Windows 8 Pro + Media Center self-deactivation

NeonMunky

New Member
Messages
8
Hi all, I've had a problem with Windows since early this morning. As the title states, it would seem that my Windows 8 Pro (64 bit) with Media Center has deactivated itself. It was working fine yesterday, but this morning I started my laptop to find that Windows was asking me to activate it. Strange, considering I've had it activated for around 10 months without any problems. I've tried the slui.exe 3 and 4 'fix' posted on the official Microsoft forum, with no results. Windows doesn't seem to be able to detect that I've got any product key, and when I try the code that I got from the confirmation of purchase email from microsoft, I get an error message that I am not running the correct version of windows that the code was purchased for.
Any advice would be appreciated
Regards,
Neon
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro + Media Center
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15R 5520
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3612QM CPU @ 2.10GHz, 2101 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dunno
    Memory
    8.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD7670M 1GB
    Sound Card
    Dunno
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Nope
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB
    PSU
    Dunno
    Case
    Dunno
    Cooling
    Dunno
    Keyboard
    Stock
    Mouse
    Microsoft Sidewinder X3
    Browser
    Google Chrome
I try the code that I got from the confirmation of purchase email from microsoft

Are you using the Media Centre key, & not Windows 8 key.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Nope, I'm definitely using the Windows 8 key. I tried with the Media Centre key just out of curiosity but that didn't work either.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro + Media Center
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15R 5520
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3612QM CPU @ 2.10GHz, 2101 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dunno
    Memory
    8.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD7670M 1GB
    Sound Card
    Dunno
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Nope
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB
    PSU
    Dunno
    Case
    Dunno
    Cooling
    Dunno
    Keyboard
    Stock
    Mouse
    Microsoft Sidewinder X3
    Browser
    Google Chrome
Have you used that Media Center key on more than one PC? Once you install and activate with Media Center, the media center product code is what your PC activates against. The original Windows 8 code is not used anymore as far as activation goes. You'll still need it if you ever reinstall though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
I haven't used it on more than one pc, no. Like I said, I haven't done anything else with the keys after they were used to activate Windows 8 and the Media Center, I literally just turned my laptop on and found that it has de-activated itself.
-Neon
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro + Media Center
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15R 5520
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3612QM CPU @ 2.10GHz, 2101 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dunno
    Memory
    8.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD7670M 1GB
    Sound Card
    Dunno
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Nope
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB
    PSU
    Dunno
    Case
    Dunno
    Cooling
    Dunno
    Keyboard
    Stock
    Mouse
    Microsoft Sidewinder X3
    Browser
    Google Chrome
OK, just wanted to make sure. The Media Center product code is only good for one PC. If you didn't know that and had tried to use it on several PC's that could have explained what happened. Also you want to use the Media Center key with slui.exe, not the 8 Pro key. Downloading and running the MGAdiag tool might clew you in to what's going on. http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52012
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Hi, I ran that tool and these are the results: I was hoping you'd be able to decipher them.
nSx2O5x.png
Thanks in advance,
Neon
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro + Media Center
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15R 5520
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3612QM CPU @ 2.10GHz, 2101 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dunno
    Memory
    8.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD7670M 1GB
    Sound Card
    Dunno
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Nope
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB
    PSU
    Dunno
    Case
    Dunno
    Cooling
    Dunno
    Keyboard
    Stock
    Mouse
    Microsoft Sidewinder X3
    Browser
    Google Chrome
I think that means that the MGA diag tool won't work on Windows 8 Pro with Media Center? I got the same result running it on my laptop. Maybe its not compatible with Windows 8? Google just links me to the direct download link I posted above? I guess that wasn't much help after all.

EDIT: My laptop is running an activated Windows 8 Pro with Media Center.

If you go to the system screen what does it say when you click, view details in windows activation?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
It doesn't even show that I have a specific edition of Windows funnily enough, here's a screenshot:
KMxvy77.png
-Neon
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro + Media Center
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15R 5520
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3612QM CPU @ 2.10GHz, 2101 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dunno
    Memory
    8.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD7670M 1GB
    Sound Card
    Dunno
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Nope
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB
    PSU
    Dunno
    Case
    Dunno
    Cooling
    Dunno
    Keyboard
    Stock
    Mouse
    Microsoft Sidewinder X3
    Browser
    Google Chrome
OK, my guess is that's because you ran slui.exe but used your 8 Pro key instead of the media center key? What happens if you select "activate with a new key" and enter your media center key?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Apologies for all the screenshots, but I feel it would be more helpful in 'showing' you what's wrong. I tried that and this error came up:
NOqQt4Y.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro + Media Center
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15R 5520
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3612QM CPU @ 2.10GHz, 2101 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dunno
    Memory
    8.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD7670M 1GB
    Sound Card
    Dunno
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Nope
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB
    PSU
    Dunno
    Case
    Dunno
    Cooling
    Dunno
    Keyboard
    Stock
    Mouse
    Microsoft Sidewinder X3
    Browser
    Google Chrome
Upgrade key activation errosr usually occur when the underlying licensing is not interpreted correctly...

Try:

Regedit:

LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/setup/OOBE/mediabootinstall Change its value to “0″.

In elevated Command Prompt, type the following: “slmgr.vbs /rearm”.

Restart the computer

Type SLUI 3 and activate with your product key again.

Hope this helps...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    PC-DOS v1.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    IBM
    CPU
    Intel 8088, 4.77MHz
    Memory
    16K, 640K max
    Graphics Card(s)
    What's that?
    Sound Card
    Not quite
    Screen Resolution
    80 X 24 text
    Hard Drives
    dual 160KB 5.25-inch disk drives
Hi there Superfly, I can't manage to find mediabootinstall in the OOBE directory for some reason
-Neon
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro + Media Center
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15R 5520
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3612QM CPU @ 2.10GHz, 2101 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dunno
    Memory
    8.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD7670M 1GB
    Sound Card
    Dunno
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Nope
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB
    PSU
    Dunno
    Case
    Dunno
    Cooling
    Dunno
    Keyboard
    Stock
    Mouse
    Microsoft Sidewinder X3
    Browser
    Google Chrome
Open an administrator command prompt: start->cmd->Ctrl+shift+enter
Paste the following line in:
Code:
REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\OOBE /v MediaBootInstall /t reg_dword  /f /d 0


After enter:

Code:
slmgr /rearm


When prompted, restart your computer.

Enter your upgrade product key
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    PC-DOS v1.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    IBM
    CPU
    Intel 8088, 4.77MHz
    Memory
    16K, 640K max
    Graphics Card(s)
    What's that?
    Sound Card
    Not quite
    Screen Resolution
    80 X 24 text
    Hard Drives
    dual 160KB 5.25-inch disk drives
Apologies for all the screenshots, but I feel it would be more helpful in 'showing' you what's wrong. I tried that and this error came up:
View attachment 26845

I don't mind screen shots. :) That is likely because under normal circumstances you can't go directly to Media Center. Official install media will only let you install 8 or 8 Pro and won't accept a Media Center key. The only way to enter and use the Media Center key is through "add features". It's debatable whether you should or shouldn't have gotten that error but it won't help you sort this out.

I've used this trick to go back to Windows 7 Home Premium, from Ultimate without having to reinstall. UNAWAVE - Downgrade Ultimate to Home Premium or Professional
I do believe there are a few members here that used it to go back to 8 Pro from Media Center when their media Center wouldn't activate. I'll have a look for the treads a little latter. Try what Superfly is suggesting and save this for a last consideration. Anybody with 8 Pro installed can look up those registry keys and post a screen shot or tell you what they should be. They are likely case sensitive so a screen shoot would be ideal. My two 8 PC's are media center so that's no good.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Just curious as to whether you made any headway with your issue?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Unfortunately not, I've been busy lately and haven't had time to try anything other than the solution that Superfly posted (which didn't work.) I'm considering phoning Microsoft and raging at them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro + Media Center
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15R 5520
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3612QM CPU @ 2.10GHz, 2101 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dunno
    Memory
    8.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD7670M 1GB
    Sound Card
    Dunno
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Nope
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB
    PSU
    Dunno
    Case
    Dunno
    Cooling
    Dunno
    Keyboard
    Stock
    Mouse
    Microsoft Sidewinder X3
    Browser
    Google Chrome
OK, I was just wondering if you made any headway. My brother in law has the same issue on his PC. Other than that he didn't say much about it. He's away at the moment visiting his son. I'm not sure what he's done to try and fix the issue or if he fixed it. Work on it when you have time and keep us posted please.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
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