back to article Windows 10 Pro goes Home as Microsoft fires up downgrade server

Microsoft's activation servers appear to be on the blink this morning – some Windows 10 users woke up to find their Pro systems have, er, gone Home. Twitter user Matt Wadley was one of the first out of the gate, complaining that following an update to the freshly released Insider build of next year's Windows, his machine …

  1. msknight
    Joke

    Just go Linux

    You know it makes sense.

    1. Tigra 07
      Thumb Up

      Re: Just go Linux

      The best way to upgrade Windows!

      1. Unixman39

        Re: Just go Linux

        Running Opensuse here as my primary OS. Still dealing with Win 10 for some graphics programs. They borked my machine last night as well. Can't wait till get a real photographic editing under Linux so I can be done with Billy Gates for good!

        1. Michael Habel

          Re: Just go Linux

          Running Opensuse here as my primary OS. Still dealing with Win 10 for some graphics programs. They borked my machine last night as well. Can't wait till get a real photographic editing under Linux so I can be done with Billy Gates for good!

          Well for Photoshop there's the GIMP... Although, I'd probably would opt for Photoshop as well. Its not like GIMP is incapable of doing very Photoshop things. But, thats almost always the trick isn't it. Actually bothering to learn how to use the Software. And, to my knowlege Photoshop has a Library of Books written about, it. GIMP? Well I know the should exist, but, I have never actually ever encounterd any,

          Fine, what about Lightroom then? In this instance I have to emphaticly go with Darktable. Again its just different enough to have to spend a few moments to work things out. The good bit is its totally un GIMP like in that, its actually refreshingly simple to use.

          Since like GIMP it also runs under Windows, and MacOS. I would very much recomend you to give it a try. But, until Affinity Photo & Illistrator make their way over to Linux. Which I susspect they will sooner, or later. This is about as good as it gets. And, its not you can't run Photoshop proper from Wine. Along with Office 2k3 either.

          But, yes unless the Public rails against these Publishers to publish their Warez on Linux as well. its all ust wishfull thinking. Perhaps we should be pushing FreeBSD more? That to me sems more comercial friendly than Linux. Not, that you can't buy comerical Softeare (e.g. Steam Games), on Linux. But, I susspect the air around Linux is so poisend at this point. That until the mass revot comes,* nobody will really bother to give Linux the time of day.

          Then again having two or three (if you count Gentoo), architypes of Yum, and or Apt, RPM, and or DPKG to learn (and or stick with), has probobly been of much help either. this and Ubuntus pressence on the Web, making Ubuntu pretty much the goto Linux.

          *Hint it wont!

      2. Michael Habel

        Re: Just go Linux

        Did you even bother to read the Article?

        1) I wasn't aware of there being something greater then Win X*

        2) This is something that is THANKFULLY ONLY AFFECTING those with Windows X

        So....

        A) Upgrade to what exactly?

        B) What if you cant, because M$ are becoming to shite at keeping their Software aflot?

        * With the execption of possibly Windows 7 SP1

    2. el kabong

      The joke is on you!

      You get screwed over and over by microshaft and yet seem to believe this all a laughing matter.

      Respect yourself, or no one else will respect you.

      1. msknight

        Re: The joke is on you!

        You've got to laugh El Kabong... or else you cry. The choice is yours.

        (ps. The joke isn't on me... but I'm not going to rub my home set up into other people's wounds.)

      2. tony2heads

        Re: The joke is on you!

        Cue the Staple Singers

        1. msknight

          Re: The joke is on you!

          Good call @Tony2Heads

      3. Tigra 07
        Childcatcher

        Re: el kabong

        "You get screwed over and over by microshaft and yet seem to believe this all a laughing matter"

        Yeah, it's bloody hilarious. You keep getting screwed over and still stick with Microsoft. There are other operating systems out there. Are we all supposed to ignore this and not point out the obvious to spare your feelings?

        1. FIA Silver badge

          Re: el kabong

          "You get screwed over and over by microshaft and yet seem to believe this all a laughing matter"

          Yeah, it's bloody hilarious. You keep getting screwed over and still stick with Microsoft.

          What do you mean by 'keep getting screwed over'? In 30 days he'll have some slightly irritating nagging telling him to activate windows. That's pretty much it. How is that being 'screwed over', doesn't sound like he's lost any data, or anything has ceased working??

          There are other operating systems out there. Are we all supposed to ignore this and not point out the obvious to spare your feelings?

          So, you're suggesting, rather than simply ignoring the little red text for a few days the user should completely change their operating system, then spend time finding decent alternatives for all the software they use (which may or may not exist), then learn a completely different workflow and set of system admin skills because of a small transient issue? It does seem a little overkill.

          Linux is a great operating system, and there are those that choose to use it, but there are other people who choose Windows, it's fine, both are good at what they do these days; not everyone makes their choices based on the same set of criteria. You're not sparing anyones feeilngs by not going on about Linux, but sometimes the single minded evangalism of a system (one that is founded on the basis of choice) can come across as a little miopic.

          1. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

            Re: That's pretty much it. How is that being 'screwed over'[?]

            So if you're going to put up with having the reduced functionality of Home for 30 days then you might as well have gone for Home in the first place.

            If it doesn't do what it says on the tin then you should be rightly annoyed. Have a downvote (not often I dish those out).

          2. Tigra 07
            Childcatcher

            Re: el kabong

            "So, you're suggesting, rather than simply ignoring the little red text for a few days the user should completely change their operating system, then spend time finding decent alternatives for all the software they use (which may or may not exist), then learn a completely different workflow and set of system admin skills because of a small transient issue? It does seem a little overkill."

            I'm suggesting anything except Windows at this point (heck, even use Mac if you prefer). Windows is becoming so unstable and untrustable with your personal files that the alternatives are all much better. Every week few days there's another report of a massive bug (usually because of Microsoft not quality testing anymore) deleting people's files or fucking something up drastically.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: el kabong

              Linux Mint bricked my brand new Win 10 Pro laptop. Had to send it back to the manufacturer have it fixed.

          3. Updraft102

            Re: el kabong

            So, you're suggesting, rather than simply ignoring the little red text for a few days the user should completely change their operating system, then spend time finding decent alternatives for all the software they use (which may or may not exist), then learn a completely different workflow and set of system admin skills because of a small transient issue?

            It's not simply one small transient issue. It's a never-ending stream of issues, some more transient than others. The extreme bugginess of their code is a function of an unnecessary rapid release schedule that's driven by the marketing department and their decision to fire their QA team and conscript consumer-level Windows users as beta testers in order to save money.

            This is just one bug among a never-ending sea of bugs that can reasonably be expected to last as long as Microsoft thinks that what they're doing is a viable business practice (which in turn is based on how much abuse their customers will tolerate). Windows 10 has been out for more than three years, and it's still a bug-infested piece of crap. As long as MS keeps "Windows as a Service," it will always be that way. Three years is enough time for them to realize it does not work, and if they were interested in fixing it, they would have done so by now. Why should they? They are putting out pure garbage, and the market share of that garbage continues to increase each month. As long as people tolerate the abuse, they're silently endorsing Microsoft's practices. Thank you sir, may I have another?

          4. bombastic bob Silver badge
            FAIL

            Re: el kabong

            "In 30 days he'll have some slightly irritating nagging telling him to activate windows."

            Implications:

            a) Micro-shaft Win-10-nic needs to access their "activation servers" on a REGULAR BASIS?

            b) WHY was it turned into a 'Home' system because THEY broke something?

            c) No PREVIOUS version of windows (to the best of my knowledge) needed any kind of continuous on-line RE-ACTIVATION process to "stay valid"

            d) what if you leave your computer OFF for MORE THAN A MONTH? Or, how about OFFLINE for MORE THAN A MONTH?

            e) what if it's a VM that you only run when you HAVE to? [I should test this after I back it up]

            f) Micro-shaft has JUST broken their 'contract' with the users by letting this happen

            In short, this whole thing *STINKS* like MICRO-SHAT <-- not a spelling error

            1. doublelayer Silver badge

              Re: el kabong

              Previous post asks:

              "b) WHY was it turned into a 'Home' system because THEY broke something?"

              That is just how their system broke. There isn't a good explanation possible, and I'm sure when they get around to having an explanation it won't be good.

              "c) No PREVIOUS version of windows (to the best of my knowledge) needed any kind of continuous on-line RE-ACTIVATION process to "stay valid" d) what if you leave your computer OFF for MORE THAN A MONTH? Or, how about OFFLINE for MORE THAN A MONTH? e) what if it's a VM that you only run when you HAVE to? [I should test this after I back it up]"

              As far as I know, having run an airgapped windows machine for a while (yes, windows 10, don't ask why), windows doesn't need to contact the servers for it to stay valid. It will continue to work. It is just that when updating, it does contact the servers and then assumes that anything they say is correct. So VMs or computers not used in some time should be fine. Computers that updated something in the past week probably aren't.

              1. Sudosu Bronze badge

                Re: el kabong

                "That is just how their system broke. There isn't a good explanation possible, and I'm sure when they get around to having an explanation it won't be good."

                The telemetry SAN for Pro users filled up...

            2. Michael Habel

              Re: el kabong

              I would argue foe MACRO-SHAT myself. As there is an aweful amout of excrement surrounding Windows X.

        2. nematoad

          Re: el kabong

          "There are other operating systems out there."

          Yes, that's right, you could always use Apple's offering. Oh, wait.

        3. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: el kabong

          > .. Are we all supposed to ignore this and not point out the obvious to spare your feelings?

          Nine down votes, how dare you criticize MICROS~1

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: The joke is on you!

        "Respect yourself, or no one else will respect you."

        I don't need to respect myself, i have alcohol and a cat...

        1. Fizzle
          Angel

          Re: The joke is on you!

          Plus 1 million for the kat!

        2. IsJustabloke
          Trollface

          Re: The joke is on you!

          "i have alcohol and a cat..."

          I very much doubt the cat has any respect for you.

          1. aqk
            Windows

            Re: The joke is on you!

            Well, I have Alcohol and FOUR cats!

            After reading the usual and predictable nasty anti-MS comments here just now, I changed my insider Preview status from Slow to Fast, just to see what all this kerfuffle was about!

            Oh-oh! Another 4 GB 2-hour download has just been initiated! This is the fastest that the Insider Preview system upgrade service has ever responded! And it's Friday PM, my trolling hours!

            Thanx, guys!

        3. The_Idiot

          Re: The joke is on you!

          My cat likes windows. She sits and stares out of the at the traffic twenty-five floors below and smiles ot herself. She watches the rain on them and, I'm sure, snuggles inside, remembering when she was a street cat out in the cold and rain before she was rescued - _before_ she had windows. On the other hand she was sort of unix-ed after her first litter (is a neutered female a eunixed one?), so I guess she has the best of both ways of operating... :-).

        4. David Roberts
          Windows

          Re: The joke is on you! Alcohol and a cat

          Damn. I thought I turned the web cam off!

          Does it count that the cat is significantly older than the single malt?

      5. John Sanders
        Linux

        Re: The joke is on you!

        I've said it multiple times, If MS wants to do you in the rear, they ask and people just assume the position.

        Anything to avoid having to think.

        1. Danny 14

          Re: The joke is on you!

          one of the biggest things to go in home edition is VPN. That should put a bit of a sting on those people with VPN users at home (assuming MS client of course)

        2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

          Re: The joke is on you!

          "If MS wants to do you in the rear, they ask"

          Ask?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Just go Linux

      This seems to apply to the 'Insider' program only, and it seems to me that some people who sign up to the 'Insider' program simply don't understand that what they're getting is pre-production code, for testing and evaluation purposes only. Linux isn't going to fix that level of ignorance.

      1. Tigra 07

        RE: Lee

        Bugs in the Insider program are still finding their way into the actual wider public release, instead of being fixed. There's been like weekly reports of it on this very site.

      2. doublelayer Silver badge

        Re: Just go Linux

        For the record:

        1. This applies to non-insiders. It is not beta code that broke, but instead Microsoft's production servers.

        2. There are things that you can do in windows pro that you cannot do in windows home. People doing those things selected pro for that reason. If they are affected by this bug, it is more than a minor annoyance or some grumpy license notification.

      3. Unixman39

        Re: Just go Linux

        Not on insider program and I run Opensuse with WinCrap 10 for some graphics. I use Linux far more but this stupid crap bit me last night. Once a good graphics packages comes for Linux, I will nuke that NTFS partition and and make it all ext4!

      4. RAMChYLD

        Re: Just go Linux

        It not only those on Insider. It affects those who bought a machine with the Home version of Windows then upgraded to Pro via an upgrade pack key.

    4. WatAWorld

      Re: Just go Linux "Take my Linux ... please!"

      I dunno, so many people pay over $100 for MS Windows, and pay hundreds of dollars in premium hardware costs to run MacOS, Linux fanbois can't give their pet OS away for free, and those same fanbois are convinced their pet OS is the best for the wider public.

      Some kind of disconnect there.

      Maybe you Linuxees need a new marketing slogan:

      Paraphrasing Henny Youngman, "Take my Linux ... please!"

      www youtube com/watch?v=qUil6T5dN6Y

      Better than the current slogan, "Linux, so good we can't give it away for free."

      1. Updraft102

        Re: Just go Linux "Take my Linux ... please!"

        I dunno, so many people pay over $100 for MS Windows, and pay hundreds of dollars in premium hardware costs to run MacOS, Linux fanbois can't give their pet OS away for free, and those same fanbois are convinced their pet OS is the best for the wider public.

        Not that many people pay over $100 for Windows relative to the total number who use Windows. That's one reason MS was in such a hurry to try to get every home/SOHO user of Windows 7/8/8.1 to take the free upgrade. They weren't losing out on tons of money from upgrades by giving them away... the actual number who would have taken it upon themselves to buy and install a different version of Windows than the PC came with was never anything but a drop in the bucket.

        Most PCs come with Windows and are never used with any other OS than the one it came with. Replacing the OS on a computer they bought as a unit would be like buying a car and replacing the engine with a completely different one. They don't think of the OS as mere software that is running on the hardware, but a part of the whole. This inertia is one of the big things that gets in the way of people taking an affirmative step towards freedom from Microsoft's abuse. People have such an ingrained Stockholm syndrome that they just take the abuse and take the abuse and never think there are any alternatives, even when one is staring them in the face. Maybe it's not suitable for all of them, but it could work for some.

        1. Richard Plinston

          Re: Just go Linux "Take my Linux ... please!"

          > Not that many people pay over $100 for Windows

          > Most PCs come with Windows

          When you buy a PC from an OEM or retailer and it 'comes with Windows' the manufacturer has sent money to Microsoft. This is part of the BOM cost and wholesale and retail margins are added to the total cost.

          The PC doesn't just 'come with Windows', you are paying for it. With markup it may well be 'over $100'.

        2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

          Re: Just go Linux "Take my Linux ... please!"

          "Replacing the OS on a computer they bought as a unit would be like buying a car and replacing the engine with a completely different one."

          More like remapping the ECU so the engine works like a better one.

          1. hplasm
            Devil

            Re: Just go Linux "Take my Linux ... please!"

            "Replacing the OS on a computer they bought as a unit would be like buying a car and replacing the engine with a completely different one."

            Replacing Windows on a computer they bought as a unit would be like buying a carriage and replacing the horse in front with an engine.

            FTFY

        3. phr0g

          Re: Just go Linux "Take my Linux ... please!"

          I always find this attitude slightly bemusing.

          I am a long-time developer (originally on Unix mini-computers, and recently in the Windows and Linux environments for different parts of our workflow). I have used Unix, Linux, Windows, MacOS throughout the years and whilst I have zero choice at work, I do at home.

          I have tried to live with Linux. I had YellowDog on the original PS3 as well as Ubuntu, Mint etc on my desktop.

          However, when it comes down to it, I do prefer Windows. I know how to script, and I know how to use command line tools, but in the end, Windows is easier.

          Not to mention that I am a gamer, I have a subscription to Photoshop and Lightroom and use Office365 (mainly for the 5 Terrabytes/5 users I get for the yearly subscription (which makes it by far the cheapest cloud-storage option).

          I also use a Lenovo Yoga 2 pro as my home laptop, which plays very nicely with Win 10, especially when I use it in tablet mode. I have tried to find a decent Linux distro that comes close for tablet useage, but they are miles away...

          As for the general, non-IT public, Windows (or MacOS) makes for a far better experience than Linux for simple ease-of-use reasons.

          My PC has "Please activate windows" this morning. Hopefully they will sort out the problem soon, but it doesn't seem to be stopping me from doing anything.

      2. vtcodger Silver badge

        Re: Just go Linux "Take my Linux ... please!"

        "Linux, so good we can't give it away for free."

        As opposed to :

        "Windows, the OS for those whose life includes insufficient aggravation?"

        Personally, I concluded decades ago that I'm not smart enough to use either OS properly. But unix turned out to be easier to tame. At least for me.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Just go Linux "Take my Linux ... please!"

        "Linux, so good we can't give it away for free."

        ROFL !

        I have used Linux for over a decade, but it's on a spare PC. Tried to use it many times as the main OS, but it's not suitable for users who have to use the MS Office workflow, acounting, etc. Good for some basic tools and domestic use, and some non-profits, but the rest of us MUST work in the MS world and have to suffer its occasional foibles.

        I may consider a Mac one day, but theprice premium is ridiculous, expecially for kit with too few ports and no SD card slots, all heading in the direction of the iPad.

      4. Antron Argaiv Silver badge
        Linux

        Re: Just go Linux "Take my Linux ... please!"

        My suggested tagline for Linux:

        Linux: it's free, and it doesn't suck any worse than Windows.

        // I will admit, it is an acquired taste, but I have been using it at home for almost 20 years, no complaints

        // Currently using Mint MATE

      5. Thunderpants

        Re: Just go Linux "Take my Linux ... please!"

        "I dunno, so many people pay over $100 for MS Windows, and pay hundreds of dollars in premium hardware costs to run MacOS, Linux fanbois can't give their pet OS away for free, and those same fanbois are convinced their pet OS is the best for the wider public."

        Gaming unfortunately. The only reason I don't run Linux. The stuff I play only works on Windows and experimentation into emulation with Wine or alternatives hasn't been a great success :(

      6. panoptiq

        Re: Just go Linux "Take my Linux ... please!"

        Point taken - Linux is not viable for the desktop. But as it turns out, neither is a subscription based, cloud centric Windows OS for business purposes. I liked the old days when Microsoft segmented their "Work" & "Play" OSs; namely Windows-NT and Windows-9x (Windows 2000 Pro & Windows omg Millenium).

        Problems started to appearing when they started "blending" them with the introduction of Windows-XP; they averted danger with the release of Windows-XP 64bit Pro. Windows-7 x64 Pro was great- all the other Windows-7 variants were... wanting. I won't even mention Windows-8.

        Stuff really hit the fan when M$ decided that Windows-10 was going to be the LAST release of Windows, it would be completely subscription based & entirely cloud centric. This is a prime example of Corporate blackmail & there's nothing anyone on the planet could do about it; after all, Windows accounted for >90% of all desktops in the world.

        My problem is with the arrogance of Microsoft to think that 1) choice should be taken away from consumers, 2) Everything will be pushed to the Cloud & 3) Nothing was ever going to fail.

        I would have been fine with the current subscription based Windows-10 for consumers and a Traditional corporate option of WindowsNT-IX for government, & businesses who require greater security & greater control. my 2 cents

    5. John Sanders
      Linux

      Re: Just go Linux

      Spot on.

      1. GerryMC

        Re: Just go Linux

        OK, I will get Embarcadero to create a Linux version of the Delphi IDE, rewrite a large ERP type system to run on Linux, and get all of the thousands of users to change to Linux as well.

        Oh, and move to LibreOffice or whatever it is called now.

        Should only take a few years and millions of dollars.

    6. redwine

      Re: Just go Linux

      I updated my laptop to from Windows 7 Windows 10 a couple of weeks back (you can still do it for free) and since then it hangs within 24 hours. It's an older gen i7 with 4GB RAM - should be fine. I tried contacting M$ Support but gave up, going to install Linux this weekend, prolly Fedora as I manage RHEL clone instances for work.

      I used to prefer KDE years back, what desktop do people go for these days - Gnome? KDE? Other?

      1. Unixman39

        Re: Just go Linux

        Using KDE Plasma desktop on Opensuse Leap 15 here. Love it!

        1. Michael Habel

          Re: RIP KDE

          And, here I thought thart KDE was last seen heading out toward the far end of the Shed?

      2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: Just go Linux

        "I used to prefer KDE years back, what desktop do people go for these days"

        KDE but it's not as good as it was. The UX flat GUI infestation gets everywhere.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Just go Linux

        I used to prefer KDE years back, what desktop do people go for these days - Gnome? KDE? Other?

        KDE for me with KDE Neon distro for the most recent updates to everything KDE. Been using it for years and love it more now than ever.

        Ive just done a little coding on Win 10 which happened to have excel 2010. Compared to Linux it really is like using a toy OS. And whats with the ribbon. What an untity mess it looks compared to Libreoffice!

        Each to their own I guess.

        One thing is more sure anybody using windows in a mission critical situation needs to look at the alternatives, alternatives where you're in control not Redmond.

      4. Usermane

        Re: Just go Linux

        LXDE, is light and fast.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Just go Linux

          > LXDE, is light and fast.

          Who down voted this, go on explain yourself.

    7. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Just go Linux

      I have 1 Win10 laptop. I honestly cannot even be bothered to boot it to 10.

      I'm gonna have to VM 7 for legacy, and possibly even buy 8.1 for some more recent builds... but 10... I might use it for skunkworks. XD

      1. Michael Habel

        Re: Just go Linux

        Using Windows X Slurp Edition for your Skunkworks Division... What could possibly ever go wrong?

        1. Michael Habel

          Re: Just go Linux

          Dohh How did I fail to see my own genus at work?

          MicroSoft Windows X SE (Slurp Edition).... Its almost enough to make me slightly nostalgic for Windows 98SE.

    8. RAMChYLD

      Re: Just go Linux

      Well, if your intention of keeping windows around is because of games (especially those from asshole Linux-hating companies like Blizzard and Ubisoft), going Linux doesn’t really make sense.

    9. Steve 114
      Thumb Down

      Re: Just go Linux

      Of course I can, it's on dual-boot. But that doesn't solve the problem with all the irreplaceable (and often legacy) things that depend on Windows.

    10. Lorin Thwaits

      Re: Just go Linux

      It certainly makes sense -- Microsoft needed more testers for the Home version instead of the Pro version!

      (Personally I'm running Win 7 Amateur edition)

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Oh goody

    Another MS TITSUP event.

    The major snafu's seem to be coming thick and fast at the moment.

    As I have said before, it is their machine not yours. They can do what the hell they like with it and there is little you can do to stop them. Even taking legal action is a dead duck. They will just deny all liability and point to their EULA that says you can't sue them for anything. Queue 10 years of costs in court getting nowhere.

    What MS giveth that seem to be taking away with a vengance at the moment.

    I'd better get the popcorn out. This could be an interesting few days.

    1. Boris the Cockroach Silver badge

      Re: Oh goody

      The EULA does not take away your rights under the consumer rights act to having a decent product that works.

      After all... Ford could make you sign an EULA saying that any accidents are the fault of the driver....

      However , if you manage to beat the M$ lawyers , all you'll get back is the cost of the win 10 licence

      1. ibmalone

        Re: Oh goody

        Consumer rights only apply to consumers though. Business to business you're down to contract law.

        1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

          Re: Oh goody

          "Consumer rights only apply to consumers though."

          If MS have downgraded to a consumer version then maybe consumer law should apply.

      2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: Oh goody

        "However , if you manage to beat the M$ lawyers , all you'll get back is the cost of the win 10 licence"

        There was one report of a woman who got a few $k for the disruption caused to her by the enforced upgrade.

    2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: Oh goody

      "They will just deny all liability and point to their EULA that says you can't sue them for anything. Queue 10 years of costs in court getting nowhere."

      Small claims court and stuff their unenforceable EULA.

  3. Dwarf

    Microsoft Windows

    The gift that just keeps on giving.

    - Giving pain to it users.

    Wake up everyone, open the windows, go outside, smell the roses, there are other choices that work far better.

  4. chivo243 Silver badge
    Facepalm

    Asleep at the wheel?!

    M$, please see Title.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    MS

    MS you had one fucking job...

  6. Anonymous South African Coward Bronze badge
    Happy

    Billywindows fun again, I see.

    Now we wait for Bombastic Bob to have a go at them :)

    We got one laptop with the clap at the moment. Waiting for the user to come back from wherever so that I can have a prod 'n poke at said laptop and see what's going on.

    Thanks M$ for the extra work. Now go away.

    1. rmason

      No Bob or our favourite random-conspiracy-related-word-generator, AMFM, are you ok?

    2. dmacleo

      do you really want to poke something that has the clap????

      to each their own....burning sensation... I guess

      :)

  7. arctic_haze

    Will this never end?

    Microsoft at least in consistent in the quality of its services.

    1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: Will this never end?

      "Microsoft at least in consistent in the quality of its services."

      That's ISO9000 for you. All that's required is consistency.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Microsoft, stop running your activation service on Windows and it might be more reliable, sell the dogfood, don't eat it.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      They can eat it once it comes out the other end of the dog.

      1. hplasm
        Devil

        They can eat it once it comes out the other end of the dog.

        That's when they sell it!

  9. clocKwize

    Re: Contractor rights

    my gaming PC popped up with a "windows needs to be activated" watermark much to my displeasure. Hopefully it goes away in a day or 2, but it is certainly not the end of the world.

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge

      Re: Contractor rights

      Well it should be the end of the world for a gaming PC, one of the things that gets nobbled with unactivated Windows is Direct X.

      1. bombastic bob Silver badge
        Mushroom

        Re: Contractor rights

        yeah, that's the kind of thing that should worry EVERYONE. Periodic "re-activation". What the *FEEL* were they *FEELING* (not thinking) when they excreted *THAT* "feature" ???

      2. PCArcade

        Re: Contractor rights

        It doesn't. Direct X works fine on a non activated PC. It doesn't make this latest cock up ok, but gaming boxes are still going to be ok

      3. DAHISTRIMUS

        Re: Contractor rights

        nope works fine on my home gaming pc

        1. Dan 55 Silver badge

          Re: Contractor rights

          Perhaps it gets nobbled after 30 days.

      4. Unixman39

        Re: Contractor rights

        Run the beta Proton3.7 for Steam. A great number of windows games now running under Steam OS on Linux and it is darn good and getting better daily. It's just a matter of time before Windows loses it's crown. That will be when it goes subscription service and you have to pay a monthly or yearly fee for it. The greedy clown (Billy Gates) can fully stuff it by then.

        1. Agamemnon

          Re: Contractor rights

          It pains me to do this as I'm a xNIX person, and no fan of Redmond (in fact, I live in it), and so much more likely to sound like Bombastic Bob than makes me personally comfortable, and so:

          Bill's (formerly unchallenged) greed has absolutely nothing to do with anything at Microsoft these days. Oh, the Interns know who he is a vague way (seriously!) but Bill drives around Bellevue in a minivan and is a great deal more interested in other things (according to El Reg, Poop, specifically) these days. Bill is not, nor has he been for some time, responsible for the retarded shit-storm that is today's Microsoft. Ballmer set much in motion, and adjusting with both nudges AND hammers we have SatNad who is quite firmly in control, and thus, to blame.

          I don't mind calling out villany, just make sure you get the right villan. (Oracle and Amazon continue to make this easy.)

          1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

            Re: Contractor rights

            "is a great deal more interested in other things (according to El Reg, Poop, specifically) these days"

            Not too big a difference.

  10. johnnyblaze

    Finally upgraded

    I bit the bullett and upgraded my Windows 7 PC at the weekend.... to Windows 8.1! With a 3rd party start menu replacement (Start8 in this case), it's actually very fast and stable, and not a forced upgrade in site. It will give me a few more years grace anyway - before that godawful Win10 looms (or wobbles by that time) onto the horizon for me!

  11. Tezfair

    Not the first time

    About 2 years ago, not long after a free upgrade from W7 I started getting this sort of error, usually also followed by the 'this needs to be activated' messages. In the end I scrapped my dual booting setup, got a 500gb ssd and done a fresh install and it's been ok since.

  12. Martin Summers Silver badge

    Shame I've pissed about all morning trying to sort this on a machine activated with Windows 10 Pro for over 2 years. I don't read 'El Reg until dinner time. At least I have an explanation now! FFS Microsoft...

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Oh No!

    Not an 0x004003 error!? They've been thrown back to 1984. Did no one tell Microsoft about meaningful error messages?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Oh No!

      What, so you prefer "Oops, something went wrong"?

      Windows users...

      1. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge
        Coat

        Re: Oh No!

        shouldn't that be "Share and Enjoy!"

        (or was that "Go stick your head in a pig!")

        Doff hat to the late, great Douglas Adams

      2. Not That Andrew

        Re: Oh No!

        Or the other favorite

        "Something went wrong: Something went wrong."

    2. Skribblez

      Re: Oh No!

      Like the good old sys1475 error message, the numbers help for ease of internationalization. Though it would help if we had access to the list of error codes too... :-)

    3. David 132 Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: Oh No!

      Not an 0x004003 error!? They've been thrown back to 1984. Did no one tell Microsoft about meaningful error messages?

      Software Failure. Press left mouse button to continue.

      Guru Meditation 0x004003

  14. Anonymous Bullard
    Facepalm

    So, Windows regularly contacts the licensing servers to check if the licence is suddenly no longer valid.

    What could possibly go wrong? Oh, wait...

  15. Mage Silver badge
    Childcatcher

    Registry fix?

    Is there a registry fix, or is there any possibility MS will mess up in the other direction and make all copies of "Home" be "Pro"?

    Really the Home versions of Windows are evil and the price difference etc Home / Pro is evil. Also most consumers don't get a choice.

    1. Antonius_Prime

      Re: Registry fix?

      "Also most consumers don't get a choice."

      Well, you're not wrong in one sense.

      In another the choice they get is M$ or the Fruit Factory, all for a "It just works! I'm not like those IT techy blokes! I have a life! I don't have time to learn all the useless bollockology* they use!"

      (*Actual words used by one of my End L-Users because i took personal Skype off his work PC and told him Biz Skype or piss off. His retort of "it's my PC!" was met with "No. It's the company's. You agreed to abide by the IT Standards when you started. If you don't like it, I'll upgrade you to an abacus and a notepad. I'll be nice and let you choose your own colour pen. There shouldn't be any compatibility issues!")

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Really the Home versions of Windows are evil and the price difference etc Home / Pro is evil

      The price difference is evil?

      I paid £2.36 for a win10 Pro licence off ebay. Home was £1.73. I can't see how the price difference is evil? 63p is hardly earth shattering. It won't even get you a can of coke...

      1. bombastic bob Silver badge
        Devil

        Re: Really the Home versions of Windows are evil and the price difference etc Home / Pro is evil

        by comparison, how much would a WINDOWS 7 PRO license cost you these days?

        and a lot of people WOULD pay "that much" for Win 7 !!!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Really the Home versions of Windows are evil and the price difference etc Home / Pro is evil

          I doubt you could still find one, and M$ screwed the activate system for it just over a week ago.

          All 3 of my Win7 PCs suddenly started claiming fake installs (all genuine and have been genuine for years).

          Plus one where I was reinstalling after the SSD failed (3rd in our house this year!!), installed some weird licence number by itself and not only declared itself fake, but also the genuine licence that goes with that particular disk to be fake when I entered it.

          It has also gone from 7 days to activate - to 0 days to activate in the course of 48 hours, THEN decided I had 27 days to activate!!.

          Completely screwed

      2. vtcodger Silver badge

        Re: Really the Home versions of Windows are evil and the price difference etc Home / Pro is evil

        Besides which, Microsoft apparently doesn't remember what kind of license you have/had anyway.

      3. Ken Hagan Gold badge

        Re: Really the Home versions of Windows are evil and the price difference etc Home / Pro is evil

        "I paid £2.36 for a win10 Pro licence off ebay. "

        And that, in a nutshell, is why Microsoft configure Windows to check with the licence servers every month.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Really the Home versions of Windows are evil and the price difference etc Home / Pro is evil

          Except that my Win10 pro is still activated and still genuine...

  16. InNY

    Microsoft

    making [single] MS Windows installs irrelevant one day at a time?

  17. 89724102172714182892114I7551670349743096734346773478647892349863592355648544996312855148587659264921

    Wow. I'm so glad I stuck with XP.

  18. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

    If their systems are capable of doing that...

    ...then how about putting everybody back to Windows 7?

    Seriously though, if MS can pull this kind of stunt, what else can they do with your machine? Unilaterally turn it into a brick, perhaps?

    1. Skribblez

      Re: If their systems are capable of doing that...

      Wasn’t that the last October update?

    2. Luiz Abdala
      Pint

      Unilaterally turn it into a brick, perhaps?

      Oh, they did already, you see...

      Oh wait...

      Nice one. This one is on me.

    3. Mage Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: Unilaterally turn it into a brick, perhaps?

      Yes, been done by Windows update of firmware to x86 Linx brand tablets (why is Linx1010 32bit EFI?). Though I think Google did it once to one of their own branded Android Tablets.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    following an update to the freshly released Insider build

    if you fall over yourself to be a guine pig, stop whinging about unexpected fringe benfits (no place like home, etc.). Alternatively, wait til next insider build to block your twitter access for you! :D

    1. DJV Silver badge

      Re: following an update to the freshly released Insider build

      "To the relief of the bruised Insider team (but no one else), it soon became apparent that the issue is not just isolated to those brave souls trying out preview code, but over many versions of Windows 10."

      RTFA, idiot!

  20. MysteryGuy

    'Benefits' of DRM

    Another 'benefit' of D.R.M.

    From a customers perspective, the worst possible outcome is it stops you from legitimately using the software. (Something that seems to almost always happen eventually in my experience. Replacing a hard-drive, etc.).

    The best possible outcome is only that it doesn't stop you from legitimately using your tools...

  21. WatAWorld

    Expecting test versions to not have problems is amateurish.

    Expecting test versions to not have problems is amateurish.

    If you are going to run test versions of things you've got to expect problems.

    The only thing I fault MS for in this is not prominently labeling its test rings as "TEST VERSION" on both the desktop and start menu. This failing by MS allows kids to switch systems they care for over to a test versions, despite that the users may be using it for production.

    1. doublelayer Silver badge

      Re: Expecting test versions to not have problems is amateurish.

      As the article states, this is a problem with production license servers and affects non-insider, NON-BETA, production users. Insiders noticed it first because they update a lot so they talk to license servers a lot. It can and has affected other users too, and is most definitely a problem.

    2. MrKrotos

      Re: Expecting test versions to not have problems is amateurish.

      Not reading the bloody artical before commenting looks even more amateurish from where I am sitting...

    3. Updraft102

      Re: Expecting test versions to not have problems is amateurish.

      The only thing I fault MS for in this is not prominently labeling its test rings Home and Pro versions as "TEST VERSION" on both the desktop and start menu.

      There, FTFY.

    4. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: Expecting test versions to not have problems is amateurish.

      "Expecting test versions to not have problems is amateurish."

      Making comments without RTFA is amateurish.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    RDP

    I know that versions of Windows lower than Pro don;t have RDP server installed.

    Did this "update" remove Remote Desktop server?

    And what about the low level access controls in the Pro version that aren't in Home?

    1. katrinab Silver badge

      Re: RDP

      I think Home has Remote Assistance, which is RDP, but you need people at both ends of the line to make it work.

      1. Baldrickk

        Re: RDP

        Home still has most of RDP installed... you just need to jump through a few little hoops to get there https://github.com/stascorp/rdpwrap ;)

  23. AstroNutter
    Stop

    Just install Linux (joking aside)

    I know there's jokes about installing Linux and everything will be good. However, this isn't always as simple as the comment would make you think.

    What do I mean, one of my machines - a laptop as it happens, runs Windows 10 Pro, The software installed on it is all specialist astronomy software for image capturing and telescope operations.

    Of those pieces of software there are some which only run on Windows. Specifically there are three pieces of software which are the core of the system, Sequence Generator Pro - http://mainsequencesoftware.com/Products/SGPro, SharpCap - https://www.sharpcap.co.uk/ and PHD2 - https://openphdguiding.org/. These communicate with the telescope using the ASCOM Platform - https://ascom-standards.org/

    Migrating to Linux until not long ago, was a bit of a none starter. It migrate would mean a major project to see if it's possible before I replaced the OS.

    I have Linux running on several machines, for what I use it for, I love it. I've also got a MacBook Pro which is great for what I use that for. I use windows by choice and for the reasons that I stated above with the specialist software that simple isn't available for other OS's

    In the grand scheme of things, waiting a few days won't be too much of a problem, For the astronomy stuff, the only thing I needed a Pro licence for is Remote Desktop. Other than that, I could have used the Home version.... and there's other software that I could have used if I didn't want to use RDP.

    1. Kubla Cant
      Unhappy

      Re: Just install Linux (joking aside)

      @AstroNutter

      My recent experiences with a new Dell laptop bear this out. I don't like Windows 10, but I'm reluctant to zap the installed O/S completely, not least because of reports of poor battery life under Linux.

      So I thought I'd dual-boot. No luck, some infernal BIOS feature means that the Linux installer can't see the disk.

      Well how about running Linux in a VM? I read enthusiastic reports (El Reg and elsewhere) about the Ubuntu image Microsoft have created for Hyper-V. So I enable Hyper-V and install it. The VM window is about the size of a postage stamp. Switch to full-screen, and it's a postage stamp in the middle of the screen. Messing around with Grub in the VM got me a slightly bigger stamp. It turns out the maximum resolution of the Hyper-V video driver is a miserable 1920x1080.

      OK, let's try VMWare. No luck there, either. It seem W10 has some VM-related security feature that prevents VMWare from launching a VM. There's a solution to this, but I don't like entering commands I don't understand, and I haven't got the time to investigate.

      I haven't got around to trying VirtualBox yet.

      1. katrinab Silver badge

        Re: Just install Linux (joking aside)

        The solution to running VMWare is to uninstall Hyper-V. You can't have both running at the same time.

        1. DrBed

          Re: Just install Linux (joking aside)

          I bought Windows 10 Pro in last effort to force myself to continue using Windows. Unfortunately, it does not help. I stuck with Mint, VirtualBox is fulfilling my needs for win-only progs.

          Waste of money.

          1. katrinab Silver badge

            Re: Just install Linux (joking aside)

            The two features I buy Windows Pro for are the ability to join a domain, and RDP.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Linux

              Re: Just install Linux (joking aside)

              "The two features I buy Windows Pro for are the ability to join a domain, and RDP"

              Well then we have you covered: Join the domain with winbind (Samba) and use xfreerdp - many GUIs available. I have Kerberized everything on this laptop I am using right now. I get my files by accessing folders in my home dir that magically mount shares via autofs. Libre Office for office stuff. email from Exchange through Evolution. Printing via CUPs. Teamviewer works for providing remote support. KeePass native for password management.

              1. katrinab Silver badge
                Devil

                Re: Just install Linux (joking aside)

                "Well then we have you covered:"

                I mean, the reason I buy Windows Pro vs Windows Home ...

                My preferred operating system is FreeBSD. It too has Samba / Winbindd for joining domains and freerdp for remote desktop.

      2. Ken Hagan Gold badge

        Re: Just install Linux (joking aside)

        "I haven't got around to trying VirtualBox yet."

        More importantly, based on your comment, you haven't got around to trying to put Linux on the host PC and Windows in the VM. Hypervisors have mechanisms these days to let you expose the UEFI magic to a VM, so the Windows licence key can be used by the virtualised system and you get to use Linux on the big screen. Also, since your monitor appears to be so big that a 1920x1080 screen is "tiny", you might be interested in virtualising a second monitor on that VM.

        If there are apps on both Windows and Linux that you feel you have to use at higher resolutions, I'm a bit stuck and you are probably right. Also, if there are fancy games you need to run in the VM, that probably isn't going to work either. But for basic desktop productivity, putting the badly behaved OS in a sandbox (where it is trivial to reset or back-up) is the way to go.

        In a commercial setting, where there *ought* to be someone in-house who can research and support this configuration, it is fast becoming the only responsible way to deploy Windows within an organisation. Microsoft have managed half a dozen borkages via Windows Update in as many months. Is it really sensible to run your business on an OS which can only managed "one nine" of uptime?

        1. Kubla Cant

          Re: Just install Linux (joking aside)

          @Ken Hagan

          based on your comment, you haven't got around to trying to put Linux on the host PC and Windows in the VM

          As I said in my comment, installing Linux on the host PC was what I tried first.

          ...since your monitor appears to be so big...you might be interested in virtualising a second monitor on that VM

          I'm using a laptop - there is no monitor.

          That said, I fully accept that there are solutions to all the problems I've encountered, and that I should stop complaining and get on with solving them.

  24. Howard Hanek
    Headmaster

    Someone Tell Bill Gates

    It's altogether appropriate that he's using Redmond to develop the world's perfect toilet.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "contains lots of goodies including improvements to Focus Assist to stop notifications bothering customers using apps in fullscreen mode"

    how is it an "improvement" if it's removing an annoying piece of functionality that shouldnt have been there in the first place?

    that's like hitting someone in the face and describing the subsequent bandages as an "improvement". well, maybe, if the bandaging and punching wasnt being done by the same fecking person/entity/company/feckfeckfeck. but if you're fixing something the mess you created, you're not 'improving' it.

    feck this shit, feck it all.

    1. gotes

      I was wondering if this "Focus assist" feature would stop message boxes stealing focus while you're in the middle of typing a document/command line/password (the worst!). Probably not.

  26. jsmith1202

    You know, things were getting better

    On Windows 98, I used to unexpectedly reboot my machine more or less every day. I used to be nervous every time it booted because I didn't have access to the screen (blind and use software to read the screen in Windows). I set my autosave and auto-backup very low so that I wouldn't lose much work when the machine crashed. I fought with hardware to get it installed. Then Windows XP and Windows 7 came and I didn't have to worry about these things anymore, the machine would stay up, it hardly ever failed to boot, I didn't have to fight with hardware anymore. All these things got better and stayed better on phones, on Mac... It was a general improvement. Why is MS moving backward? Why is it possible for the machine to force a reboot to install updates (yes, I can delay it, but why should it not be in my control to avoid it)? Why is it possible for a machine to boot and fail to talk for a few minutes while installing updates? Keep in mind, if it doesn't talk, I don't know why though I can guess. Why, to avoid this, do I have to stick with 7 and now start fighting with hardware again to make it work on that system?

  27. Fading

    Unfortunately....

    There are legitimate reasons to use windows 10 - off the top of my head - direct x12 gaming and intel Skylake x and above hardware (turbo boost 3.0 is windows only).

    Having a home system that mirrors work is also helpful - especially if work is 100% MS. But having this on top of the last few months of crap from MS has kept me from updating my laptop (It has remained in an off state - pretty safe) and only my main machine has been subject to the update gamble. Whilst my Linux box has updated numerous times without issue. C’mon MS we don’t expect perfection but this incompetence is edging into malice.

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    NO RDP in 10 Home

    No RDP server on Home? OK its not in from the install but Home on a system here seems to work perfectly well. It gets accessed from other Windows and Linux systems and even allows more than one user logged in at the same time. RDPWrapper adds the functionality they want to keep out. There are more things I would like them to take out of Windows than I would like to add. An OS only needs to 'operate the system' and allow me to run the software I want to easily and reliably.WOW UAE still allows me to use my Amiga software..... when I have the desire to do so. I dont need an OS to keep jumping in and getting in the way and that goes for Linux, Windows or Mac. All OS'es are becoming overgrown in install size from what they need to be for my needs and that is what matters to me.

  29. Luiz Abdala
    Windows

    So, it assumes everybody has Home license if there are NO authentication servers?

    I'm confused here.

    If I just slap a fresh setup on a PC, no licenses at all... Home it is?

    Or, it looks for the Pro auth servers, finds none, and somebody at Microsoft duct-taped the Home servers to "accept" anyone looking for Pro credentials, let them go on a temporary Home activation?

    How does that work?

    Icon--->

  30. Richard Plinston

    According to slashdot:

    """Only users who had upgraded their computers to Windows 10 by using product keys of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 appear to be impacted."""

    At the time of the 'free upgrade' they promised that it would be 'free' for "the lifetime of the device". Maybe they have decided that a PC's 'lifetime' is now up. If your manufacturer's warranty has expired then "it's dead Jim".

    1. NonyaDB

      Nope. I'm in the middle of new PC builds and it's affecting brand-new installs using OEM licenses in the BIOS.

      It affects *everything*, not just upgrades from previous Windows OS versions.

  31. SVV

    Windows 10 users complaining about update borkage

    Like the man who bought an automatic arse kicking machine and complained that it hurt when he sat down.

    1. hplasm
      Pint

      Re: Windows 10 users complaining about update borkage

      This is for you! --->

  32. DAHISTRIMUS

    Temporary issue, doesnt affect my VAMT server.

  33. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Smug Mode, I run on OpenSUSE.

  34. SabreMogDawg

    It all makes sense now

    Spent half the day wondering why my machine and customer machines have been complaining about being windows 10 home instead. Only to find out that the servers have been messed up.

    Microsoft should be renamed to BigHard, they ain't small anymore nor are they easy to figure out. Well, I'm going to have to sit around and wait until microsoft sort this problem out and keep repeating myself to my customers, I will sound like a broken record for the next couple of days.

    1. RAMChYLD

      Re: It all makes sense now

      At least you only spent half a day. I didn’t sleep last night because this was affecting my laptop (bought a Pro upgrade pack back when it was running 8.1 because the stupid thing shipped with Home and I needed Hyper-V for development purposes). Was up all night running through the thousands of scenarios in my head pondering why my license had become counterfeit all of the sudden. Now I feel terrible.

  35. DAHISTRIMUS

    it seems it doesnt stop you using the pc at all!

  36. NEJJ

    Only affects insider program - Not correct

    "This seems to apply to the 'Insider' program only" - No

    I have a surface laptop & upgraded it to W10 Professional (it was part of the price) and suddenly - like 5 minutes ago - it tells me I have no license. I am not part of any w10 preview / test circle.

    :-(

    1. doublelayer Silver badge

      Re: Only affects insider program - Not correct

      No, it affects anybody who installed an update* after the servers got broken, whenever that was. Insiders saw it first because they install updates a lot, but it will affect a lot of people before someone fixes it.

      *installed an update, or had an update flung at you, or maybe there's something else that contacts the registration servers though the article doesn't say there is

    2. hplasm
      Devil

      Re: Only affects insider program - Not correct

      "I am not part of any w10 preview / test circle."

      You are in the Windows Circle of Hell...

  37. NonyaDB

    How to fix this if you are affected (OEM BIOS keys only!)

    1) Install “ShowKeyPlus” from Microsoft Store (it’s free)

    2) Run it, save the keys to a text file on the desktop using the

    3) Open up an admin command-line

    4) Type in “Slmgr.vbs /ipk [OEM-LICENSE-KEY-WITH-DASHES]” without the quotes and using the OEM key from the ShowKeyPlus text file you saved to the desktop.

    5) Verify it took by checking Windows Activation in the Settings GUI (Update & Security, Activation)

    6) Delete desktop text file

    7) Uninstall ShowKeyPlus (right-click on program icon, uninstall)

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  38. FozzyBear
    Devil

    Microsoft should drop the Pro from the name. The "pro" suggests Professional. Considering the crap that has knee capped win 10 over the past weeks ( to be honest since it's release). Microsoft has been anything but professional.

  39. doug_bostrom

    Engineered scarcity first, you second. That's the system.

  40. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I saw the message this morning on my laptop, a W10 pro that followed the upgrade process from 8.1 to 10. Not an insider machine. I checked the tenforums.com site and el reg, and it is fairly clear that it is a temporary issue. I've seen similar with malwarebytes when they do DB maintenance and I get a warning that the application is not up to date.

    Not a huge problem but it's surprising that it occurred.

  41. peterb9

    It's fixed now.

    I re-booted, ran windows update, clicked on troubleshoot in the activation window and it succesfully activated again.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yup. All good. Tempest in a teapot for some folks.

  42. Phil Kingston

    The real surprise here is that Windows Troubleshooter actually managed to fix something.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The real surprise here is that Windows Troubleshooter actually managed to fix something.

      Be wary.

      At one stage the Titanic was both travelling too fast for the conditions and carrying too many people for the number of lifeboats. Both of those problems were "fixed" by a generous application of ice to the hull.

      While, for the first time in recorded history, trouble,shooter may've actually apparently fixed something; given it's vast record of failures I'd suggest a policy of 'Be afraid. Be very afraid'.

  43. MarkSitkowski

    Consider yourselves lucky!

    I envy you guys with unactivated Win 10 Home.

    I have an activated Win 10 Pro, with a Window Update that runs 24/7 for four or five days at a time, eating 100% of my CPU, making the whole thing unusable.

    If I run wu170509.diagcab it kills the update process, fixes a few bad files, but leaves saying 'Update files were corrupted'. A few days later, Win Update runs again, with the same problem.

    I'm painfully transferring all its files to a Win 7 PC, so I can get back to something which works fine, needs no more updates and doesn't need colonic irrigation every few days to make it run again.

  44. LateAgain

    No "accidentally undated to Enterprise"

    Strange that.

  45. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    "We're working to restore product activations for the limited number of affected Windows 10 Pro customers,”

    Typical PR version. Limited as in limited to what? Everyone with W10Pro? Both users who used their left pinkie to switch on whilst facing north? Meaningless twaddle!

  46. david 12 Silver badge

    In spite of misgivings, cam here to see if anyone had anything useful to add.

    Nope.

  47. Robert Brockway
    Linux

    Linux WTF

    Well I've used Linux on the desktop since 1994 and never regretted it.

  48. Temmokan

    Looks like "Week without disaster is a week spent in vain" is a motto of those supporting/developing Windows 10.

  49. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The big firm I work for (or at least turn up to) is still on Windows 7. When I asked one of our Windows guys why we'd not upgraded, his answer was "we daren't".

  50. Sirius Lee

    Why is there such hyperbole about a beta release? If you don't want to put up with bugs, wait until the RTM version is released. Otherwise, stop with your whining.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      You've never actually used Windows have you?

      If you don't want to put up with bugs, wait until the RTM version is released.

      Lol. See title.

    2. johnnyblaze

      I guess that's actually a joke? Windows 10 is always in beta, and anyone using it is an unpaid MS tester. There's no such thing as RTM now - it's always work in progress. Jeez.

  51. Kris Sweeney

    Finally been forced to 'upgrade' to Windows 10 and it gets worse not better the longer i use it!

    Now I wish M$ could understand the simple reality that I don't want to use their store, don't want to use Cortana and I will not use edge or internet explorer. It's a shame they forgot the IE antitrust case and baked this crap into the OS.

    Forced because a recent windows update + VS 2017 install for work decided to screw with my audio output, corrupt HAL or driver registration only affecting output, plugging in a USB camera/mic registers the input device with no problems.

    Rolled back to previous backup, no problems, performed updates again, lost audio again... No combination of uninstall drivers, reinstall last known good from fresh download and multiple reboots worked to resolve the issue so i either sit in silence, run Windows 10 or try and figure out how to get all my usual apps working under emulation on Linux.

  52. JimmyPage Silver badge
    Linux

    One indisputable thing about Linux ...

    It has none of these artificial "Home, Pro, Ultimate" distinctions needed by Windows to screw the end user with.

    I have a few beefs with desktop Linux - mainly over the GUI experience. But at least the core is just the one version.

  53. MS-Surface
    IT Angle

    ? Is there any Linux distribution supporting the following requirements: ?

    I've got several different Windows 10 Pro machines, MS Surface Pro LTE, HP Spectre x2 LTE, Lenovo X1 Tablet LTE and few other all with LTE. I need full support incl. advanced configuration for: secure boot, full encryption, connected standby (instant resume), touch screens, wireless displays, input pens, precision touchpads, SIMs and eSIMs support and configuration/provisioning, IR cameras support incl. face login, fingerprint readers, Cortana, mobile phone integration similar to MS My Phone or Dell Mobile Connect etc. Please share your suggestions.

  54. Earth Resident

    I suspect it's related...

    Yesterday, I did an update of the virus definitions for Microsoft Defender (settle down, I have two Win 10 machines in a household with a LAN and 3 M$ systems and 4 Linux systems along with various Android/IOS fondleslabs) on my Windows 10 Pro machine and got a message telling me I had to activate Windows.

    I fixed it by reentering the internally stored product.key. What a pain in the ass.

  55. Timbo

    ...and Win 7 as well ??

    I have a PC running a genuine (and registered) copy of Windows 7 Pro (for work purposes) and yesterday morning, I found an error box claiming that this software wasn't registered.

    As of this morning I now have the transparent box at the bottom right, that advises me that "This copy of Windows is not genuine"

    So, maybe their activation servers have crapped out on more than just Win 10 ?

  56. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hmmm

    It is no coincidence that with that "downgrade" every one of those customers had their entire security settings changed. Home has far fewer privacy protects than pro. This instantly allowed access to customer computers that Microsoft did not previously have.......

  57. It's just me
    Unhappy

    Still occurring

    I've received several reports from users of persistent "Activate Windows" messages on their systems today.

  58. Shadrach

    *Calling* support seems to have fixed it

    I would never do this, but actually had to call the support phone and laboriously typing in the activation code. After that I was transferred to a support person. Since my local one is closed it was transferred to a person with a very pronounced Indian accent. They were nice and just told me to wait while they verified the code, then asked me to re-enter the license again, and this time it actually worked.

    So it might help to go the old-school route and just call support.

  59. Aquilus

    Microsoft being Microsoft

    It happened to me. And you know what... I wish I could say it caused a moment of sudden realisation that I was *done* with Microsoft. Like being in a long term relationship where the love was lost long ago, where excitement and desire and the happiness of having shared goals and alignments have been replaced with annoyance, anger growing into contempt for them and shame for yourself at letting this go on for so long without breaking up. That this was that *snap* moment where all of that fades into numbness and a sense simply of 'You know what, I'm done. You won't change. I don't care if you do. Go do you.' and the freedom that would bring... but I have games to play. Like having kids, you love them, but just wish they'd grow up so you could be free and let you break away from this unhappy mismatched contemptuous union you're trapped in for their sake.

    But I can't. I'll accept the abuse. I'll tolerate the cold contempt we both hold each other in.

    Each time they hurt me I'll just go a little number.

    For the kids.

  60. largefile

    It's a beta program folks!

    Come on people. If you are in the beta program, especially in the fast ring, you have no reason to complain. You provide feedback and roll back to a previous build if you are dead in the water.

  61. UncleZoot

    This whole MicroSlop affair might be funny if I didn't have so much money tied up in software licenses.

    Between 2 licenses for Autodesk Inventor and AutoCad,, 4 more licenses for ABlowME Photoshop, Premier, and After Effects and 5 licenses for MS Office, I'd love one platform that can run it all, but alas, MicroSlop has a monopoly on business software.

    Been the MAC route, but with the way that Office handles styles and conversions, I spent too much time fixing shit that wasn't broke.

    Still not a happy camper with updates being shoved down my throat, so one box is only used for emailing files and isn't going to receive updates.

  62. Bill_Sticker
    Linux

    After twenty five plus years using Microsoft Products, Windows 10 has been the straw that broke this Camels back. My wireless connection keeps falling over in 10, as does my wireless keyboard and Bluetooth, but oddly enough when I boot the same machine using a Linux Mint USB they're all rock steady.

    When I bought two brand new laptops last year, Windows 10 worked fine with all these things until the 'Upgrades' that dumped applications on my hard drive I didn't ask for and never wanted in the first place. Not to mention screwing with what was a perfectly functional machine. Don't even get me started on that utter annoyance called 'Cortana' which I can't fully disable or uninstall.

    Now I'm seriously working toward going full time Linux and note with pleasure that moving all my precious files into long term storage via Linux to an SD Card for archive from my machines hard drive is an absolute snip. LibreOffice is likewise more than a match for MS-Office. I may even migrate back to WordPerfect.

  63. rajivdx

    This happened to me, but cant see what all the fuss is about....

    I came in to work this morning and got a message saying 'Windows needs to be activated' - no the computer didn't blow up, no the sky didn't fall on my head, no I didn't lose any functionality it still behaved like Windows 10 Pro - just a watermark saying I needed to activate Windows. I hit 'Troubleshoot' and the watermark was gone and a message saying Windows was activated. Hardly a reason to throw out Windows and spend the next 2 weeks installing Linux, tweaking the packages, services, window managers and hunting for equivalent apps that barely cover half the functionality of what I need to get work done in Windows.

    1. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

      Re: Hardly a reason to throw out Windows

      Think of it as... let's say... a warning...

      A warning that maybe... just maybe... the machine is beginning to question your authority.

      ===

      Let me ask a question. One day upon switching on your pc, a message pops up about a S.M.A.R.T. error. You switch the machine off and on again and the message no longer appears.

      Would you:-

      (a) Ignore it as a "one-off"?

      (b) Take an immediate backup?

      (c) Replace the drive?

      Sounds like you are an (a) type person. I'm more of a (b)(c) type person myself.

  64. karlkarl Silver badge

    But they are home users

    Anyone relying on a consumer activation server is a consumer / home user. So their Windows edition should reflect that.

    For professional users, they need their software to be deterministic and reliable. So they do not use consumer activation servers requiring external company servers, a network connection. Too many unknowns that could go wrong.

    Stay safe kids. Don't think software requiring strict DRM is a "professional" solution. Use your due diligence and pick a correct solution.

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