Issue

You have downloaded and installed a new Windows IoT 10 snapshot, but the activation could not be restored. As a result, your Windows desktop shows a watermark and a message stating that Windows is not activated.

Solution

  1. In the Windows taskbar, right-click  and select Activate Windows.
    If the write filter is enabled, an appropriate message comes up.
  2. If the write filter is enabled, open the Setup, go to System > Unified Write Filter and deactivate Enable UWF.
  3. Restart the device.
  4. Select Activate Windows.
  5. Restart the device again.
  6. Select Activate Windows again.
    The activation should be successful. If not, you can try to restart the device and select Activate Windows once again.

IMPORTANT: Microsoft License Servers Should Be Reachable from the Device

IGEL devices with Windows 10 IoT receive a Microsoft Digital License and are initially activated at the IGEL warehouse. When a snapshot is created, the system image is generalized and the activation is canceled. When a snapshot is uploaded or downloaded, the system is activated by connecting to a Microsoft online service if Internet access is available. Microsoft sends a Digital License for the device on reactivation. Sometimes it takes a little longer to get a Digital License from Microsoft, so the device will be activated with a slight delay after the snapshot upload/download has finished.

In case of an unsuccessful reactivation, the following error message is sometimes shown: “The activation server determined the specified product key is blocked (0xC004C003)”.

This does not mean that the device does not have a valid product key. It means that the device could not get a Digital License from Microsoft, which may be due to some connection issues.
 For successful reactivation, make the following URLs reachable from the device:

  • https://sls.update.microsoft.com
  • https://licensing.mp.microsoft.com
  • https://login.live.com

Note also the following: In an environment with a non-transparent proxy, the proxy server address must be set in the image before snapshotting. As of W10 IoT version 4.04.110, this can be done via the following registry keys under System > Registry:

  • sessions.web.proxy.proxy_winhttp (Default: "")
  • sessions.web.proxy.proxy_winhttp_port (Default: "")