Restarting KMS settings
Restarting KMS settings
According to Andrew, a fresh installation is the simplest method. You might also utilize slmgr.vbs to input the new key via the command prompt. Refer to the guide at https://www.howtogeek.com/245445/how-to-...s-license/
It seems he modified the hosts file to prevent online checks. Consider going to c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc and swap it with the original Windows version you provided. After that, try altering the Windows key again.
You tried the process and got the same error code. The key was purchased directly from Dell, but hasn’t been used yet—since it’s not registered on another machine, there are no recorded uses. If it works, you might be missing a step. You need to upgrade his old system because Windows 10 Home doesn’t support multi-CPU configurations (your system is an older Precision 490 with dual Xeon 5160s).
It's clear you're dealing with a tricky issue. If you keep encountering that error, it could affect future updates on Windows. I recall a similar problem from a faulty update in early 2018 that caused serious issues for someone else's computer. Seven days passed without a fix, so I'd suggest keeping backups and performing a clean wipe before making any hardware changes.