- Local time
- 11:51 AM
- Posts
- 672
- OS
- Windows 10
Best of luck keeping up with the workarounds when needed.
That low of a price on Win 11 supported hardware.
I'm out of this topic.
My Computer
At a glance
Windows 10
- OS
- Windows 10
New Cloned Hard Drive - Windows 11 Pro Now Not Activated
- Thread starter All2kool
- Start date
I'm out of this topic.
Authorized refurbishes are required to give you documentation showing which version of Windows they installed and a Product Key in case you need to reinstall Windows. That is what Microsoft requires of them.
Don't use ShowKeyPlus to find your Product Key. It will only show a generic key after it was digitally activated. You need to find the written documentation you received when you bought your computer. If you don't have that you are out of luck unless you want to buy another Product Key.
If you want to start over and install Windows 10 Home on it then it should automatically activate with the Product Key in the BIOS.
Since I maintain a computer for a non-profit I am familiar with MAK keys. I purchased copies of Windows and Office from an official volume license software seller. Both came with MAK keys. I have reinstalled both several times. The MAK keys always worked.
Windows MAK key are different than retail in that the same key can activate Windows on multiple computers. How many depends upon how many activations the purchaser paid for. There is a limitation on how many times the same key can be used but if the limit is reached then an authorized purchaser can ask Microsoft to increase the limit. Note the Windows and Office MAK keys I have came with 100 activations each. Since I only had to reactivate a few times I have 90+ left.
Don't use ShowKeyPlus to find your Product Key. It will only show a generic key after it was digitally activated. You need to find the written documentation you received when you bought your computer. If you don't have that you are out of luck unless you want to buy another Product Key.
If you want to start over and install Windows 10 Home on it then it should automatically activate with the Product Key in the BIOS.
Since I maintain a computer for a non-profit I am familiar with MAK keys. I purchased copies of Windows and Office from an official volume license software seller. Both came with MAK keys. I have reinstalled both several times. The MAK keys always worked.
Windows MAK key are different than retail in that the same key can activate Windows on multiple computers. How many depends upon how many activations the purchaser paid for. There is a limitation on how many times the same key can be used but if the limit is reached then an authorized purchaser can ask Microsoft to increase the limit. Note the Windows and Office MAK keys I have came with 100 activations each. Since I only had to reactivate a few times I have 90+ left.
My Computers
-
At a glance
Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (26200.6901)AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with Radeon 680M GPU (486MB...Crucial DDR5-4800 (2400MHz) 32GB (2 x 16GB)NVIDIA RTX 3060 Laptop (6GB RAM)- OS
- Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (26200.6901)
- Computer type
- Laptop
- Manufacturer/Model
- ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2022)
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with Radeon 680M GPU (486MB RAM)
- Memory
- Crucial DDR5-4800 (2400MHz) 32GB (2 x 16GB)
- Graphics Card(s)
- NVIDIA RTX 3060 Laptop (6GB RAM)
- Sound Card
- n/a
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 15.6-inch
- Screen Resolution
- 1920x1080 300Hz
- Hard Drives
- 2 x Samsung 990 Evo Plus (2TB M.2 NVME SSD)
- PSU
- n/a
- Mouse
- Wireless Mouse M510
- Internet Speed
- 2100Mbps/300Mbps
- Browser
- Firefox
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes
-
At a glance
Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (26200.8246)AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3DG.SKILL Flare X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX3060TI-08G-V2-GAMING (RTX 3...- Operating System
- Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (26200.8246)
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Custom build
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D
- Motherboard
- ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi II
- Memory
- G.SKILL Flare X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4
- Graphics card(s)
- ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX3060TI-08G-V2-GAMING (RTX 3060-Ti, 8GB RAM)
- Monitor(s) Displays
- Samsung G50D IPS 27"
- Screen Resolution
- 1440p/180Hz
- Hard Drives
- SAMSUNG 990 EVO Plus (2TB] M.2 NVME SSD
SAMSUNG 990 EVO Plus (4TB) M.2 NVME SSD
- PSU
- Corsair RM750x (750 watts)
- Case
- Cooler Master MasterCase 5
- Cooling
- Scythe Mugen 6
- Keyboard
- Logitech K520 (MK540 keyboard/mouse combo)
- Mouse
- Logitech M310 (MK540 keyboard/mouse combo)
- Internet Speed
- 2100 Mbps down / 300 Mbps up
- Browser
- Firefox, Edge, Chrome
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes (Premium)
- Other Info
- ASUS Blu-ray Burner BW-16D1HT (SATA) || Western Digital Easystore 20TB USB 3.0 external hard drive used with Acronis True Image 2025 backup software || HP OfficeJet Pro 6975 Printer/Scanner
What workarounds? Describe what may have been manipulated to make Windows 11 Pro work on this PC. The CPU is fast enough. It has TPM 2.0.
I have two Windows 10 Desktops and 4 laptops in the closet and none of them met the TPM 2.0 requirement which is why I bought this one that did.
My Computer
At a glance
Windows 11 ProIntel Core i3-6100 @ 3.70GHz
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Optiplex 3040
- CPU
- Intel Core i3-6100 @ 3.70GHz
- Motherboard
- Unknown
No need - I activated using a Windows 10 Home key off a dead unit I had in the closet.
My Computer
At a glance
Windows 11 ProIntel Core i3-6100 @ 3.70GHz
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Optiplex 3040
- CPU
- Intel Core i3-6100 @ 3.70GHz
- Motherboard
- Unknown
- Local time
- 11:51 AM
- Posts
- 672
- OS
- Windows 10
The check for a supported processor. There are many topics in this forum regarding that subject.
How did you activate Pro with a HOME key?
My Computer
At a glance
Windows 10
- OS
- Windows 10
It doesn't matter. It is considered a refurbished computer. Companies by pallets of these usually without HDDs or SSDs. The buyers install drives and supposedly OEM copies of Windows. I suspect some put Windows 11 on them only to make them seem better even if it not officially supported on them. Like I said the computer refurbisher should have given you documentation which included the Windows 11 Product Key. If they didn't then maybe they aren't officially approved by Microsoft.
My Computers
-
At a glance
Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (26200.6901)AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with Radeon 680M GPU (486MB...Crucial DDR5-4800 (2400MHz) 32GB (2 x 16GB)NVIDIA RTX 3060 Laptop (6GB RAM)- OS
- Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (26200.6901)
- Computer type
- Laptop
- Manufacturer/Model
- ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2022)
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with Radeon 680M GPU (486MB RAM)
- Memory
- Crucial DDR5-4800 (2400MHz) 32GB (2 x 16GB)
- Graphics Card(s)
- NVIDIA RTX 3060 Laptop (6GB RAM)
- Sound Card
- n/a
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 15.6-inch
- Screen Resolution
- 1920x1080 300Hz
- Hard Drives
- 2 x Samsung 990 Evo Plus (2TB M.2 NVME SSD)
- PSU
- n/a
- Mouse
- Wireless Mouse M510
- Internet Speed
- 2100Mbps/300Mbps
- Browser
- Firefox
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes
-
At a glance
Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (26200.8246)AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3DG.SKILL Flare X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX3060TI-08G-V2-GAMING (RTX 3...- Operating System
- Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (26200.8246)
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Custom build
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D
- Motherboard
- ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi II
- Memory
- G.SKILL Flare X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4
- Graphics card(s)
- ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX3060TI-08G-V2-GAMING (RTX 3060-Ti, 8GB RAM)
- Monitor(s) Displays
- Samsung G50D IPS 27"
- Screen Resolution
- 1440p/180Hz
- Hard Drives
- SAMSUNG 990 EVO Plus (2TB] M.2 NVME SSD
SAMSUNG 990 EVO Plus (4TB) M.2 NVME SSD
- PSU
- Corsair RM750x (750 watts)
- Case
- Cooler Master MasterCase 5
- Cooling
- Scythe Mugen 6
- Keyboard
- Logitech K520 (MK540 keyboard/mouse combo)
- Mouse
- Logitech M310 (MK540 keyboard/mouse combo)
- Internet Speed
- 2100 Mbps down / 300 Mbps up
- Browser
- Firefox, Edge, Chrome
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes (Premium)
- Other Info
- ASUS Blu-ray Burner BW-16D1HT (SATA) || Western Digital Easystore 20TB USB 3.0 external hard drive used with Acronis True Image 2025 backup software || HP OfficeJet Pro 6975 Printer/Scanner
FYI but I test loaded an Optiplex 3040 about a week ago with Win11 23H2. I5-6500 cpu. Win11 didn't balk at all about the cpu requirement. It was running Win10 Pro(activated) and Win11 simply picked up the digital license and showed activated. There was another topic here in the forum discussing the very issue.
My Computer
At a glance
Win 7/10/11
- OS
- Win 7/10/11
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Other Info
- I'm a computer enthusiast so have quite a few systems that I run. More like an advanced hobby.
You'll need to ask Microsoft why that worked but I'm guessing it's because this PC originally came with Windows 10 and was upgraded to Windows 11 Pro and the Windows 10 Home Product Key that I used was never used to upgrade to any version of Windows 11.
Last edited:
My Computer
At a glance
Windows 11 ProIntel Core i3-6100 @ 3.70GHz
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Optiplex 3040
- CPU
- Intel Core i3-6100 @ 3.70GHz
- Motherboard
- Unknown
- Local time
- 11:51 AM
- Posts
- 672
- OS
- Windows 10
How was the install disk created?
Was it connected to the internet during the install?
My Computer
At a glance
Windows 10
- OS
- Windows 10
- Local time
- 5:51 PM
- Posts
- 3,068
- OS
- Win7,Win11
I think the DM means it is from the firmware MSDM table.
In the days of slp activation there used to be
retail
oem:slp
oem:nonslp
they have dm now instead of slp.
In the days of slp activation there used to be
retail
oem:slp
oem:nonslp
they have dm now instead of slp.
My Computers
-
At a glance
Win7,Win11i7-97002x16gb 3600mhz- OS
- Win7,Win11
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- CPU
- i7-9700
- Motherboard
- gigabyte b365m ds3h
- Memory
- 2x16gb 3600mhz
- Monitor(s) Displays
- benq gw2480
- PSU
- bequiet pure power 11 400CM
- Cooling
- cryorig m9i
-
At a glance
win7,win11i5-84002x8gb 3200- Operating System
- win7,win11
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- CPU
- i5-8400
- Motherboard
- gigabyte b365m ds3h
- Memory
- 2x8gb 3200
- PSU
- xfx pro 450
Correct. Superfly, the author of ShowKeyPlus, documents this over on Ten Forums.
ShowKeyPlus - Windows 10 Help Forums
I have converted the vbs to .Net for speed and backward compatibility with Win 8.0. Should be fine on WTP, but please report any bugs (This is a quite
www.tenforums.com
My Computers
-
At a glance
Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics- OS
- Windows 11 Home
- Computer type
- Laptop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
- CPU
- AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
- Memory
- 8GB
- Graphics Card(s)
- Radeon Graphics
- Monitor(s) Displays
- laptop screen
- Screen Resolution
- 1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
- Hard Drives
- 1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
- Internet Speed
- 150 Mbps
- Browser
- Edge, Firefox
- Antivirus
- Defender
- Other Info
- UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to lid hinges starting to break up this laptop has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.
I've now clean installed 25H2 and used Garlin's scripts to update Secure Boot to CA 2023 and revoke the PCA 2011 certificates. It's new role is to test secure boot issues.
Info for 2021-2026:
fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.
-
At a glance
Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics- Operating System
- Windows 11 Pro
- Computer type
- Laptop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Latitude E4310
- CPU
- Intel® Core™ i5-520M
- Motherboard
- 0T6M8G
- Memory
- 8GB
- Graphics card(s)
- (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
- Screen Resolution
- 1366x768
- Hard Drives
- 500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
- Browser
- Firefox, Edge
- Antivirus
- Defender
- Other Info
- unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.
In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.
Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
-
My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.
My SYSTEM FOUR was a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (1st gen) type 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device. This has now been sold. It has been replaced by my System Eight.
My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.
My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.
My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.
My SYSTEM EIGHT is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (5th gen) type 20LN, Celeron N4120, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, a supported device for Windows 11. Currently running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Dev, Beta, and Canary builds as native boot vhdx.
This was me but why didn't that Product Key activate for me? Is it because that key was used once already to activate Windows 11 and the older Windows 10 key that did work never had?
- OEM: DM = PC specific keys found embedded in the Microsoft Data Management (MSDM) table of the firmware of Windows 8 and Windows 10 factory installed PC's.
My Computer
At a glance
Windows 11 ProIntel Core i3-6100 @ 3.70GHz
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Optiplex 3040
- CPU
- Intel Core i3-6100 @ 3.70GHz
- Motherboard
- Unknown
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