As I was attempting to activate my Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation version, I faced error 0xc004f050. This resulted in failure to activate my Windows. Apparently it is not possible to convert an Evaluation version of Windows to a full version. Despite having bought a license key.
So, I did some research and it IS technically possible to activate your Windows. Downside: it’s not 100% compliant with Microsofts licensing agreement. But fine, I don’t feel like doing something very wrong of being a criminal ore whatsoever. 🙂
Steps to fix 0xc004f050
Here’s how:
- First, we need to obtain a valid Windows 10 ISO. To do so, go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 and download the Media Creation Tool. This tool will help you download the Windows 10 ISO (non-eval)
- Run through the Install wizard of the Media Creation Tool. Accept the license.
- When asked What do you want to do?, select Create Installation Media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)
- In Select language, architecture and edition, select the appropriate settings. Leave all defaults if unsure.
- In Choose which media to use, select ISO file
- Save the file to a place you can remember. You need at least 5GB of free space.
- Open Registry Editor as Administrator
- Navigate to path
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion (1) - Double click Value EditionID (2)
- Change name from EnterpriseEval to Enterprise (3)
- Click OK (4)
- Go the ISO file, as you downloaded in step 1-6.
- Right-click the ISO file and choose Mount
- A new drive will be made. In my case, it’s E:
- Run setup.exe
Small tip: click Change how Windows Setup downloads updates. In the next screen, choose Not right now. This will help you save time in the first place. You can update later on.
- Click through the wizard. When you’re at Choose what to keep, make sure to choose Keep personal files and apps. If you’re unable to choose that option, make sure you edited the registry as stated in step 7-12
- Setup will reboot and updates files if necessary. Afterwards, you can enter the Activation key in the Activation window. This should succeed successfully now.
Final thought
I agree. It’s kind of cumbersome to complete all these steps. But once completed, it should save you a lot of time. Reinstalling a complete OS and restoring data is more time consuming. 🙂