Windows 10 activated or not?

[spiderdawg-half]

Should eBay merchants be required to state whether or not the copies of Windows 10 they have installed (or have been installed by their refurbisher) have been activated? I recently bought a laptop refurbished by HP.  It came with Windows 10 installed. I thought whoopie, I've saved some money there! Upon arrival I discovered the catch: Windows 10 was installed, but it was not activated. Is this deceptive advertising, or just a case of "buyer beware?"

[7606dennis]

Actually, I don't believe I would call it deceptive.  If the machine has arrived with the operating system installed it is exactly as described.  Unless I'm mistaken, any time you buy a new or refurbished machine you have to run setup and register the first time you use it.

[spiderdawg-half]

Selling merchandise with undisclosed costs is unethical. As of this writing, Windows 10 activation was a $120 cost not disclosed to this buyer in the eBay ad. You say this is OK?!  Maybe it is the general, accepted practice of eBay computer sellers to minimize the apparent cost to the customer in this way, but I don't think such deliberate minimizing of total expense makes happy customers. In any case, it inclines this one to leave one of his rare less than 5-star ratings. Perhaps you think it unfair that customers know the total price of items before purchase? 

[7606dennis]

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@spiderdawg-half wrote:

Selling merchandise with undisclosed costs is unethical. As of this writing, Windows 10 activation was a $120 cost not disclosed to this buyer in the eBay ad. You say this is OK?!  Maybe it is the general, accepted practice of eBay computer sellers to minimize the apparent cost to the customer in this way, but I don't think such deliberate minimizing of total expense makes happy customers. In any case, it inclines this one to leave one of his rare less than 5-star ratings. Perhaps you think it unfair that customers know the total price of items before purchase? 

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Not having seen the listing it is somewhat difficult to understand to what you are referring.  Normally, when I purchase a new computer the operating system is installed and the machine is functional, although I usually must run setup and install any updates to it.  Of course, the cost of the operating system is included in the price of the new machine.  But as I mentioned, not having seen the listing I'm not sure if that is the case with a refurbished machine or not.  

I'm afraid I'm confused regarding what it is that you mean by "activation" and "installed."  A computer needs to have an operating system to function.  Admittedly, I'm not very familiar with Windows 10, but I can't really see how it was installed without being activated at the time of installation.

I recently had to replace a hard drive on one of my laptops.  I had to purchase and install a new operating system, in my case Windows XP Pro, before I could do anything with the machine.

Frankly, as I go over your initial post in my mind, I don't quite understand how it can be installed and not activated.  Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what your issue is. 

[alanadamsbidder]

Make sure you have the machine successfully connected to the Internet.  And if it has been or now is successfully connected to the Internet, go to the Start menu and under Settings go to "Update & Security" and then "Activation" and invoke the "Troubleshooter" link.   (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20527/windows-10-activation-troubleshooter)

The troubleshooter might just end up concluding "you don't have a valid activation key for this device" and still leaves you non-activated.  But its also possible the seller does actually have a valid Windows 10 license for this machine, and the machine is just having trouble reaching the Microsoft activation servers to verify that fact.

(Note its also possible that after installing and activating the Windows 10 installation, the seller then changed or swapped some significant piece of hardware, not realizing the ramifications this would create for the Windows 10 activation by doing it "after the fact.")

If you're unable to resolve successful activation, and contacting the seller to have them provide any information they can help with on whether the Windows 10 was supposed to be activated and/or how to do it, then your next best bet will be to install whatever version of Windows was originally on the machine.  i.e. What Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity (COA) is affixed to the machine, if any.

Because if you can install /that/ version of Windows and get it activated, you can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free from Microsoft.  (Google the Microsoft assistive technologies upgrade.)  If that sounds like too much hassle, which it legitimately can, then buying just the Windows 10 activation key to that you can activate your existing install is the remaining way to go.

[spiderdawg-half]

Thank you all for your responses! Windows 10 will work without being activated, but without all its features.

The last time I purchased a laptop was in the era of Windows 7.  It came with an activated copy of windows. That old unit upgraded to Windows 10 seamlessly. Whereas Windows 7 & earlier versions would not work without Microsoft activation (usually with a code), Windows 10 is not so fussy. Now units can be sold with Windows 10 installed, but not activated.

Today buyers must distinguish between ads touting Windows installed and those saying Windows has been installed and activated. Activation adds $120 + tax to the cost of any computer sold, so the price difference is substantial. Honest advertisers will explain this in their ads. If you buy a unit without activation, Microsoft will send you unsettling messages indicating that you are using an unauthorized version of the operating system until you finally cave, spend that money and activate it.

My seller has yet to respond to my inquiry asking them what to do, now 2 business days old. They are a high volume seller of factory refurbished Windows 10 units and should know better. I've paid Microsoft and activated my copy. If I don't hear something soon, their rating will suffer.

In my view, this situation is not entirely the responsibility of the seller or the refurbisher. Microsoft seems to be in the midst of an internal debate about whether to charge anything at all for its operating system. So this is probably a temporary circumstance--of which some sellers are taking advantage.

[spiderdawg-half]

Thanks for your responses!  Windows 10 is weird in that it will run without activation as of this writing. Previous editions of Windows would not. However, if you are running a non-activated copy, Microsoft sends you subtle reminders that your copy is unauthorized. Certain features are available only on activated copies, and until your copy is activated, you are made to feel that you are pirating services. 

[7606dennis]

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@spiderdawg-half wrote:

Thanks for your responses!  Windows 10 is weird in that it will run without activation as of this writing. Previous editions of Windows would not. However, if you are running a non-activated copy, Microsoft sends you subtle reminders that your copy is unauthorized. Certain features are available only on activated copies, and until your copy is activated, you are made to feel that you are pirating services. 

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Interesting!  I bought one laptop as a gift for my son that came with Windows 10.  I had all kinds of issues with the drivers included with it and had to have tech support download the drivers directly from their respective sources.  Frankly, my son didn't care for Windows 10 and now does almost all of his stuff on his iPhone.

As I mentioned, I had to load Windows XP on a laptop that I replaced the hard drive in.  Unfortunately that I need that one to run some software and devices that won't run on Windows 7 or newer versions.  Use that strictly for offline stuff.  I do almost everything else on Windows 7.   I also have a laptop running Windows 8.1 but I don't really care for that program either and it isn't compatible with some of my best liked programs.

[spiderdawg-half]

Ah yes! I've been lucky to have had few bad experiences with Windows 10. However, I also have an XP unit that I use in connection with a large format scanner because that will not work with later Windows systems. My Windows preference is a matter of habit that developed early in my experience, though I started out with an Apple IIe, way back when....

[spiderdawg-half · Accepted solution]

My seller responded. The seller's advice was to contact HP, where my laptop was refurbished. That sounds like a worthwhile effort, however the advice was too late for me. I had already paid the $120 to Microsoft for activation.

The solution is to shop for Windows 10 units, comparing prices on machines running activated copies of the operating system. Ask the seller if Windows 10 is activated if they don't say anything other than 10 is installed.

If you inadvertantly purchase a unit that does not have Windows 10 activated, you can use it as it is until Microsoft says otherwise. At the moment, Microsoft doesn't know what it wants to do about this. Their OS is great, but is definitely not the only fish in the sea, as they say. Microsoft's competition has become quite robust as smart phone use has increased. Microsoft will activate your copy of Windows 10 and support all features for $120 + tax. However, before you spend additional money, read through the good advice in the responses above. Check with your seller/refurbisher first. That might save you some cash. 

With Windows 10, the marketplace has been made more complicated. Your seller may not understand what's going on. Buyer beware!

[peanut2006ana]

I had the same issue happen to me.  I bought a Dell Inspiron 580 MT Intel Core i5 3.2GHz 8GM 1TB HDD Win, it was advertised with preinstalled Windows 10 Pro, Microsoft certified provider.  You are right, it is not activated and I didn't even know until November 2017 and I bought the PC in February 2017.  It just stoped working and needs activation now.    I agree with you, all sellers should be required to list all details and state that Windows 10 Pro must be activated with a purchased key.  This is deceptive advertising and it is "BUYER BEWARE!"

I bought a refurbished HP Laptop with Windows 10 Pro, it has a key and it is activated.  I bought through WalMart on-line.  I do not trust buying a computer from eBay and will not buy any electronics on this site because to me it is fake advertising.

I have contacted the seller three times now, he has not provided me with the key to activate, he tells me to contact Microsoft.  

[spiderdawg-half]

Thanks for your response! I have resolved this particular issue by paying for a key, but have faced similar issues with older equipment which I have resolved by abandoning Windows and installing Linux variations. Linux + the Firefox browser (Chrome was choosey and would not install on one of my slow units) has been working nicely for my needs.  Microsoft software for windows has been functionally duplicated for the Linux platform. I do most of my work online anyhow wth my various Arnold Collections including The Earl J. Arnold Advertising Card Collection - 1885 and the The Arnold Galleries

Deceptive advertising is nothing new and it is not limited to the eBay site. Buyer beware is always the best policy, especially for impulse shoppers like me! eBay could help by warning potential customers about the most grievous bad practices, like idiotic shipping charges for cheap, light items. I continue to shop on eBay... but now with more caution. I paid a lot for this "learning experience," but I will need no further lessons on this topic, anyway!

[easyquick-22]

On some newer computers, the activation key can be extracted from the BIOS, or you can even use some tools to find it from within your system.

[spiderdawg-half]

Thanks for your help!