Product Key Validation Failure When Disabling "Edition change support"

[Shep]

Hello,

Disabling Edition change support in Components > System > Servicing Stack, causes the Windows setup to fail during product key "validation" with the following error:

"Setup has failed to validate product key."

Selecting "I don't have a product key" or entering a valid key makes no difference.

Additionally, when this component is disabled, the following folder ends up empty of files :

sources\install.wim\Windows\System32\en-US\Licenses\

This issue was reproduced while rebuilding my preset step by step and testing installations in VirtualBox.
The preset itself may look messy because of that process.

Since the problem could be caused by a specific combination of settings, I’m attaching the preset I used.

Environment:
Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2 x64 (10.0.26200.6725)
NTLite 2025.10.10631
No unattended

Note: The attached preset currently has the component enabled. Disabling it will reliably trigger the error, for me.

 

[Meedas]

Based on your preset, it's pretty aggressive and you're removing a lot of key components. I also removed Edition Change Support and I don't have any errors using Win 11 25H2. So it's most likely other items that you're removing that's causing the problem. One option you can try is to use an unattended install, which essentially bypasses OOBE. If you don't get the error with the unattended install, then it's something OOBE related.

 

[tistou77]

No problem activating Windows (digital license) with this component removed
And no errors during installation

 

[Shep]

Thanks for testing. Just to confirm, did you use an Enterprise edition for your tests?

I redid the procedure with a clean image and a neutral preset (attached below).
The issue definitely comes from Edition Change Support

Unchecking this component removes the license.rtf files from
sources\install.wim\Windows\System32\en-US\Licenses\

and, as far as I remember, those files are required at the stage I mentioned earlier.

For clarity, I’m using Enterprise specifically (more precisely a multi-image Enterprise/Pro). I also removed the Pro edition with NTLite.

Edit: Adding a video for good mesure : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnSeDxTsCqA

 

[Meedas]

Thanks for testing. Just to confirm, did you use an Enterprise edition for your tests?

I redid the procedure with a clean image and a neutral preset (attached below).
The issue definitely comes from Edition Change Support

Unchecking this component removes the license.rtf files from
sources\install.wim\Windows\System32\en-US\Licenses\

and, as far as I remember, those files are required at the stage I mentioned earlier.

For clarity, I’m using Enterprise specifically (more precisely a multi-image Enterprise/Pro). I also removed the Pro edition with NTLite.

Edit: Adding a video for good mesure : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnSeDxTsCqA

The license.rtf file is just a document. It's not required for product key validation. I have also tested this using Enterprise edition, and there are no issues.

 

[Shep]

The license.rtf file is just a document. It's not required for product key validation.

Since I know that both the setup and the OOBE phase are very sensitive, I wondered whether the simple absence of an RTF file could actually cause an error.

So, I manually added the RTF files inside install.wim (btw I’m aware they’re just documents, but we never know with the windows setup ) that I was referring to, and it turns out they are indeed required.
After adding them, the product key step no longer throws an error.

They seem to be indirectly tied to the product key validation process, in the sense that the file is shown to the user in the next step (See the image).
If the setup can’t find this file, it triggers the error.

I don’t want to sound harsh, but I doubt you used exactly the same environment as I did for your tests (same multi-image Enterprise/Pro ISO, same build, same preset).
Otherwise, I don’t understand how a clean ISO and a clean preset can trigger the error on my end but not on yours.

I think we need confirmation that "Edition Change Support" component indeed remove those RTF files to continue troubleshooting.

 

[tistou77]

Thanks for testing. Just to confirm, did you use an Enterprise edition for your tests?

Tested with Pro edition, but activation with a digital license should be the same, I guess

And not tested with VM, only "real installation"

 

[Shep]

Ok thank you, at least we know on Pro we are OK.

I might be completely off track, but let’s assume for a moment that the missing license.rtf file is what causes the error (as shown earlier).

Let’s also assume that Edition Change Support removes anything not tied to the current edition (Enterprise, in my case). If that component is disabled, I assume the Professional license.rtf is considered unnecessary and gets deleted, since Pro ≠ Enterprise.

In \System32\en-US\Licenses\_Default, the only folder that exists is Professional\license.rtf, even in my untouched Enterprise build.
So it seems Enterprise might actually rely on the same file as Professional.

But because that file is removed, the error only shows up in this specific situation (?)

 

[tistou77]

I have this .rtf file only in these directories

System32\fr-FR\Licenses\_Default\Professional
System32\fr-FR\Licenses\OEM\Professional
System32\fr-FR\Licenses\Volume\Professional

Not in System32\fr-FR\Licenses\

 

[Shep]

I have this .rtf file only in these directories

System32\fr-FR\Licenses\_Default\Professional
System32\fr-FR\Licenses\OEM\Professional
System32\fr-FR\Licenses\Volume\Professional

Not in System32\fr-FR\Licenses\

Yes me too (at least if I don't uncheck "Edition Change Support")
"sources\install.wim\Windows\System32\en-US\Licenses\_Default\Professional\license.rtf"
"sources\install.wim\Windows\System32\en-US\Licenses\OEM\Professional\license.rtf"
"sources\install.wim\Windows\System32\en-US\Licenses\Volume\Professional\license.rtf"

As soon as I uncheck the component any license.rtf got deleted from the install.wim while using Enterprise Edition

 

[tistou77]

Yes me too (at least if I don't uncheck "Edition Feature Change")
"sources\install.wim\Windows\System32\en-US\Licenses\_Default\Professional\license.rtf"
"sources\install.wim\Windows\System32\en-US\Licenses\OEM\Professional\license.rtf"
"sources\install.wim\Windows\System32\en-US\Licenses\Volume\Professional\license.rtf"

As soon as I uncheck the component any license.rtf got deleted from the install.wim while using Enterprise Edition

I have these files by removing the component with Pro Edition

It seems that with the Enterprise edition, the Pro files are deleted, even though they should be kept.

You can test by protecting these 3 files and deleting the component.
And if there's no error, then nuhi should keep these files with the Enterprise edition as well.

 

[Shep]

Protecting the 3 files :


Building the ISO with only Edition Change Support unchecked :


Setup OK (the license.rtf file is presented to the user):


Installation Complete :



No issue by protecting the 3 license.rtf files

 

[tistou77]

nuhi Need to protect these 3 files with Enterprise edition, when this component is removed

 

[Meedas]

Yes me too (at least if I don't uncheck "Edition Change Support")
"sources\install.wim\Windows\System32\en-US\Licenses\_Default\Professional\license.rtf"
"sources\install.wim\Windows\System32\en-US\Licenses\OEM\Professional\license.rtf"
"sources\install.wim\Windows\System32\en-US\Licenses\Volume\Professional\license.rtf"

As soon as I uncheck the component any license.rtf got deleted from the install.wim while using Enterprise Edition

I figured out why I'm not getting the error. In my ISO, the product key and accept EULA were already active, thus it would skip the product key check and not look for the license.rtf to be displayed. I created a new ISO without the product key and accept EULA being embedded into the ISO, and I was able to replicate the error.