How to Fix Error Code 0xC004F061 when Activating Windows 7

Now that Windows 7 is available for purchase, people might be doing an upgrade from previous version of Windows or performing a clean install. In case you are using Windows XP, you will need to do a clean install as there is no upgrade option available. You can follow this tutorial if you are upgrading from Windows XP. You can buy either the upgrade pack or the full version of Windows 7. In case you have got the upgrade key and tried to activate Windows 7, you might have got the Error Code 0xC004F061.

This happens because of the following reasons;

1. You have got a upgrade product key and you have tried to activate it from a clean install.
2. You tried to upgrade the OS from Vista, but ended up performing a clean install.

If you receive error “0xC004F061” when trying to activate Windows 7, it means you’re using a product key for an upgrade version of Windows 7 and a previous version of Windows wasn’t on your computer when Windows 7 was installed. To install an upgrade version of Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP must be installed on your computer. If you formatted the drive before starting the installation process, you won’t be able to use the upgrade product key to activate Windows 7.

To fix this issue, you will need make sure that Windows Vista or Windows XP must is installed on your computer. If you formatted the drive before starting the installation process, you won’t be able to use the upgrade product key to activate Windows 7.

If have already performed a clean install by formatting the partition of previous OS, the you will need to install the previous version first and then upgrade to Windows 7.

You can also trying getting help from Microsoft Support available here.