Microsoft Windows 11 HOME 64 Bit OEM DVD Lifetime

Good product

Windows 11 home 64 bit received DVD and peoduct key is genuine as it got activated after installation. My DVD does not open so not able to install software. Had to download Windows 11 from microsoft website prepare a USB ISO file (8GB) and then install.

Why did you pick this product vs others?: This is an OEM version. If you are using it for assembled PC, activating Windows using the provided Key might be tricky. Use the DVD to install Windows and try to activate it. It would probably work. Buy retail version if you are not good at troubleshooting windows activation.

Full version dvd

Why did you pick this product vs others?: Super

Difficult to install.win 10 is easier

Product key Is not working . If possible pls. Change

At present the windows got activated with product key

Good

This product was used on two home-built ASUS desktops and an ASUS Vivobook notebook computer. I make my computers to be dual boot; Windows (whatever version) and Linux (Mint). The way I switch operating systems is to shut down the computer, access the UEFI (BIOS), and change to the SSD or the partition of the operating system I want to use. This worked fine. I have done this sort of thing for years, dating back to Windows XP. Most of the time I leave these three computers running all the time under Windows (11). One morning last August (2024), I find all three computers were alive in Linux. I shut down and switched back to Windows, and the computers completed a compulsory update. Days later I try to switch to Linux to do (my) scheduled updates. Microsoft has locked me out of the UEFIs, so I cannot switch operating systems. Just swell. I can work around this with the desktop systems, but it is a Royal Pain. I have to get in the box, then pry out the lithium battery for the realtime clock and BIOS. After the BIOS' brains are scrambled, I reassemble the machine, set the clock, fix the "secure boot" vandalism, and switch (or not switch) operating systems. This works fine until Microsoft gets their tentacles on the computers again, via mandatory update. The notebook computer is another catastrophe. Getting inside is the thing is not much fun. I cannot find a lithium battery to pop out. It might not have one. I have an old HP money pit notebook that when you unplug the main battery, the BIOS wakes up says "Where the heck am I?" The ASUS Vivobook has no such feature. I have unplugged the battery overnight, and it still doesn't let go. The only way I can regain control is to unplug the SSD, and start the machine up without an SSD. That gets the BIOS' attention. I leave this computer running Linux. Someday, when I have time, I will rework the SSD to make it all Linux. The Vivobook has only one SSD. That is another joy brought to me from the Benevolent System "Administrators" of Microsoft. They will no longer allow me to back up Windows on another SSD. I have a 2 TB SSD, half Windows/half Linux. It looks like the only solution is Wipe the SSD and reinstall Linux on the entire 2 TB. Remember this when you contemplate buying your next Microsoft product. You think you own it, but do you really? Oh yeah, you pay for it. When it breaks you fix it, replace it, or junk it. But if you use it in a way that Microsoft does not approve, they will "fix" it for you. After all, they can do that. You really don't own it.

Microsoft has taken a commendable step toward understanding the essence of simplicity and elegance. The redesigned interface, with its centered Start menu and refined windowing system, reflects a certain aspiration—an attempt to achieve the seamless fluidity that makes great technology invisible. The installation on my new PC was swift, and the system feels fast and responsive. Yet, while Windows 11 impresses with its modern aesthetic, it occasionally succumbs to the complexities that have long plagued the platform. The Settings menu, though improved, feels inconsistent, and remnants of legacy design persist like whispers of an era that refuses to fade. Still, the effort to unify work and play is palpable. The integration with Android apps is a bold move, though the execution feels a step behind the vision. Widgets are a curious addition but lack the precision of a true personal assistant. Windows 11 shows promise, a platform growing into its potential. It’s not perfect, but it’s a worthy evolution—proof that even giants can learn to think differently.

This is not a review of Windows 11 to be clear. Just the sold product itself. When I booted my PC from this DVD, one of the first things I had to do was to enter the product key provided with the DVD. I did that, the key was accepted and the installation proceeded normally. But only to realize afterward that Win11 was not activated. I re-entered the key from the Windows Activation page but no could do, was always getting error code 0xc004c060 and asking me to buy a genuine copy Windows. How can it not be genuine and valid? I spent a lot of time Googling a solution to this but couldn't make it work. I ended up having to call Microsoft to get this resolved and when I gave the agent my product key, he said this was a Windows 10 activation key! Wow! But the guy was helpful, took remote control of my machine and fixed things for me. It is now activated. The agent also mentioned a possible mis-synchronization with their servers that may have associated this key with Win10 by "mistake". We'll never know... Because of the significant amount of time I lost trying to get this to work, I'm giving this product only 3 stars. But it might just be a one-off, meaning that other people may not have to go through the same experience. As a matter of fact, I haven't seen any other review reporting the same issue.

I was pretty torn about whether to short this product stars or not, and here's why - Technically, this DVD and its associated code were intact and performed as expected in the end. In practice though, the experience was not easy or fun, and while it is a little bit my fault, it is mostly Microsoft's fault. Let me tell you the tale... My son was building his first PC over the weekend, the parts of which he received for his birthday. He had this on the parts list, and I smugly pointed out to him that his PC wasn't going to have an optical drive so good luck getting the bits off of this disc and into the computer machine. "Just kidding!" I said, "As a professional in the field of Information Technology, I happen to know that you can simply download the installer, make a USB goober, install your Winders from there, and use the key from the DVD to activate! In fact, this is done all the time. It's positively ROUTINE", I explained, as I stretched my suspenders out in front of me with my thumbs and leaned back in my rocker. "Yessir, this is going to be easy." Well guess what. IT WASN'T FLIPPIN EASY AT ALL. The boy assembled the PC in good form, while I made him an installation USB on my laptop with the Official Microsoft Media Creation Tool. For those unaware, the tool downloads a disc image and then writes it to your removable drive in the appropriate manner. Pretty straightforward. The first time running the tool, it failed near the end. Hmm, that's weird. Oh well, probably it was struck by a cosmic ray that gleefully flipped a single bit into the wrong position, bringing the whole show down. Do a reboot just to be safe, and run her again. Second attempt fails right at 99%. OK, better look into this. What error is it throwing? "We're not sure what happened, but we're unable to run this tool on your PC" followed by some magical code numbers. Oh, a VERY cryptic error message! Off to Google, where I am promptly reminded that Microsoft's community help forums may be useless, but reading them will also cause your BP to spike with rage. Here are some of the possible causes of the error, according to experts: • Not running tool as administrator • Not having Antivirus / firewall disabled • PC needs a clean boot • Unstable internet connection • PC does not meet upgrade requirements (Why would this matter for creating install media?) • Temporary files are bad • Files in software distribution folder are bad • Files in DataStore folder are bad • TLS 1.1 and 1.2 not enabled • Windows Update is bad • DISM is bad • Not just downloading ISO manually So I roll up my sleeves and start the process of addressing each of these potential issues. Laptop is modern, running Win11, delete and replace potentially bad files, check internet, check TLS, run DISM repair, run Update repair, reboot clean with as little running in the background as possible, including AV / firewall, and run tool as admin (already did before but checked myself to be sure). Then this time... It works! Process complete, safely remove hardware, give the boy the USB and head downstairs to relax and enjoy a cold pop and chicken. "Daaad installer's not working!" "What's it doing? Wait, don't yell it down the stairs, take a picture." We couldn't verify the product key. Please check your installation media. OK, check that out, and on MS answers find possible causes: • Version mismatch • Not choosing "I do not have a product key" option • Using wrong USB port • Bad USB drive • USB drive needs formatting • Corrupt image downloaded • Old hard drive with OS still plugged in • Wrong boot order GD... Better just re-download the ISO manually and copy the files. Oh, some files too big for FAT, better reformat to NTFS. Oh, most BIOSes can't boot NTFS, or Windows can't install from it. You might be able to use a tool to trim out the Win versions you don't need. Oh, doesn't really work for Win11. You might be able to use a tool to split the files manually. Oh, but what if the USB is bad? Format USB. Re-run media creation tool. Wait. Tool fails at the end again. Find different USB drive, quick format, run MC tool. Wait, but not as long this time. It's faster, and it works first time! Dang, crazy that other brand new drive is hooped. Oh well, now we can install. We couldn't verify the product key. Please check your installation media. Seriously?? Try different port. No. Try "I do not have a product key". Looks like it is going to work but no. Try all ports on computer. No. Reboot and check BIOS boot order. All good. Still no. Its a completely new machine, no old OS. As you can imagine, at this point I want to just make Microsoft support deal with it. But it is my kid's birthday, and he really wants to play on it. Oh, and more importantly, DID YOU FORGET YOU BOUGHT SYSTEM BUILDER EDITION YOU IDIOT?!?! It says right on the DVD sleeve, MS does not offer support for System Builder! The OEM has to provide support. Wait, we just built this computer, does that mean I am the OEM? Yeah buddy, you can't duck out of this one. In the words of Kevin Mcallister, this is my house. I have to defend it. Right. We have another PC, its a bit older but it's running Win10. Try running the MCT on that. Fails almost right away. Troubleshoot the 1000 possible causes. Still instafails. Maybe it's too old. Back to my laptop. I think I have an external USB DVD drive somewhere? Will that even work on bare metal with no drivers? Do I even know where it lives? Maybe let's revisit that file splitting idea manually from the ISO. It's at this point that I come upon the name of a third party tool for the second time, and decide to check it out. It will allegedly create an install USB from an ISO. Seems kind of risky from a security standpoint, since the author could pretty much sneak whatever they want in there. But, plenty of people have used and reviewed it, and its getting late. May as well give it a shot with the original USB drive. Format USB Run third party tool Run successful Move to new PC, attempt install Install begins, no problem Install successful. So yes, in the end, this copy of Windows worked. But only after battling with the crap Media Creation Tool and fishing around for hours on depressing MS support pages reading thread after thread of seemingly random suggestions and harsh treatment towards confused end users just trying to get some help. And the kicker is that if you want an OS that can do everything you want, including gaming, there isn't really another show in town. That means the only improved outcome I could have achieved would have been by paying MS a bunch more money to get the fully supported expensive version of Windows on USB. But really, $111 for a barebones, non-transferrable license with even worse support than retail is already way too much when they are already harvesting and profiting off your data. In the end, I can only hope my tale of woe was amusing, or maybe helped someone else out down the line.