7 Fixes For This Copy Of Windows Is Not Genuine

We know how important your computer is to you and how annoying it becomes if your work gets interrupted by repetitive error messages. The Windows shows the “not genuine” messages if your Windows OS is not activated properly. There could be several other reasons why you are getting this “Windows is not genuine” error. 

If you are running a non-genuine version of Windows 7, that too can result in this error. Using a software patch to activate Windows can also lead to this. Apart from that, if your product key or license key got expired, that can also lead to the “This copy of Windows is not genuine.”

What Does The “This Copy Of Windows Is Not Genuine” Error Looks Like?

The error message can look something like the following:

1. “Windows is not genuine. Click this message to learn how to get genuine.”
2. “Activate Windows. Go to Settings to activate Windows.”
3. “The copy of Windows you are using does not pass genuine validation.”
4. “Activate Windows now. This activation period has expired. Click this message to start activation.”
5. “This copy of Windows is not genuine. You may be a victim of software counterfeiting.”
6. “This copy of Microsoft Windows is not genuine. Your copy of Microsoft Windows must be validated as genuine.”
7. “This computer is not running genuine Windows. To use Windows without interruption, this computer needs to be running genuine Windows.”
8. “You must activate today. Activate Windows now.”

Causes Behind The “This Copy Of Windows Is Not Genuine” Error

As we mentioned before, there could be several reasons why you are seeing this error. Given below are some of those reasons:

1. You are most likely seeing this error because your Windows is perhaps really not genuine. This usually happens if the Windows OS installed in your system does not have a valid license key. 

As a result, the OS, after a Windows Update, is letting you know that. This error comes up around one month after installing the Windows crack to make your Windows OS genuine.

2. You forgot to activate the Windows license after the trial period finished
3. The license of your Windows operating system has expired or been blocked.
4. Another reason why you are getting this error is if your system has been attacked by malware in a way that the valid activation files you previously had are now missing. So, Windows cannot verify if your copy of the Windows OS is authentic or not.

How To Fix “This Copy of Windows Is Not Genuine” Error?

If you are getting the “This copy of windows is not genuine” error, then you need to go through the following solutions to try and fix it. Regardless of whether you have a valid license key or not, these methods will help you fix the error and also get rid of the black screen that comes along with it.

Solutions To Fix “This Copy of Windows Is Not Genuine” Error

1. Uninstall KB971003 Update To Make Windows 7 Not Genuine
2. Re-Register The License Key
3. Don’t Use Third-Party Cracks/Patches
4. Resetting The Licensing Status Of Your Computer
5. Reconfiguring Plug and Play Service
6. Manage Registry Settings
7. Turn Off The Automatic Windows Updates 

1. Uninstall KB971003 Update To Make Windows 7 Not Genuine

1. Go to the Windows Start menu and type in “Windows Update” in the search box.
2. Click on the search result that says “Windows Update”
3. Next, click on View Installed Updates from the left panel.
4. Once your installed updates can be seen in the right panel, look for the update KB971033.

5. Right-click on this update and click on Uninstall
6. Follow the instructions of the uninstallation procedure and then, restart your computer. 

2. Re-Register The License Key

You can also get the error: “This copy of Windows is not genuine” if Windows has revoked your original license key. This situation might arise if you have run Windows Recovery or re-installed Windows recently. To get rid of this, you need to register the license key again. 

1. If your laptop came with the original licensed Windows, then the product key is glued to the bottom. Note it down from there.
2. Come back to the Windows desktop and press Windows + R keys. This will open the “Run” dialog box. 
3. Next, type in “slui.exe” and click on OK.
4. Once the Windows Activation prompt comes up, click on “Retype your product key.” Then, enter the product key that you had noted earlier.
5. If this doesn’t get rid of the error, go back to the Windows Activation screen and click on “Activate Windows Online Now.”
6. Follow the on-screen instructions and check if you can reactivate the Windows license.
7. If the Windows online activation method also fails, click on “See other ways to activate” and follow along with the on-screen instructions.

3. Don’t Use Third-Party Cracks/Patches

Using third-party cracks can severely damage your computer. If you install any kind of patch, crack, or activator, that can harm your OS and also infect your system with malware. This, in turn, can result in data theft and other cybercrimes.

4. Resetting The Licensing Status Of Your Computer

After uninstalling the KB971033 update, you should restart your computer’s licensing status. This will remedy the “This copy of Windows is not genuine” error once and for all. Follow the steps given below to do so:

1. Launch the Windows Start menu
2. Type in “cmd” and right-click on the result that reads Command Prompt. Click on the Run as administrator option. This launches the elevated command prompt with administrative rights.

3. Next, enter the following command in the Command Prompt window and press the Enter key:

slmgr -rearm

4. If you see a confirmation window and click on OK.

5. Restart your system and the “This copy of Windows is not genuine” should go away.

Note: The desktop will show a blank black background. You need to fix that by right-clicking on an empty space on the screen and personalizing it by changing the background.

5. Reconfiguring Plug and Play Service

1. Press the Win + R keys together on the keyboard to open the Run prompt
2. Type in “Rsop.msc” and press the Enter key

3. The setup will start after the above step has been executed. Allow the setup to complete and the Resultant Set of Policy window opens up
4. Double click on “Computer Configuration” and then double click on Windows Settings
5. Double click on Security Settings, then double click on System Services
6. Look for the “Plug and Play” service from the comprehensive list of services in the right panel.

7. Double click on it to open the Plug and Play properties
8. From the Select Service Startup Mode option, find the Automatic option and ensure that the changes have been saved.
9. Exit out of the window and ensure that your changes are saved.
10. Press the Windows + R launch the Run dialog box. Type in the following command: gpupdate/force
11. Press the Enter key to execute it and then, wait for the execution to be completed.
12. Restart the system and check if the issue still exists.

6. Manage Registry Settings

If the above methods are not working or if you couldn’t complete them, try adjusting the permissions via Registry settings. Here’s how you can do so:

1. Open the Registry Editor and locate the HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-20
2. Right click on S-1-5-20 and click on Permissions
3. Click on Add under “Group or usernames” if the Network Service is not listed already.
4. Type in “network service” in the text box and click on “Check Names.”
5. Click on OK. Then, click on Network Service.
6. Check the box beside Full Control and Read, underneath the Allow section.
7. Click on OK and restart your system
8. Finish the activation prompts that come up after the Windows OS loads.

7. Turn Off The Automatic Windows Updates 

1. Open the Menu and click on the Settings icon.
2. Click on “Update & Security” from the Settings menu.
3. In the Windows Update settings, click on Windows Update from the left panel
4. Then, click on “Pause updates for 7 more days.”
5. Or else, you could click on Advanced options and turn off the updates

Final Words

This article discusses how to get rid of the “This copy of Windows is not genuine” error. A lot of users keep getting the “Windows is not genuine” error. Fortunately, this issue will not lead to any data loss and is solvable. Follow the above-mentioned instructions one by one to get rid of this issue.