This copy of Windows is not genuine Windows 10

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by Milan Stanojevic

Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He's a PC enthusiast and he... read more

Updated on September 13, 2022

Reviewed by Vlad Turiceanu

Passionate about technology, Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world. Coming... read more

• This copy of Windows is not genuine is one of the most common errors in Windows operating system.
• The issue is caused by an illegitimate copy of the OS or the license was not activated after the trial period.
• You can try to solve the error generated on your Windows screen through RSOP method, where RSOP stands for Resultant Set of Policy Window.

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This copy of Windows is not genuine is one of the most common errors in Windows operating system.

As a result of encountering this error, the desktop wallpaper set by you will convert into a black screen, the battery life will decrease as this message keeps popping on the laptop, and more.

Some of the Windows 10 features will no longer work unless you remove this message. This alert can get quite annoying, especially while working with important stuff as it pops up at regular intervals.

However, you can still do other things on your PC, like complete your work and use the computer like before.

Why does it say that my copy of Windows is not genuine?

The main reason that your computer displays this error is that you did not activate your Windows license after the trial period.

You can also receive this error because the license of Windows operating system that you are using is expired or blocked.

Also, if you share your Windows license with other people, like friends or family members, Microsoft could block your license due to use in multiple computer usage or attempts to activate the same license too many times.

If you see this error on your Windows computer, this article will show you how to fix it.

How can I fix Windows is not genuine errors?

1. Use the RSOP command

1. Press Windows and R buttons from the keyboard in order to open the Run window
2. Type rsop.msc there and press Enter button.
3. Navigate to Windows Settings, click on Security Settings and then go to System Services
4. Look for the Plug and Play services, then right-click on it and then start looking for the Startup and then click on the Automatic.
5. Press Windows and R buttons as you did at the first step and paste gpupdate/force into the Run box
6. Restart your computer.

You can try to solve the error generated on your Windows screen through the RSOP method, as shown above, where RSOP stands for Resultant Set of Policy Window.

2. Use the SLMGR-REARM command

1. Click the Start button, type cmd, and select Run as administrator from the results.
2. Type SLMGR–REARM or SLMGR /REARM and press Enter.
3. You will see a confirmation window, click on OK and restart your computer

Some PC issues are hard to tackle, especially when it comes to corrupted repositories or missing Windows files. If you are having troubles fixing an error, your system may be partially broken.
We recommend installing Restoro, a tool that will scan your machine and identify what the fault is.
Click here to download and start repairing.

By using Command Prompt and a simple command, you can fix this problem in both Windows 32-bit and 64-bit, and in all versions of Windows operating system.

SLMGR is a Windows software licensing management tool. The REARM command will reset the licensing status of the machine.

3. Check if your license is really legitimate

If you have paid for a license, and if you now find that it was a fake one, you could take up the matter with Microsoft, report counterfeit software and see what happens.

Also, you have to contact your vendor as Microsoft support in most cases will only help you resolve the issue when you buy Windows OS from Microsoft Store.

4. Turn off updates

1. Click the Start button and select Settings.
2. Go to Update & Security.
3. Now, scroll down on the right pane and click on Advanced options.
4. Look for the Pause updates section, click on the Select date menu and pick a date until you want to pause the updates.
5. Now, if you go back to the Windows Update menu, you will see that the updates were paused.

To make sure that This copy of Windows is not genuine message does not come back, make sure you pause the automatic Windows updates.

Your computer is now never getting this error again. However, you cannot upgrade your Windows to the latest version to fix bugs or get new features.

All in all, we hope the methods described above did help you to fix the error message that states your copy of Windows is not genuine.

Also, in order to avoid such trouble, one must not support pirated version of Windows and should own a genuine Window Copy officially from Microsoft.

There are a lot of online stores out there that sell copies of Windows but a lot of those are not genuine and do not provide any security.

So, make sure you pick a trusted vendor which is certified to sell Microsoft software products before hitting the Buy button.

If you have any other suggestions or questions, feel free to use the comments section below.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why does my computer say this copy of Windows is not genuine?

  Windows has an updated file that detects if your Windows operating system is valid or an unauthorized copy. If your Windows is not OK, you will get the message This copy of Windows is not genuine.

• How do I activate a non-genuine copy of Windows 10?

  To activate Windows 10, you have to purchase a license key for the specific version of the operating system. If your license key is not working, you can fix it with our expert guide.

• How do I get rid of this copy of Windows is not genuine?

  Use the RSOP or SLMGR-REARM commands, and if this doesn’t work, check if your license is really legitimate with the vendor and with Microsoft. If that doesn’t work, use our comprehensive guide to solve the problem.

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