Question: I’m using Windows 10 that came installed on my computer and got a pop-up saying my windows license is expiring soon. What do I need to do?
Answer: Windows 10 retail and OEM licenses (those that come preloaded on name brand machines) don’t ever expire. Either your machine received a scam pop-up; your computer has been loaded with a volume license that belongs to a large organization or possibly an Insider Preview version of Windows 10.
Identifying scam pop-ups
Scam pop-ups are usually very easy to identify because they include a toll-free phone number to call to get a new license and may even use the misspelled word ‘licence’ in the warning.
Any warning that pops-up with a toll-free number prominently displayed in the warning itself should be considered a huge red flag.Large technology companies do everything they can to avoid having customers call them, so they’ll never lead with a toll-free number to solve your problem.
If you see these obvious signs of a scam, you’ll want to proceed with getting the malware removed from your computer.
Volume licenses
Unless your computer is part of a large organization, you shouldn’t have a volume license installed.If you’re an individual that purchased a computer that came with a volume license, you’ll need to get in touch with the company that sold you the computer.
To determine whether you have a volume license installed, click on the Start icon and type CMD in the dialogue box but don’t hit Enter.Right-click on CMD and select ‘Run as administrator’, which will bring up a command prompt.Next, type "slmgr -dli" and hit enter to bring up a Windows Script Host dialogue with your license information.
In the ‘Description:’ line, look for the word ‘VOLUME’ which is an indication that your machine is loaded with a volume license.You should also see a volume activation expiration line that will tell you how much time you have left to activate the license.
A legitimate volume license is managed by the IT department of the organization that obtained it and is generally activated via their internal network. If your computer is part of a corporate volume license, contact your IT department.
Preview version
Unless you regularly test pre-release versions of Windows, you shouldn’t have this type of OS installed either. If your pop-up refers to ‘a new build’ of Windows, then whoever sold you the computer was being very shady.These versions of Windows will expire and no longer allow you to boot your computer until it’s been updated.
Windows expiration phone scam
A phone-based scam that claims that your Windows license is about to expire is also on the rise.The scammers are trying leverage the news of Windows 7’s upcoming end of life in January and hope consumers running Windows 10 get confused when they call pretending to be a concerned Microsoft support person offering to help.
The scam is designed to convince you that you need to purchase a license renewal so that your computer won’t stop working.If you get this call, just hang up on them or feel free to have some fun with them and waste their time.
Once the deadline is reached, Windows will automatically boot every three hours for the next two weeks. After two weeks, you won't be able to boot Windows again on the same computer. You will lose your data and need to install and activate Windows 10/11 on another device.
Microsoft does not send unsolicited email messages or make unsolicited phone calls to request personal or financial information, or to provide technical support to fix your computer. If you didn't ask us to, we won't call you to offer support.
Microsoft would never block your computer. If this is a pop-up scam – close the window or restart the browser. If this doesn't help, look for suspicious extensions and apps in your browser and computer. You should also get a reliable antivirus such as TotalAV to scan your computer for malware.
That's a fake so-called Tech Support scam alert/warning which you are seeing in your browser. "Remember that real error messages from Microsoft, or other big tech companies, never include phone numbers for you to call them.
Windows 10 is unfortunately coming to the end of its life cycle. In 2025, Microsoft's OS will no longer receive free updates and support as the company transitions its efforts to Windows 11 and potentially Windows 12.
Once inside, cybercriminals can steal your personal data, spy on your, or break in to your email, banking, and social media accounts. According to the latest data from the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) [*]: Tech support scams — including remote access scams — cost victims over $800 million in 2022 alone.
The fake Windows Defender warning is mostly shown on web browsers, such as Firefox, Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and others. Primarily, it's displayed when you click on a malicious link. In addition, it can also be triggered by clicking on an ad showcased by an attacker.
If you aren't sure about the source of an email, check the sender. You'll know it's legitimate if it's from the Microsoft account team at account-security-noreply@accountprotection.microsoft.com.
Your Gmail address is actually just an alias for your Microsoft account and not a real Google account. While Windows can be logged in using a Microsoft account, it cannot be logged in using a Google account. To avoid confusion, you may want to consider adding an alias to your Microsoft account.
Windows Defender is a robust security tool designed to protect your computer from threats like viruses, malware, and ransomware. However, there are instances when it might mistake legitimate actions as security threats, leading to a locked computer.
It's a scam, but if you're not able to close your browser directly from there. —look for your browser, from there, right click and select “go to processes” then close all the processes from there. Either way, don't pay anything, it's just a cheap scam. Indian police do not and won't block ur laptop….
The message tries to alarm you by suggesting that your account was compromised or will be closed unless you respond. The phony message typically contains a link to a webpage or a request to call a toll-free number.
A: You can directly download Windows 11/10 from the Microsoft website. You can try the OS for a month without activating it. However, once the trial period expires, you are required to activate Windows 10/11. You will also see the “Activate Windows” watermark on your screen.
Unlike Windows 7, Windows 10 does not have a grace period. You must activate Windows 10 immediately upon installation. Failure to activate a Windows operating system will prevent users from completing customization.
When your subscription ends, your access to Microsoft 365 products and services, apps, and customer data go through multiple statuses before the subscription is fully turned off, or deleted. Being aware of this status progression can help you return your subscription to an active status before it's too late.
Since at least Win10, OS licenses are now tied to your MS account once you sign into it. So if you buy a retail version of the OS and then sign into Windows using your MS account then the retail license is tied to your MS account permanently. You cannot transfer the license anymore either.
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