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Activate Windows 10 on NI PXIe Controller

Updated Feb 24, 2026

Reported In

Hardware

  • PXI Controller
  • External Controller for PXI

Operating System

  • Windows

Issue Details

  • I recently purchased a NI PXIe Controller with a Windows 10 Operating System, but I'm getting a message saying that windows is not activating.
  • I have (re)-installed Windows 10 on a NI PXIe Controller from a backup image created based on the article "Moving Pre-Installed Image to New PXI Hard Drive". How can I activate Windows 10 on my controller?

Solution

PXIe controllers that have been purchased with Windows 10 have a unique digital product key inserted into the BIOS of the system. Therefore, after installing Windows you need to connect your controller to the internet to activate your Windows automatically. Calling Microsoft to Activate using Key Management Service is not applicable for Windows that is provided by NI. 

 

Windows 10 IoT handles activation differently from other Windows 10 editions. It cannot be activated without an internet connection. Until it connects to the internet, the system remains in a Deferred Activation state. This state functions the same as a fully activated system, with no limitations to user features or operation. The device remains in this state until it can reach Microsoft’s activation servers. If the product key is valid, activation completes automatically. If the key is invalid, only then does the system begin to restrict functionality.

Additional Information

  • If the above steps fails with an error, you can click the Troubleshoot option in the Activation Settings for further help.
  • If your PXIe controllers have Windows 10 IoT Enterprise installed, you can also try the following steps:
    • Make sure Windows 10 IoT Enterprise Product key is properly injected. Run slmgr /dlv in command prompt, Partial Product Key should give 7CFCC.
    • Try to recover using Windows 10 IoT Enterprise USB Recovery Media (Multilanguage: 787269-03, Simplified Chinese: 787269-0318).
  • If all the above steps fail, we recommend sending unit back to RMA.