PC Help Mate

system guide / windows 7

How to activate existing Windows 7

In this tutorial we will show you how to activate existing Windows 7 with a product key. To do this you will need:

In this tutorial we will be activating Windows 7 Home Premium.

01

Go to the Start Menu, right click on Computer and select Properties.

Computer Properties in the Start menu
02

Scroll down to the bottom of this window and click on “Change product key”.

Change product key link
03

Now carefully type in the product key. Double check it and click “Next”.

Product key entry window
Key verification
Windows activation servers are verifying the key
04

The product key will either go through online or might require phone activation. If you see the screen saying that activation is successful, that’s it: your Windows is activated.

Activation successful screen

If you see this window instead, then you must continue using the automated phone system to activate.

Phone activation window
05

Select your country and click “Next”.

Country selection for phone activation
06

Call the toll-free number and provide the automated phone system with the installation ID.

i noteIf you will be using the mobile phone tool to which the phone system sends a link via SMS, please remember: when asked how many times you have activated this copy of Windows, say “0” (this is an error on Microsoft’s side and they still haven’t fixed it).

The system will provide you with the confirmation ID, which you need to type into the boxes from A to H. Then click “Next”.

Confirmation ID entry boxes A to H
07

Now you should see that activation was successful. That’s it: you have activated your Windows 7.

Activation successful screen
08

If you see this window instead, it means that the key was blocked and cannot be used to activate Windows. In this situation you may need to purchase a working key, or contact your key seller and ask for software recovery options.

Blocked product key screen