Many users encounter the “Windows 10 failed to validate product key” error when upgrading or reinstalling the system. Don’t worry. This post of MiniTool summarizes several effective troubleshooting methods.
According to user reports, the “Setup has failed to validate the product key” error often occurs when upgrading Windows OS from an older version via the media creation tool or the ISO file. Here is a user in the answer.microsoft.com forum who got the error when upgrading Windows 7 to Windows 10:
Hi, I am running a Windows 7 Pro desktop that meets all the criteria for windows 10. I decided to install using the media tool and now every time I try to finish it, I get «Windows 10 setup has failed to validate the product key» and I am forced to close it. How do I fix it? Please, help!https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/all/windows-10-setup-has-failed-to-validate-the/44260712-46e6-4995-991e-4623b9f93baa
What Causes the Windows 10 Failed to Validate Product Key Issue
After investigating extensive user reports, we find the “setup has failed to validate the product key Windows 10” error can be caused by various factors. Here we list them as follows:
- System files get corrupted or missing: Once these important system files get corrupted, the upgrading process may be interrupted and trigger different error codes. In this case, you can try running an SFC or DISM scan.
- Installation files present in the Temp folder: If you previously use the installation media on your PC, the media could detect the installation files in the Temp folder. To fix the error, you need to clean up these temporary files.
- The Config file is missing: An config file is required for the upgrading process. If the config file is missing or corrupted, you may get the error message.
- The product key is not attached to the installation media: Some users report that the error code can occur when they are trying to upgrade using an installation media without the product key.
- Third-party antivirus program interferes with the process: An overprotective third-party AV suite can interfere with the upgrading utility. In this case, you can try disabling the real-time protection or uninstalling the program.
How to Fix the “Windows 10 Setup Has Failed to Validate Product Key” Issue
According to the above analysis of the possible causes, we summarize 7 applicable solutions to the “Windows 10 setup failed to validate the product key” error. Let’s try them one by one.
Solution 1. Check for Windows Updates
As you know, Microsoft often releases new features or patches to troubleshoot the common errors. So, we highly recommend you check for the latest Windows updates before you upgrade to a higher version. Here’s how to do that:
Step 1. Press Win + I keys to open the Settings app and navigate to the Update & Security section.
Step 2. Click on the Check for updates button to start updating Windows 10. If you can’t find the button here, you can also download and install the available updates manually.
Once installed, you can reboot your computer and try upgrading again, and see if the “Windows 10 setup has failed to validate product key” error is fixed.
Solution 2. Run a DISM or SFC Scan
Corrupted system files can trigger various error codes, including the “Windows 10 setup failed to validate product key” error. Some affected users have proven that the error can be solved by running a DISM or SFC scan. Both two utilities are commonly used to repair corrupted system files. Let’s have a try:
Step 1. Type cmd in the search box on the taskbar. And then right-click the Command Prompt app and select Run as administrator.
Step 2. In the elevated Command Prompt window, type the following commands in order and hit Enter after typing each one. Then a full DISM scan will start running.
- Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
- Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
- Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Once completes, restart your computer and check if the issue gets solved. If the error code persists, you can try running sfc /scannow in the elevated Command Prompt window.
Solution 3. Clean up the Temporary Files
The “setup has failed to validate the product key Windows 10” error can occur when the installation media tool detects the unpacked installer files in the Temp folder. In this case, you can delete the temp files by running the Disk Cleanup tool or a professional cleanup tool.
Way 1: Use the Disk Cleanup Tool
Disk Cleanup is a Windows built-in junk file cleaner that can scan your drives for download program files, previous Windows installation files, temporary files, and so forth. To use it, follow the guide below:
Step 1. Press the Win + E keys to open the File Explorer and select This PC on the left pane.
Step 2. Right-click the Local Disk C drive from the disk map and select Properties.
Step 3. Click on the Disk Clean-up button in the pop-up window.
Step 4. After a while, you will see the following interface that shows the total disk space you can regain. Select the Temporary files types from the list and click on OK.
Step 5. Click on Delete Files to confirm this operation. After that, the selected Temp files will be deleted. Then you can restart your computer and check if the Windows 10 failed to validate product key error is resolved.
The Disk Cleanup tool can be used to delete Temp files, but you may need to find more details like file extension, file path, or a particular file name that the tool can’t help you with. Here MiniTool Partition Wizard comes.
Way 2: Use MiniTool Partition Wizard
MiniTool Partition Wizard is a multifunctional partition manager that can help you analyze disk space and find temporary files easily. Moreover, it can help you extend partition, wipe a hard drive, migrate OS, measure hard performance, change cluster size, etc.
Free Download
Step 1. Launch the program to get its main interface, and then click on Space Analyzer on the top panel.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, select the C drive from the drop-down menu and click on the Scan button.
Note: You may need to wait a while. The specific time depends on the number of files and folders on the drive.
Step 3. Once the scan completes, navigate to the File View tab, and then type temp or a specific name in the File Search Filter box and click on Apply. After that, various types of temporary files will be shown in the list.
Step 4. Right-click the temporary file that you want to remove and select Delete (Permanently).
Solution 4. Create an Ei.cfg File for the ISO File
If you are trying to upgrade your system using an installation media that doesn’t contain the config file, you will receive the “Windows 10 failed to validate product key” error. To fix it, you need to extract the Windows 10 ISO file and manually create a .conf file. Some users have fixed the error by doing so. Here’s how:
Step 1. Use an unzip tool to extra the Windows ISO file that contains the installation media into a folder.
Step 2. Press Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box, and then type notepad.exe in it and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Notepad with admin rights.
Step 3. In the elevated Notepad window, copy and paste the following content into it.
[EditionID]
[Channel]
Retail
[VL]
0
Step 4. After you added the contents, click on File > Save as from the top toolbar.
Step 5. Set the Save as type to All Files and set it File name to ei.cfg. Here make sure that the config file is saved in the Sources folders of the ISO installation. Then click on Save.
Now, you can run the set.exe file from the same installation media and check if the “Windows 10 setup failed to validate the product key” error disappears.
Solution 5. Manually Apply the Product Key
If you encounter the “Windows 10 setup failed to validate product key” error due to the missing license key, you can run a command to add the key manually. For that:
Step 1. Open the Run box, and then notepad.exe in it and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt window.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, type the following command and hit Enter to locate the place where you save the media installation files. Here you need to replace the CD: C: with the actual location of the ISO file.
CD: C:ESD
Step 3. Type the following command and hit Enter to add the product key to the media installation tool.
Note: Replace the “x” section with the actual license key that you use for the upgrading process.
Setup /pkey xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Once done, close the Command Prompt window and restart the upgrade process to see if the “Windows 10 upgrade failed to validate product key” error gets solved.
Solution 6. Disable the Third-party Antivirus Program
If you recently installed a third-party antivirus program, it may overprotect your system and trigger some errors like the one discussed here. In this case, we recommend you disable the real-time protection and check if it works. If not, you can try uninstalling the AV software from your computer.
Step 1. In the Run dialog box, type appwiz.cpl and hit Enter.
Step 2. Scroll down the list of installed programs to find the third-party antivirus software, and then right-click it and select Uninstall.
Step 3. Click on Uninstall to confirm the operation. Once uninstalled, restart your computer and see if the “Windows 10 upgrade failed to validate product key” error is gone.
Solution 7. Disconnect Your Computer from Domain
The domain-joined system may block you from upgrading the Windows system. If this situation applies to you, you can disconnect your system from the domain.
Step 1. Log in to your domain controller via an authorized administrator account.
Step 2. Launch the Active Directory Users and Computers tool, and then select Computers and a list of computer objects will show in the right pane.
Step 3. Right-click the computer object that you want to disconnect and select Delete. After that, you should disconnect the computer from the domain.
I have been troubled by the “Windows 10 failed to validate product key” error for a long time. Finally, I fixed the error by using solution 4 in the post. Are you still trying to fix it? Here is what you need. Click to Tweet
What’s Your Opinion
How to fix the “setup has failed to validate the product key Windows 10” error? The top 7 solutions have been illustrated. If you have any better ideas on this subject, leave them in the comment zone. For any questions or difficulties when you use MiniTool Partition Wizard, send us an email via [email protected].
Many users encounter the “Windows 10 failed to validate product key” error when upgrading or reinstalling the system. Don’t worry. This post of MiniTool summarizes several effective troubleshooting methods.
According to user reports, the “Setup has failed to validate the product key” error often occurs when upgrading Windows OS from an older version via the media creation tool or the ISO file. Here is a user in the answer.microsoft.com forum who got the error when upgrading Windows 7 to Windows 10:
Hi, I am running a Windows 7 Pro desktop that meets all the criteria for windows 10. I decided to install using the media tool and now every time I try to finish it, I get «Windows 10 setup has failed to validate the product key» and I am forced to close it. How do I fix it? Please, help!https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/all/windows-10-setup-has-failed-to-validate-the/44260712-46e6-4995-991e-4623b9f93baa
What Causes the Windows 10 Failed to Validate Product Key Issue
After investigating extensive user reports, we find the “setup has failed to validate the product key Windows 10” error can be caused by various factors. Here we list them as follows:
- System files get corrupted or missing: Once these important system files get corrupted, the upgrading process may be interrupted and trigger different error codes. In this case, you can try running an SFC or DISM scan.
- Installation files present in the Temp folder: If you previously use the installation media on your PC, the media could detect the installation files in the Temp folder. To fix the error, you need to clean up these temporary files.
- The Config file is missing: An config file is required for the upgrading process. If the config file is missing or corrupted, you may get the error message.
- The product key is not attached to the installation media: Some users report that the error code can occur when they are trying to upgrade using an installation media without the product key.
- Third-party antivirus program interferes with the process: An overprotective third-party AV suite can interfere with the upgrading utility. In this case, you can try disabling the real-time protection or uninstalling the program.
How to Fix the “Windows 10 Setup Has Failed to Validate Product Key” Issue
According to the above analysis of the possible causes, we summarize 7 applicable solutions to the “Windows 10 setup failed to validate the product key” error. Let’s try them one by one.
Solution 1. Check for Windows Updates
As you know, Microsoft often releases new features or patches to troubleshoot the common errors. So, we highly recommend you check for the latest Windows updates before you upgrade to a higher version. Here’s how to do that:
Step 1. Press Win + I keys to open the Settings app and navigate to the Update & Security section.
Step 2. Click on the Check for updates button to start updating Windows 10. If you can’t find the button here, you can also download and install the available updates manually.
Once installed, you can reboot your computer and try upgrading again, and see if the “Windows 10 setup has failed to validate product key” error is fixed.
Solution 2. Run a DISM or SFC Scan
Corrupted system files can trigger various error codes, including the “Windows 10 setup failed to validate product key” error. Some affected users have proven that the error can be solved by running a DISM or SFC scan. Both two utilities are commonly used to repair corrupted system files. Let’s have a try:
Step 1. Type cmd in the search box on the taskbar. And then right-click the Command Prompt app and select Run as administrator.
Step 2. In the elevated Command Prompt window, type the following commands in order and hit Enter after typing each one. Then a full DISM scan will start running.
- Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
- Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
- Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Once completes, restart your computer and check if the issue gets solved. If the error code persists, you can try running sfc /scannow in the elevated Command Prompt window.
Solution 3. Clean up the Temporary Files
The “setup has failed to validate the product key Windows 10” error can occur when the installation media tool detects the unpacked installer files in the Temp folder. In this case, you can delete the temp files by running the Disk Cleanup tool or a professional cleanup tool.
Way 1: Use the Disk Cleanup Tool
Disk Cleanup is a Windows built-in junk file cleaner that can scan your drives for download program files, previous Windows installation files, temporary files, and so forth. To use it, follow the guide below:
Step 1. Press the Win + E keys to open the File Explorer and select This PC on the left pane.
Step 2. Right-click the Local Disk C drive from the disk map and select Properties.
Step 3. Click on the Disk Clean-up button in the pop-up window.
Step 4. After a while, you will see the following interface that shows the total disk space you can regain. Select the Temporary files types from the list and click on OK.
Step 5. Click on Delete Files to confirm this operation. After that, the selected Temp files will be deleted. Then you can restart your computer and check if the Windows 10 failed to validate product key error is resolved.
The Disk Cleanup tool can be used to delete Temp files, but you may need to find more details like file extension, file path, or a particular file name that the tool can’t help you with. Here MiniTool Partition Wizard comes.
Way 2: Use MiniTool Partition Wizard
MiniTool Partition Wizard is a multifunctional partition manager that can help you analyze disk space and find temporary files easily. Moreover, it can help you extend partition, wipe a hard drive, migrate OS, measure hard performance, change cluster size, etc.
Free Download
Step 1. Launch the program to get its main interface, and then click on Space Analyzer on the top panel.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, select the C drive from the drop-down menu and click on the Scan button.
Note: You may need to wait a while. The specific time depends on the number of files and folders on the drive.
Step 3. Once the scan completes, navigate to the File View tab, and then type temp or a specific name in the File Search Filter box and click on Apply. After that, various types of temporary files will be shown in the list.
Step 4. Right-click the temporary file that you want to remove and select Delete (Permanently).
Solution 4. Create an Ei.cfg File for the ISO File
If you are trying to upgrade your system using an installation media that doesn’t contain the config file, you will receive the “Windows 10 failed to validate product key” error. To fix it, you need to extract the Windows 10 ISO file and manually create a .conf file. Some users have fixed the error by doing so. Here’s how:
Step 1. Use an unzip tool to extra the Windows ISO file that contains the installation media into a folder.
Step 2. Press Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box, and then type notepad.exe in it and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Notepad with admin rights.
Step 3. In the elevated Notepad window, copy and paste the following content into it.
[EditionID]
[Channel]
Retail
[VL]
0
Step 4. After you added the contents, click on File > Save as from the top toolbar.
Step 5. Set the Save as type to All Files and set it File name to ei.cfg. Here make sure that the config file is saved in the Sources folders of the ISO installation. Then click on Save.
Now, you can run the set.exe file from the same installation media and check if the “Windows 10 setup failed to validate the product key” error disappears.
Solution 5. Manually Apply the Product Key
If you encounter the “Windows 10 setup failed to validate product key” error due to the missing license key, you can run a command to add the key manually. For that:
Step 1. Open the Run box, and then notepad.exe in it and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt window.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, type the following command and hit Enter to locate the place where you save the media installation files. Here you need to replace the CD: C: with the actual location of the ISO file.
CD: C:ESD
Step 3. Type the following command and hit Enter to add the product key to the media installation tool.
Note: Replace the “x” section with the actual license key that you use for the upgrading process.
Setup /pkey xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Once done, close the Command Prompt window and restart the upgrade process to see if the “Windows 10 upgrade failed to validate product key” error gets solved.
Solution 6. Disable the Third-party Antivirus Program
If you recently installed a third-party antivirus program, it may overprotect your system and trigger some errors like the one discussed here. In this case, we recommend you disable the real-time protection and check if it works. If not, you can try uninstalling the AV software from your computer.
Step 1. In the Run dialog box, type appwiz.cpl and hit Enter.
Step 2. Scroll down the list of installed programs to find the third-party antivirus software, and then right-click it and select Uninstall.
Step 3. Click on Uninstall to confirm the operation. Once uninstalled, restart your computer and see if the “Windows 10 upgrade failed to validate product key” error is gone.
Solution 7. Disconnect Your Computer from Domain
The domain-joined system may block you from upgrading the Windows system. If this situation applies to you, you can disconnect your system from the domain.
Step 1. Log in to your domain controller via an authorized administrator account.
Step 2. Launch the Active Directory Users and Computers tool, and then select Computers and a list of computer objects will show in the right pane.
Step 3. Right-click the computer object that you want to disconnect and select Delete. After that, you should disconnect the computer from the domain.
I have been troubled by the “Windows 10 failed to validate product key” error for a long time. Finally, I fixed the error by using solution 4 in the post. Are you still trying to fix it? Here is what you need. Click to Tweet
What’s Your Opinion
How to fix the “setup has failed to validate the product key Windows 10” error? The top 7 solutions have been illustrated. If you have any better ideas on this subject, leave them in the comment zone. For any questions or difficulties when you use MiniTool Partition Wizard, send us an email via [email protected].
Download PC Repair Tool to quickly find & fix Windows errors automatically
Other options apart, installing and upgrading Windows using ISO files has its own importance. The ISO file can be used for a clean install, repair upgrade, or edition upgrade. In the case of the latter two, users have reported an issue where the setup initiates fine but after the “We’re getting some things ready” screen, they get the following error:
Setup has failed to validate the product key
Now we cannot do anything at this stage other than a clean install, though the system could be restarted with its original settings again.
If you are facing this issue, restart the system and try the following preliminary checks:
1] Check for Updates
Verify that the latest Windows Updates are installed on the system.
2] Run SFC scan
Run the SFC scan on the system. System File Checker helps detect and repair damaged system files.
3] Delete the temporary files
Delete the temporary files. To do so, press Win + R and open the Run window and type temp. Press Enter to open the temporary files window and delete all the files.
Repeat the process with the Run commands %temp% and prefetch.
4] Try upgrading using Windows Update
If it is for the edition upgrade, we could perform it using Windows Update instead of the ISO. Though if you were considering the ISO file in the first place, you must have known your reason right.
5] Disconnect from the domain
For domain-joined systems, remove them from the domain temporarily. A good reference to help with the same could be checked on Microsoft’s website here.
6] Disable third-party anti-virus software
Remove all third-party anti-virus software of the system temporarily to isolate the possibility of their interference.
If all of the above-mentioned attempts don’t work, you could try the following fix. However, doing so involves a clean install of the system so it is advisable to backup your data well in advance.
1] Extract the ISO file contents and use them
Extract the ISO file using Ashampoo ZIP free decompression software.
2] Use this Notepad file
Open a Notepad file and copy-paste the following content in it:
[EditionID] [Channel] Retail [VL] 0
Save this Notepad file by the name ei.cfg to the Sources folder inside the setup ISO file.
3] Now run the setupexe
Run the setup.exe file to start the installation wizard. You could also try making a bootable USB out of the file and run that USB for a repair or re-install.
Let us know if this helps you!
Karan Khanna is a passionate Windows user who loves troubleshooting Windows 11/10 problems in specific and writing about Microsoft technologies in general.
Our following guide shares you the steps to upgrade to Windows 10 using ISO file:
How to install Windows 10 upgrade using ISO file
However, following the above mentioned guide some users may face issues with product key which we will discuss in this article. Actually, when you run the setup for edition upgrade or repair upgrade, the setup starts okay but then after “We’re getting some things ready” title, it shows following message:
Setup has failed to validate the product key
Nothing can be done beyond this stage, unless you explicitly opt for clean install. If you’re also facing this problem, try out these suggestions first:
- Make sure you’ve latest Windows Updates installed
- Run the Disk Cleanup utility to erase temporary files and try to run setup again
- Try installing latest Windows 10 version via Windows Update instead
- If your system is part of domain, temporarily remove it from domain and perform upgrade then
- Remove third-party security software temporarily from the machine
- Run System File Checker scan and see if that helps
If you still have the issue, try the below mentioned solution which is supposed to work in this case.
FIX: Windows 10 Setup Has Failed To Validate The Product Key
1. Extract Windows 10 setup ISO file using any decompression software such as 7-zip.
2. Open Notepad.
3. Type/copy following contents into the new file:
[EditionID]
[Channel]
Retail
[VL]
0
4. Now save the file by “ei.cfg” name and choose Save as type to All Files. Make sure you save this file to sources folder inside the setup ISO file.
5. Now run the setup.exe file to start installation wizard or create the bootable USB to make clean install. This time the error should not occur.
Hope this helps!
Related: The product key entered does not match any of the Windows images available for installation. Enter a different product key.
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The ‘Setup has failed to validate the product key’ error is typically encountered when users try to upgrade to Windows 10 from an older Windows version like Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 using an ISO file.
What’s causing the ‘Setup Has Failed to Validate the Product Key’ Error?
- 3rd party AV interference – It has been confirmed that the upgrading utility can be interrupted from communicating with the external servers by an overprotective 3rd party suite. In this case, you can fix the problem by disabling real-time protection or by uninstalling the security program altogether.
- The unpacked installer is already present in Temp – Another possibility is that the upgrading tool throws this error because it already finds an unpacked installer inside the temp folder. If this scenario is applicable, you can get the issue resolved running the Disk Cleanup utility to clear every temporary file.
- Pkey key is not attached to media installation – As it turns out, the issue can also be caused by a log file (setuperr.log) file in situations where the user tries to upgrade using an installation media without a license key. In this case, you can apply the license key using a series of CMD commands.
- System File Corruption – System File corruption can also be responsible for the apparition of this error message. Most likely, a couple of corrupted dependencies are forcing the upgrading utility to end the process prematurely. In this case, you can fix the problem by running a complete DISM scan.
- Config File is missing – Another potential scenario is a situation in which the upgrading media that you’re using is missing a key config file that is needed for the installation. To fix it, you can create the config file easily using Notepad.
Method 1: Disabling 3rd party AV (if applicable)
If you’re using a 3rd party security suite that tends to be overprotective, it’s entirely possible that it ends up interrupting the connection between the upgrading setup with the external servers.
In case this scenario is applicable to you and you’re using a 3rd party suite that might interfere with the upgrade, you should retry the upgrade after disabling or uninstalling the potential antivirus culprit.
If you find yourself in this situation, start by disabling real-time protection and see if the upgrade is successful. To do this, simply access the taskbar icon associated with your AV and look for an option that disables the real-time protection.
If this doesn’t work or you didn’t find the equivalent option in your AV menus, try uninstalling the security program altogether to ensure that there are no security rules that might influence this upgrading process. To do this, file this article (here) – it will show you how to install your security program and ensure that you also remove any leftover files that might still cause this behaviour.
In case this method wasn’t applicable or it didn’t fix the underlying problem, move down to the next potential fix below.
Method 2: Running Disk Cleanup on the drive
As it turns out, in most cases, the ‘Setup has failed to validate the product key’ error will occur due to an error originating from the AppDataLocalTemp. It’s possible that the upgrading software will throw this error because it already finds unpacked installer files in the temp folder, so it decides that there’s evidence of a security threat and aborts the upgrading process.
If this scenario is applicable, you should be able to fix the issue by running the Disk Cleanup utility on your Windows drive and ensure that the process will end up clearing the Temp folder. After doing so and restarting the machine, the upgrading process should complete without issues.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialogue box. Next, type ‘cleanmgr’ inside the text box and press Enter to open up the Disk Cleanup utility. If you’re prompted by the User Account Control (UAC) window, click Yes to grant admin access.
- Once you arrive at the Disk Cleanup: Drive selection stage, use the drop-down menu under Drives to select your OS drive. It’s typically C: but you can identify it via the Windows logo. With the correct drive selected, click on OK to save the changes.
- When you’re inside the Disk Cleanup window, ensure that the checkboxes associated with Temporary Internet Files and Temporary files are checked.
- Once everything is set up, click on Clean up system files button and then confirm at the UAC prompt.
- You will then be prompted by a different Disk Cleanup icon where you will need to select Temporary Internet Files and Temporary files once again before clicking on Ok.
- At the final prompt, click on Delete files to start this process.
- Wait until the operation is complete, then restart your computer and see if the issue is resolved at the next system startup.
- After the next booting sequence is complete, repeat the upgrading process and see if you are able to do it without encountering the error message.
In case you’re still seeing the ‘Setup has failed to validate the product key’ error, move down to the next method below.
Method 3: Applying the Pkey manually
In case the issue is indeed related to data stored inside log files, it’s probably due to setuperr.log file that is notoriously known for causing the ‘Setup has failed to validate the product key’ error with upgrade attempts using locally stored installation media.
If this scenario is applicable, you should be able to resolve the issue by opening a command prompt and running a command that adds the license key to the folder where the installation media is stored.
Several affected users that also encountered this issue have reported that the issue was resolved entirely once they performed the instructions below. Here’s what you need to do:
- Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialogue box. Next, type ‘cmd’ inside the text box and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up an elevated Command Prompt. When you see the User Account Control, click Yes to grant administrative privileges.
Running Command Prompt - Once you’re inside the Elevated Command Prompt, type the following command to navigate to the location where the media installation tool store it’s files:
CD: C:ESD
Note: If you forced the Media Creation tool to store it’s filed on a custom location, navigate there instead.
- Next, type the following command and press Enter to attach the product key to the media installation tool that is handling the upgrade:
Setup /pkey xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Note: *X* is simply a placeholder. Replace it with the actual license key that you want to use for the upgrading process.
- Close the elevated CMD, then start the upgrading process again and see if you’re still encountering the ‘Setup has failed to validate the product key’ error.
In case you’re still encountering the same issue, move down to the next method below.
Method 4: Running a DISM scan
Some affected users have confirmed that they were able to resolve the issue after they run a DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) scan on their computer. The success of this method suggests the possibility that this issue can also be caused by an underlying system corruption issue that’ affecting the upgrading process.
DISM is a built-in utility that is very good at fixing dependencies that might interfere with critical OS chores like upgrading to a newer version.
Here’s a quick guide on running a DISM scan in order to fix the ‘Setup has failed to validate the product key’ error:
- Open up a Run dialogue box by pressing Windows key + R. Inside the newly opened window, type ‘cmd’ and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up an elevated Command Prompt. When you’re prompted by the UAC (User Account Control), click Yes to grant administrative privileges.
Running Command Prompt - Once you’re inside the elevated CMD prompt, type the following commands in order and press Enter after each scan is completed to run a full DISM can:
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- Once every scan is complete, restart your computer and see if the issue is fixed the next time you try to run the upgrading utility.
In case the same Setup has failed to validate the product key error is still occurring, move down to the final method below.
Method 5: Creating a EI.cfg file for the ISO file
If none of the methods above has allowed you to fix Setup has failed to validate the product key error, it’s probably because the upgrading media that you’re trying to use doesn’t contain a config file that’s mandatory when upgrading from an older Windows version.
In this case, you’ll need to use a decompression utility to extract the Windows 10 ISO and add a .cfg file that will rectify this issue. Once you do so and put the ISO back together, you should no longer encounter the same issue.
Here are step-by-step instructions through the whole thing:
- Use WinRar, WinZip, 7Zip or any other similar utility to extract the ISO file containing the installation media into a folder.
- Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialogue box. Next, type ‘notepad.exe’ and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up an elevated Notepad window.
Save as… in Notepad - Once you’re inside the notepad window, paste the contents below into it:
[EditionID] [Channel] Retail [VL] 0
- Once the contents have been added, go to File > Save as. Once you’re inside set the Save as type to All Files. Name it ei and ensure that you include the ‘.cfg‘ extension at the end. But before clicking save, ensure that the new file is saved inside the Sources folder of the ISO installation.
Creating the Ei.cfg file - Run the setup.exe file from the same installation media and see if you can complete the process without encountering the Setup has failed to validate the product key error.
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Infopackets Reader Jill G. writes:
» Dear Dennis,
I have a Windows 7 Pro machine that we use at work which has a broken Windows Update. I have tried to do an
‘upgrade repair’ in hopes of fixing the issue, but the Windows installer exits
immediately. The major issue we’re facing is that our Windows 7 machine has new
user accounts on it which we did not create — we suspect that it has become
compromised because it has not downloaded Windows Updates in over a year. From what I read online,
it is possible to upgrade from Windows 7 Pro to Windows 8 Pro (not 8.1!) which will keep my programs and files in place — and should fix my Windows Update problem. I have tried to install Windows 8 Pro but I keep getting an error that ‘Windows setup has failed to validate the product key‘. I am at a loss. Is there any way I can get around this error message? «
My response:
I asked Jill if she would like me to connect to her machine using
my remote desktop support service, and she agreed.
For the record, it is critically important to keep your Windows machine up
to date, or hackers can get in and out without being detected — even if you
have antivirus / antimalware software installed. Here’s
how to check if your Windows Updates are up to date.
With that said, I have not encountered the ‘Windows setup has failed to
validate the product key’ error message before, but after a bit of research, I discovered it is possible to override.
Even so, you will be asked later for a product key after Windows is installed — so have it ready.
How to Fix: ‘Windows Setup has Failed to Validate the Product Key’ Error
This fix should work for Windows 7, 8, and 10.
To get around the ‘Windows setup has failed to validate the product key’ error message, do the following:
- Go to My Computer / This PC, then right click the Windows install DVD and select «open«.
- The contents of the Windows DVD will be displayed on the screen. Press CTRL + A on the keyboard to
select all files and folders, then press CTRL + C to copy these objects into your
clipboard.
- Next, go to My Computer / This PC, then double click on the
C drive to view its files and folders using Windows Explorer. Right click an empty area of the Windows Explorer window, then select
New -> Folder, and name the folder as «Temp«. This will create C:Temp folder.
- Double click the C:Temp folder and then press CTRL + V on the keyboard. This will copy the entire contents of the Windows DVD into C:Temp.
- Open Notepad (click Start, then type in «Notepad», then click Notepad when it appears).
Paste the following into Notepad:[EditionID]
professional
[Channel]
Retail
[VL]
0Note: if you are upgrading to another edition of Windows, refer to my notes below.
- In Notepad, click «File -> Save As…«, then navigate to the
C:TempSources folder, and name the file «EI.CFG«.
- Retry the Windows setup. It should work.
Upgrading to Other Versions of Windows
If you are not upgrading to Windows 7, 8, or 10 «professional», you can input whatever version you’re attempting to upgrade and it should work. For example, the C:TempSourcesEI.CFG file below is for
Windows 8.1 Enterprise:
[EditionID]
enterprise
[Channel]
Retail
[VL]
0
Another option is that you can
leave the edition blank, in which case Windows will ask which version you’re trying to install. Example:
[EditionID]
[Channel]
OEM
[VL]
0
Note that when I used the above configuration and attempted to upgrade Jill from within her Windows 7 desktop, it did not work — your mileage may vary.
I hope that helps.
Additional 1-on-1 Support: From Dennis
If all of this is over your head, or if you need help installing / upgrading
/ fixing Windows, I can help using my
remote desktop support service. Simply
contact me, briefly describing
the issue and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Got a Computer Question or Problem? Ask Dennis!
I need more computer questions. If you have a computer question — or even a
computer problem that needs fixing —
please email me with your question
so that I can write more articles like this one. I can’t promise I’ll respond to
all the messages I receive (depending on the volume), but I’ll do my best.
About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com.
With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis’ areas of expertise are a
broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network
administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer
Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC
Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote /
Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries,
Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat
service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you
can contact Dennis through the website
contact form.
When you try to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro from previous version of Windows, or do a clean re-installation, edition upgrade or repair upgrade to Windows 10, and you get the following error message – Something happened, Setup has failed to validate the product key. The Windows setup usually runs fine initially, but after the “We’re getting a few things ready” screen, you get the said error.
You can get the Setup has failed to validate the product key error when you upgrade using Windows 10 ISO, installer created by media creation tool, or a physical Windows 10 installer DVD. At this stage, there is nothing you can do other than clicking the Close button to exit the installer. Repeating the setup will result in the same error message. Here’s what you can try to do to bypass the error.
Fix: Setup has failed to validate the product key Windows 10 Pro Upgrade
To get around the Setup has failed to validate the product key error, we need to add a specific configuration file into the installation directory.
- Open Notepad.
- Copy and paste the following to Notepad.
[EditionID] [Channel] OEM [VL] 0
- Select All files beside Save as type and save it as ei.cfg to your desktop first (we will move it later).
- Depending on which type of Windows 10 installer you use, we will need to copy this file over to the Windows 10 installation directory.
- If you’re installing from a bootable USB, assuming E (example) is the directory of your USB drive, copy the ei.cfg file into E:Sources folder. Run the setup.exe or boot to the USB again.
- If you use a Windows 10 installer DVD, browse to the DVD, press CTRL-A then CTRL-C to copy everything in it. Go to C:. Create a folder called Temp. In C:Temp, press CTRL-V to paste everything in the folder. Then, copy the ei.cfg to C:TempSources. Run the setup.exe in C:Temp folder or from the Windows 10 DVD again.
- If you’re installing from a Windows 10 ISO, extract the ISO using an ISO viewer or extraction software. Copy ei.cfg into the Sources folder. Retry the setup.exe or make a bootable USB out of it.
The setup should now get past the “We’re getting a few things ready” screen without showing the Something happened Setup has failed to validate the product key error message.
Even so, if you’re doing a clean install or edition upgrade, the installation will ask for a product key after the Windows 10 is installed. Enter your product key when prompted to complete the installation.
Other fixes for “Setup has failed to validate the product key”
If you’re doing an edition upgrade, we suggest to install Windows 10 Pro using Windows Update or via Settings > Update and Security > Activation instead of the ISO or DVD.
If you’re upgrading from Windows 8 or Windows 7, try to use Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant. This should help to upgrade or install Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or any other edition without getting into the error screen.
The Setup has failed to validate the product key error can also be caused by files in the temp folder which may have conflicted with the installation. Deleting the temporary files may help fix the error. Go to C:UsersyourusernameAppDataLocalTemp and delete all the files in the folder. Retry the Windows 10 installation after deleting.
The error may also happen if the installation couldn’t detect your current Windows version or edition. Make sure you have the latest Windows Update installed before doing an upgrade. Also, try to run SFC check to check for possible damaged or missing system file. To do this, open command prompt as administrator. Enter sfc /scannow command to begin scanning.
If this works to solve the issue, or if you’re still getting the error after trying everything suggested but in a different condition, let us know in the comment section below.