I have an MSI gaming laptop that I've been using for over a year without any issues, but suddenly the 'Activate Windows' watermark popped up while I was in the middle of a game. I haven't changed any hardware or made any significant changes. What could be causing this?
3 Answers
Most likely, a Windows update triggered this watermark. You can try running "slmgr -rearm" in PowerShell as an admin to reset the activation timer. That should ideally resolve the watermark issue since you already have a valid activation. If that doesn't work, re-entering your product key is a solid fix.
There's been some talk about a Microsoft update causing activation issues recently. You might need to re-enter your activation key, which has worked for others who faced similar problems.
First, you should check the properties of your Windows installation to see if it still recognizes your license. Also, did you link your Windows license to your Microsoft account? That can help with activation issues.

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