Error 0xc0000021a - want to reset but Product Key invalid

Serpico

New Member
Messages
9
Hello, I' am currently using a custom made laptop which I had to repair due to an hardware failure. After I got the PC back I reinstalled Windows but the product key I had wasn't working properly any more. Knowing that after an hardware change this is not an uncommon problem, I just used the option "Activate by phone" and everything went fine.

Unfortunately the last day I got the blue screen with the error 0xc0000021a, which I know is caused by misconfigured system files in the computer. Moreover this error is really similar to the error I got prior the hardware failure (0xc00000e). So I figured that maybe the Windows 8 installation I have (I purchased before Windows 8.1) has some problems, and maybe I can solve them by reinstalling directly Windows 8.1, instead of reinstalling Windows 8 and then upgrading it from the store.

The problem is that when I launch the Windows 8.1 set-up program to create a media for recovery, when asked for the product key mine doesn't work. I think this has something to do with the hardware change and with the fact that I used the "activate by phone" option, but my Windows version is legit and I paid for it, and therefore I want to be able to reset my computer if I need to (like now).

Anyone has any suggestion on how to solve this? Thank you
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
You could try the Generic Key but I'm not sure if it works an longer:

GCRJD-8NW9H-F2CDX-CCM8D-9D6T9
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 7 Home Premium
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion
  • PC2
    Tablet - Windows 10 Home
I already tried that. Yours doesn't work but I found other ones that are fine, but when I go to the next step I always get the message "We can't connect at the moment".
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Yeah..., I think the whole process got 'jiggered' by MS.
Might as well go through all the hoops then make a clean backup image.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 7 Home Premium
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion
  • PC2
    Tablet - Windows 10 Home
Last edited:

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
Ok I discovered that the key is working with the Windows 8 program and not with 8.1. The problem is that I would have liked to perform a clean reset of 8.1 without having to update from the store, and it is seems stupid I cannot do that as 8.1 is just a FREE upgrade of 8... Any thoughts?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Option #[DEL]2[/DEL] 1 in the link I posted should let you download 8.1 with an 8.0 key? You need the old setup file. You may have to delete the ESD folder etc to get a nice clean 8.1 ISO.
 
Last edited:

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
No, it's working only with the Windows8-Setup.exe program, but not with the SGS14-WindowsSetupBox-32bitand64bit-English-4141408.exe

The thing is that the laptop had W7 originally, but it was right after the W8 release and there was an offer to get W8 (about 15 $ if I recall correctly).
I bought it and upgraded from W7 to W8, but the computer was running terribly. Tons of errors etc, so I decided to make a CD with the clean installation of W8 and format. That time I was able to do it without any problem. My product key worked with the Windows 8 set-up program and I reinstalled W8 without having to install W7 first and then upgrade.

Now I want to do the same thing with W8.1. This is a screenshoot of the Volume Activation Management Tool:

Untitled.jpg

here it says that it is a retail version, but I'm starting to think that is not, otherwise I don't see why wouldn't be working... On the other hand is still strange that it works with Windows8-Setup.exe but not with SGS14-WindowsSetupBox-32bitand64bit-English-4141408.exe.

By the way, I deleted the folder %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WebSetup, while I didn't have any C:\ESD\Windows
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
No, it's working only with the Windows8-Setup.exe program, but not with the SGS14-WindowsSetupBox-32bitand64bit-English-4141408.exe

The thing is that the laptop had W7 originally, but it was right after the W8 release and there was an offer to get W8 (about 15 $ if I recall correctly).
I bought it and upgraded from W7 to W8, but the computer was running terribly. Tons of errors etc, so I decided to make a CD with the clean installation of W8 and format. That time I was able to do it without any problem. My product key worked with the Windows 8 set-up program and I reinstalled W8 without having to install W7 first and then upgrade.

Now I want to do the same thing with W8.1. This is a screenshoot of the Volume Activation Management Tool:

View attachment 49053

here it says that it is a retail version, but I'm starting to think that is not, otherwise I don't see why wouldn't be working... On the other hand is still strange that it works with Windows8-Setup.exe but not with SGS14-WindowsSetupBox-32bitand64bit-English-4141408.exe.

By the way, I deleted the folder %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WebSetup, while I didn't have any C:\ESD\Windows

Microsoft blocked the trick used to download 8.1 with an 8.0 key. That's why it doesn't work with the new Setup file. That's also why Brink posted the link to the old file that still works for getting 8.1 with an 8.0 key. OEM keys won't work for either download, and I think upgrade keys are blocked too. It also looks like your key gets blocked after so many downloads, or download attempts.

Now, the other trick is you can't install 8.1 with an 8.0 key. You have to do this, http://www.eightforums.com/installa...retail-windows-8-1-windows-8-product-key.html
 

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 already changed my key with the W8 key going the pc settings, but still the SGS14-WindowsSetupBox-32bitand64bit-English-4141408.exe does not work with that key...​ So thate is no way for me to get a clean W8.1 ISO?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Ops, :eek: My apologies, it's option 1 not 2. In step 2 of option 1 there is a link to download the old setup file.
 

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
That one doesn't work either, same message as the one downloaded form the Microsoft web site
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
The "Can't connect to the Internet" message? Looks like you key is now blocked. Do you know anybody with a Windows 8.1 DVD that could burn you a copy of make you an ISO?
 

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
No not that one. It says "This product key didn't work. Pleas check it and try again".

I have my parents laptop and my girlfriend laptop at home which I don't remember if they came with 8 or 8.1. I could try with those but I'm currently in the UK studying and I wont go back before the 2nd of September. If nothing works in the mean time, then I will try with that
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Just keep in mind that if you enter a Core key you get Core and if you enter a Pro key you get Pro. The Core download will not install Pro and vice versa.
 

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
Back
Top