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Dec 08, 2016 Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu and select System. Click the Change product key link under the Windows. This will remove the product key from the registry if it's still there. Enter slmgr /rearm and wait for this to complete. This is to reset the Windows activation timers so the new users will be prompted to activate Windows when they put in the key. This should put the system back to a pre-key state. Hope this helps you out!
I'm having a hard time finding and answer to this. If I had to hypotheitcally remove the Windows license key from a VM that's been specifically setup for a partner, and it needs to be removed before the VM is handed over, how would I go about doing this? Naturally the built-in 30 day grace period has expired and I'm using an MSDN license key, but I need to remove the key before handing the VM off. The recipient can input their own license key. e.g. how do I reset the Activation Key Wizard's nagging?
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closed as off-topic by Deduplicator, durron597, JasonMArcher, mario, Mark RotteveelJun 15 '15 at 10:54
This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:
- 'Questions about general computing hardware and software are off-topic for Stack Overflow unless they directly involve tools used primarily for programming. You may be able to get help on Super User.' – Deduplicator, durron597, JasonMArcher, Mark Rotteveel
2 Answers
- Open a command prompt as an Administrator.
- Enter
slmgr /upk
and wait for this to complete. This will uninstall the current product key from Windows and put it into an unlicensed state. - Enter
slmgr /cpky
and wait for this to complete. This will remove the product key from the registry if it's still there. - Enter
slmgr /rearm
and wait for this to complete. This is to reset the Windows activation timers so the new users will be prompted to activate Windows when they put in the key.
This should put the system back to a pre-key state.
Hope this helps you out!
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On Windows XP -
- Reboot into 'Safe mode with Command Prompt'
- Type 'explorer' in the command prompt that comes up and push [Enter]
- Click on Start>Run, and type the following :rundll32.exe syssetup,SetupOobeBnk
This will reset the 30 day timer for activation back to 30 days so you can enter in the key normally.
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Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged windowslicensingactivation or ask your own question.
Activation is a protection mechanism implemented in Windows 10 and earlier versions against piracy. It first appeared in Windows XP and exists with different changes and improvements in Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10. When activation is successful, usually it indicates that your copy of Windows is genuine. There may be times when you need to deactivate your copy of Windows 10 in order to transfer your license to another PC. Here is how you can deactivate your copy of Windows 10.
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Activation verifies that your copy of Windows is not used on more devices than the license allows. If you are about to sell or give away your PC but want to keep Windows 10 installed there, it is a good idea to deactivate it. Deactivation is also useful if you want to use your product key on some other PC and stop using it on the current PC.Reset Windows 10 Activation Key Free
In this article, we will see how to deactivate Windows 10 by uninstalling the product key. Additionally, we will see how to install another product key instead.
To deactivate Windows 10 by uninstalling the product key, you need to do the following:
- Open an elevated command prompt.
- Type or paste the following command:
- Wait till the command finishes its work. At the end, you will see the following message:
Windows 10 will become deactivated. You can visit the Settings app and check out the 'Activation' page and check the activation state. It will look like this:
After you deactivate Windows 10, you might be interested in clearing the product key from the Registry so it cannot be viewed with special apps and scripts.
Please keep in mind that if you reach the online activation limit, e.g. by activating many PCs with the same key, you may have to activate your copy of Windows by phone since the online activation will fail.
To install a new product key, you need to type the following command in the elevated command prompt:
We have a nice article which covers this process in detail: How to change Windows 10 product key.
RECOMMENDED: Click here to fix Windows errors and optimize system performance