CF-31 has 'lost' it's Windows 10 Pro activation key - DPS won't run - No Wi-Fi and Ethernet

My CF-31 has lost it's Windows 10 Pro activation key authentication and the Diagnostic Policy Service will not start.

It has Win 10 Pro installed on it (was installed by the seller when I bought the system) and until a few days ago everything was fine. Then one day it started showing 'shaded' messages about Windows being not activated, and the DPS was not able to be started. Also the Wi-Fi and Ethernet are both locked out.

I tried entering the product key off the label on the underside of the system (it says it's for Win 7 which probably was the default factory version installed) and that didn't work.

I can get the computer to link to the internet using my usb dongle based wireless broadband service, but the Wi-Fi and ethernet functions are still locked out.

I've tried a handful of approaches to try and get the DPS to run but the same error code comes back, and I can't figure out how I'll re-activate Windows. Buying an official copy of Win 10 Pro is going to cost me something like A$400 !

If I go to Windows Update in the System settings it says its missing update KB4551762 (2020-03 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1903 for x64-based System) but will not download it with the attempt to download it stopping at 1 percent.

What options do I have? I've never had to deal with Windows activation issues in the past (with the older Toughbooks while all have Xp Pro on them).

Craig.

 

It seems the seller used one key for multiple pc's. Also it's very strange your win7pro key doesn't work for win10pro. As is the blocked internet access. In this case I would think there may be additional problems and I would prefer to reinstall win10pro with your win7pro key to be sure your OS is clean and safe. 1 hour task.

 

Somewhere I do have a USB stick which I got from the seller with a copy of Win 10 Pro. I'm suspecting it's a malware or virus effect as I ran Clamwin and it picked up a bunch of things.

Internet access not blocked - using it right now via my mobile broadband USB dongle. Wi-fi and ethernet are disabled and cannot be enabled because DPS will not run.

I don't think I have a big enough USB stick spare to backup my files onto but what is the best way to save/backup/protect my files in order to re-install Windows from scratch?

 

Download official Windows 10 installation tool

The best way for backup in your case is to save (copy) only important files/documents etc, but not Windows settings. Of course it's better to copy them to an external media, but you can make a secondary partition and copy your docs there. Of course do not delete that partition during reinstall

 

I tried to use the Windows 10 install tool from

https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/software-download/windows10

but when I ran it I got a very wierd error code with a note saying the tool cannot be run on this PC.

The error code is 0x8008005 0x90018.

So the easy way of doing an on-PC repair install with the Microsoft-supplied tool isn't going to work.

I didn't know about that tool until I saw it in a Britec youtube video.

 

Ok, run it on another PC

 

Check this out...
https://windowsreport-com.cdn.amppr...indowsreport.com/windows-10-error-0x80080005/

 

Thanks I will have a good read. I now have located my USB stick with Win 10 pro, and also obtained a 256 gb USB stick to use for backing up my files and other data before I muck around with anything.

Going into 'PC Settings' and attempting to get updates says:

"There were some problems installing updates, but we'll try again later. If you keep seeing this and want to search the web or contact support for information, this may help: (0x8007042c)"

I've been able to use my USB mobile broadband dongle to use the Internet as both the wi-fi and the ethernet ports are disabled due to DPS not running.

 

I've saved my files to a USB and tried to boot the system from the bootable Win 10 copy on a USB stick supplied by the seller when I bought my CF-31 a couple of years ago. It begins the process and I get given two options - the standard one doesn't work, and I don't feel comfortable trying the advanced one.

Can someone direct me to a good comprehensive guide to booting Win 10 from a USB stick and using that to fully-reinstall Windows from scratch?

At least the attempt to boot from the USB stick has not diddled the existing installation (otherwise I couldn't access the internet to post this), but I still have no usable ethernet or wi-fi because the DPS isn't running, and I can't get the system to install required Windows updates.

Ta if you can offer some instructive help.

PS. One option could be to get a new SSD, install that in place of the current one (so the system has a genuinely fresh C drive that's never had an OS installed) and try that out. It's a bit drastic and I really shouldn't need to, but it's an option I suppose. Current C drive is a Samsung ssd evo 850 500 gb according to it's hardware properties.

 

https://software-download.microsoft...1591709226&h=c4b36aab4ad8f954274e680f34996e2d
24h link
win7 usb dvd download tool

Download both files, run the second one and point it to the first one and your usb flash drive.
Boot from that usb drive, install

 

I posted this yesterday but it's been updated since I had some wins today - yay.

Yesterday I initially tried the 'repair system' option under 'recovery' in the system options (after saving my files to a seperate USB stick) but it returned a message saying it can't repair the system. No reason why. I reckon the registry was corrupted causing the DPS to not run.

The only anti-virus package I had on the old installation was Clamwin and that doesn't seem to work that well - it'll scan everything (takes a few hrs) and report findings but it doesn't repair anything. I have a suspicion the DPS is not running because something's corrupting something in the registry (which I have no experience in so won't try fiddling with). If that was running I've had functioning ethernet and wi-fi again I think.

Today I had more time to try things and research the process. It turns out that (a) the product key on the bottom of the machine is actually valid (yay), (b) that I had to use the 'advanced' option, clean/erase the main partition (SSD - took like 2 seconds!), then incredibly the install actually worked.

I found the Cortana voice talking to me all the time quite annoying, but it took much longer to download and install all the Windows updates the system wanted (probably 6 hours) than to re-install Win 10 off the USB stick.

My internet connection is ADSL2+ but there's major knobbling on that because in just over two months that gets forcibly disconnected due to NBN co terminating the lease that Telstra (the former owner of the in-ground copper network) has. I'm in the process of upgrading to NBN with a much newer VDSL-capable router. Australia is being forced to accept a sub-standard telco network still mosting using copper pairs into residential premises.

 

I've been loading Win 10 on several TB's. Much faster to choose "I don't have an Internet connection" or Advanced then "Don't update now" (or something like that), then once Win 10 is up and running I manually connect and update Win 10. Win 10 seems to be accepting Win 7 keys as long as they are the equivalent version e.g. Pro.

 

Yikes, still this bad? I knew it was bad years ago, but I thought ~10 years later, it would have gotten better. Hopefully Starlink (or something like it) will motivate your local telcos to meaningfully upgrade the network!

Either way, hopefully your reinstall works out!

 

I didn't know residences ever had anything more than copper wire from telco or cable company. Every place in the USA that I have ever lived only had copper running to the house, even though backbone lines are fiber optic.