Windows 8.1 has stopped working properly and can't be turned back on.
Windows 8.1 has stopped working properly and can't be turned back on.
I set up Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center nearly two years ago using a valid product key, and everything functioned smoothly. After returning from vacation yesterday, my computer shut down unexpectedly. Restarting required significant effort—resetting the BIOS and adjusting other settings. Once I managed to boot, I received a notification that Windows wasn’t activated. Attempting to enter the product key still resulted in the error: “The activation server has reported that the product key has reached its activation limit.” The phone activation also failed. Any suggestions?
I believe a type of malware has compromised your device. Restoring Windows would be the first step.
I thought about it too, but malwarebytes didn’t find anything, and the machine was running smoothly when I left, not in use at all during my absence. That makes it hard to believe an infection occurred. I’m also a bit concerned about performing a full reinstall, since if the key doesn’t work, I might not finish the installation properly.
The solution should function as long as you haven't applied it elsewhere and disabled it before. You may need to contact Microsoft and spend about five minutes on the phone to resolve the issue, though it can happen. It could be malware changing the registry or a corrupted operating system component. Without me reviewing everything, I recommend performing a clean installation to ensure everything works properly.
I managed to turn it on by calling support after removing all the updates that came with the installation. I plan to do a fresh setup when Windows 10 arrives, so activation was just what I needed for the upgrade. Thanks!