Have you recently made any hardware changes to your computer and the Windows activation process appears problematic? If you have access to your Windows 'Product Key', activation will take no more than a few moments. Similarly, even if you need to purchase a new activation code, the process will still be very simple. Continue reading this guide to find out more.
Steps
Step 1. Find out if your copy of Windows 8 is already active
Many of the computers running Windows 8, purchased over the internet or in computer stores, have already been activated. Find out if your copy of Windows has already been activated by going to the 'System' panel. To do this you can use the 'Windows + Pause' hotkey combination. The activation status of your copy of Windows is shown at the bottom of the window, in the 'Windows Activation' section.
Step 2. Identify your 'Product Key'
To be able to activate Windows, you will need to use a valid 'Product Key'. You can purchase one directly from Microsoft by selecting the 'Even more features with a new edition of Windows' link in the 'Windows Edition' section of the 'System' panel. If you have a physical copy of the Windows installation DVD, look for the 'Product Key' on the sticker attached to the back of the case.
- Some computers have the 'Product Key' on a sticker attached to the bottom of the device.
- If you wish, you can purchase a 'Product Key' directly from the Microsoft website.
- The 'Product Key' is an alphanumeric number consisting of 25 characters divided into 5 groups of 5 characters each.
Step 3. Open the 'Enter a Product Key' window
After obtaining a valid activation code, you can activate it by sending it to Microsoft servers, which will verify its validity. To access the 'Enter a Product Key' window, follow these steps:
- Open the command prompt using the 'Windows + X' hotkey combination and select the 'Command Prompt' item from the menu that appeared.
- Inside the command prompt, type the command 'slui 3' (without quotes) and press 'Enter'.
Step 4. Type your 'Product Key' into the field provided
Windows will detect the validity of the code entered automatically, proceeding with the online activation of your copy of the program. If the online activation procedure generates an error, you will be provided with a telephone number with which you can proceed with the activation.
