For custom stuff like older specialty cash register software and such that never touches the Internet, it either gets win XP or win 10.  XP if the software won't run on 10, and 10 otherwise.

The one exception I've mentioned twice is there were a number of machines that were on the market in win 7 days that had BIOS SLIC codes for 7, but WILL NOT activate 10 if you do a clean 10 load on them.  This is a very random thing I have had machines that were exactly the same model number next to each other on the bench and one would activate 10 the other would not.  In those cases, I can load and activate 7 then once 7 is activated, do an "upgrade load" of 10 on those, and 10 will activate.  I don't know why those won't activate on a 10 clean load, and will activate on a 10 upgrade load, but whatever.  Probably Microsoft made a couple mistakes in locking out activation number series.

The final word I will say on this is that there is a grey area in licensing.  When 10 was released, Microsoft said everyone would get a "free upgrade" to 10 from 7 and 8 but it would only be good for a year so upgrade right away.  Then close to the end of the year they extended the "free upgrade" another year.  Then when that ended, they withdrew the "upgrade wizard" from the website.  But after that, people noted repeatedly on the Internet over and over that even though the "deadline" had been passed for the "free upgrade" that amazingly Microsoft's activation servers were still permitting activations from 7 to 10 on both upgrades and clean 10 loads.  Microsoft has been asked repeatedly and publicly why this is still the case if the so-called "free upgrade to 10" period is over - and they have ignored the question and not responded.  So we don't have a clear statement from MS that a 10 upgrade on a 7 system today is "legal" even if their activation servers approve an activation, which they appear to still be doing.  So you can draw whatever conclusion you want from that.

What all of this boils down to is the following:

Download both a win10 and win 11 install ISO.

Any older machine with a new hard disk, boot off 11 and if it will allow an install - install 11.  If it will not, boot off 10 and install 10.  If it shows up as not activated, AND if there's a product key on a sticker on the machine, change product key on the machine to that key and see if it activates.  Most times, it will.   If it does not, discard the machine.  That is the only safe and responsible thing to do these days.  Good luck.