I upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10, but need to enter a license key. I installed the OS without first getting the license key. I go into settings to activate windows, and I tap on "change product key", and... nothing. Settings looks like it just hung. I can't do anything to the window anymore. I can't move it, I can't tap on anything else, etc. I then kill it, go into settings again, and this time tapped on "go to store". It brings up the window to then allow me to buy Windows. I go to hit the purchase button (even though I have a key), and.... nothing. Now THAT window is dead. (though settings is still active). I then tried it AGAIN, this time settings -> go to store, and in the "go to store" window, I tapped "I have a Windows 10 Pro product key", because well, I do. This freaking window then hung AGAIN. so I can't activate, and multiple attempts to do anything related to activation causes one or more screen lockups.
note that I can kill these windows in task manager. so, yippee for that. I have tried rebooting. And, same issue. It is almost like there is some other dialog box that maybe wants to pop up and I have to interact with that box (thus the underlying window is stuck). But I have no other window. I can see in task manager that there is a program "Consent UI for administrative applications", but when I try to 'switch to" that app, nothing. So it's like a window isn't displaying.
OK, well, I solved the issue. I ran "C:\Windows\System32\UserAccountControlSettings.exe" and changed the settings to "never notify me", and then after killing settings again and going back in to activate, I was able to get the dialog box up. God Windows is awful. I so wish I didn't have to run this VM, but welp, the software I need to use requires Windows
