Windows 8 refresh - now cannot activate

Bought a Lenovo Ideapad u510 with Win 8 preinstalled. Windows was working fine but the wifi was playing up, something which a quick google confirmed wasn't unique to me - and in fact eventually I couldn't even connect via ethernet cable.

So I tried a windows 'refresh' and it cured the internet problem - but it won't let me activate windows. (Which was fine before)

If I try through the pc settings option it just says that it 'cannot be activated now' and the 'contact support' button does nothing.

If I try and go to windows activation through the start menu it comes up with a 0xc0000022 error.

The only other thing I have installed is 'classicshell' as it is my wife's machine and she really cannot get her head around the win 8 interface. But /i have refreshed again and tried to activate before reinstalling classic shell with no luck.

A licence is showing in the BIOS settings

Any ideas?

 

OEM machines with Windows 8 activate via UEFI, not the Internet.

Did you install 8.1 or something?

 

Not exactly the same problem but I've just recovered from being unable to activate Win 8 with what I know to be a valid key by doing it over the phone rather than over the internet. Forum rules prevent me from posting a direct link but if you google "Win 8 activate by phone" you should soon find it. It's an automated system - no voice contact - but it worked for me. Good luck!

 

My bad - don't even know what UEFI is - just assumed it was via the internet. It keeps telling me to activate, but not allowing me to when I click. Just the basic win 8 (64 bit) that came on the machine 8 months or so ago...

I tried getting someone on the phone, but I don't have a licence key for the automated system as it is digital as far as I can tell. Tried ignoring auto prompts to speak to a person too, but it just kicked me off...

As far as I can tell from google the error code is one caused by a lack of permission for something. Perhaps Lenovo's restore software is having arguments with windows own refresh setting about who owns the drive and not allowing the licence key permission? Just shooting in the dark here....

 

UEFI is the replacemnet rolling out for older BIOS based motherboards.

http://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/t...ndows_8_activation_failure_and_error_code.pdf

Does this apply to you? The DPK info?

 

I didn't have to provide a licence key over the phone. The steps are

1. Open an elevated command prompt
2. Enter slui.exe 4
3. Find your country phone number from the screen
4. Follow the prompts

 

The DPK Shows up as WIN8 STD MLT...

Regarding phone activation, it wasn't a license key the auto system asked for, but a different sequence of numbers, which comes up as 12345678 on my system and aren't accepted by their system...

 

Usually there is a sequence of numbers that is provided when you choose the phone activation screen. They don't ask you to enter in the product key, if memory serves.

Anyway-- one more question. IS your version of Windows 8 standard, or Pro? You can check by right clicking on Computer and choosing properties.

 

Ah, there isn't an activate by phone option available.

Am away from home and the machine till Sat, will check then (but would guess it is standard version as it was a cheap machine!)

 

Correct, but you do have to enter from your screen ten groups of five numbers on your phone keypad, after which ten more groups of five are dictated to you to enter into the screen grid. Just had to go through it after a valid key failed online activation.

 

Apologies for the delay - got stuck overseas with work

Anyway, Windows is standard edition (at least no mention of 'Pro' on that screen - just 'Windows 8' 64 bit OS).

There is no option to activate by phone on the activation screen, simply an 'activate' button - but if I go through the slui.exe4 option and select my country all I get is an error message - 'an error has occured - you can contact microsoft to help solve...' Except I can't!

If I go to 'windows activation' wizard it shows the current product key (half *****ed out). If I try and activate from here I get a phone number and the spaces to enter the response from the phone system. Problem is the numbers I get to enter are just 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 - with no groups and the phone system will not accept these...

There is a DPK present as in the format of the link given by adrynalyne in the BIOS/UEFI

Anything else I need to dig out?

Every time it seems to try and activate momentarily, just with no success. As I said before, after a bit of digging the 0xc0000022 error seems to indicate permission problems. Logically it would seem that the system does not have permission to 'write' the activation privilege where it needs to - but I am really just postulating!

Thanks

 

'Bump'

still have the issue - any ideas?

 

Yes.

Run cmd.exe as administrator.

Click start button type cmd and when it comes up under search, right click and run as administrator.

Then type this:

slmgr.vbs -ipk <<your product key>>

Without brackets and hit Enter.

Now type

slui 4

Choose your country and try to activate over the phone now.

 

Thanks for replying.

Got my product key via a program on CNET (Belarc)

When I entered the command you suggested I got

Error: 0x80070426

Run slui.exe 0x2a 0x80070426 for error text - which simply produces a windows activation error window...

 

A quick google of that code suggests activation errors due to 'software licensing' not being activated in services (well on win 7 threads anyway).

If I go to services in win 8 and 'software protection' it shows a delayed automatic start. If I try and force it to start I get:

error 5: access denied