Unable to activate Windows 8 Pro (OEM) / Error 0xC004C003

PepePotencia

New Member
Messages
1
I bought a new laptop (GIGABYTE P35K-CF2) a couple of days ago and have been struggling to activate it without making any progress. In contrast with other threads I have been reading on the forum, I am not trying to install a different OS version at all. I just need to activate the Windows 8 Professional that was pre-installed by default.

I understand the current Microsoft approach is to embed the Windows Product Key in the motherboard (encrypted in the BIOS/UEFI) in order to minimize piracy, etc. I also understand this allows for the Windows installation to directly read such product key and activate it automatically. Well, for some reason this is not working on my brand new laptop.

Allow me to explain in detail what has been happening during the last 24 hours:

1) I noticed a pop-up window that required a new Windows key since the current product key was apparently blocked. Please notice that up to that point I didn't change anything regarding to Windows itself. In fact, I only installed a couple of programs, including an antivirus. Automatic updates were also turned off.
---
The product key didn't work. Try a different key, or buy a new one.
(...)
Current edition
Windows 8 Pro
Current product key
*****-QPBRC
(...)
Activation details
Error Code:
0xC004C003
The activation server determined the specified product key has been blocked.
---

2) I run a small program ( wpkey / Windows 8 Product Key Viewer) to check my current product key in order to confirm the previous information. I found out there were two keys associated with the system: The first one which was a generic Win 8 Pro key (DR38Q-GTNFD-WR3TR-VBXBV-QPBRC) and a second one identified as MSDM KEY. After some reading, I came to the initial conclusion that the generic key was used for installation purposes, while the second one (MSDM KEY) is in fact the product key stored in the BIOS/UEFI, which should activate the OS immediately after obtaining internet access.

3) I googled a fraction of the MSDM KEY (which I am not including here for obvious reasons) and found no results associated with Windows or anything related, which led me to think I was on the right track. I proceeded to use it in the Windows Activation option 'Activate with a new key' but the results were the same:
---
Error Code:
0xC004C003
The activation server determined the specified product key has been blocked.
---

4) I applied a System Recovery to discard any software conflicts or hidden windows updates, but the output was the same. One thing to notice is that the generic key changed after the recovery procedure (XKY4K-2NRWR-8F6P2-448RF-CRYQH).

So, I have two different scenarios in mind that may explain the problem: (i) The embedded product key corresponds to a Windows 8 version different than Pro, which implies a factory mistake; and (ii) Someone somehow managed to retrieve my embedded product key and release it online, forcing the Microsoft servers to block it. Of course, this last theory doesn't make that much sense since, as far as I know, it is not possible at the time to introduce a product key on a different computer.

Any help would be much appreciated :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo E525
    CPU
    AMD A4-3300M @ 2,0GHz
    Memory
    6GB DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 6480G 512MB shared
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    WD 465GB
    Cooling
    Fusion Tweaker
    Keyboard
    Logitech K360
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    50/50 MBps
    Browser
    Yandex
    Antivirus
    No AV & No Firewall
    Other Info
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170
I bought a new laptop (GIGABYTE P35K-CF2) a couple of days ago
I just need to activate the Windows 8 Professional that was pre-installed by default.
I found out there were two keys associated with the system
The first one which was a generic Win 8 Pro key (DR38Q-GTNFD-WR3TR-VBXBV-QPBRC) and a second one identified as MSDM KEY

If the factory made a mistake, they should correct it.

I would contact their support group immediately or take it back to your place of purchase.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel G2020
    Motherboard
    ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0
    Memory
    8GBs @ 1333 MHz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 EVO
    PSU
    400w
    Internet Speed
    57/11
Back
Top