Official message
Microsoft original
This computer is not running genuine Windows.What this means
The system detected that the license status is not normal. This notice usually appears when activation was judged not to be genuine. Confirm where the license came from before doing anything else.
Common causes
- An activation method from an unofficial source was used.
- System files or licensing components were changed.
Do this first
Check where the system was installed from, and who the license belongs to.
What to do next
- 1Obtain a license through a legitimate channel and activate again.
Continue diagnosis from this code
Take what you know into the Windows activation diagnosis. It will ask a few more questions to narrow this down.
Sources
Related articles
About this data
The meaning and the original message come from the documents listed above. The same error code can have more than one cause. This site gives an order of checks. It does not decide your exact situation from the code alone.