"Off-Brand" NUC Experiences

[britechguy]

Since several members have reported buying these, and very few problems have been reported, I thought it would be a good idea to start a topic dedicated to them as well as any issues we may encounter.

I've had several clients now who've purchased the GMKtec M5 Plus Gaming NUC and are generally quite happy with them compared to the Windows 10 machines (several of which still had HDDs rather than SSDs) that they replaced. The difference in speed is like night and day. For those who insist on local Windows accounts under Windows 11, you'll be happy to know that this is what these machines set up for you as part of their OOBE. If you want to link the account to a Microsoft Account you can do so afterward or create a second MS-Account-linked Win11 User Account and then nuke the local one.

I have just had one, though, where this showed up:


No troubleshooting that I did could solve it. The machine came from Amazon, so it would be simple to return, but I decided instead to write to GMKtec support last night with the simple information they wanted which was the machine's serial number, a screenshot of the Amazon order showing the order number, and a description of the issue (for which I included the above screenshot). I did this last night around 8 PM.

A few minutes ago I had a prompt and helpful response from them that included this instruction file: https://1drv.ms/b/c/2eb6bcfca483d174/EQQEwMMWOxNFjuqm1YeqwDABPJaC6Kp9AofqeDK9bwdQIg?e=gAseeo

So, I'm downloading the system image from the link they gave me, and will be following those instructions after I have put together the USB thumb drive that allows me to do so.

The email from support also said that if this did not work, they'd arrange to send me a Windows 11 Product Key that I can enter via the Change Product Key's Change button (and I've done that myself when upgrading from Home to Pro).

I certainly cannot complain about the responsiveness of their support folks. It's been far faster, and more thorough and focused on the issue I reported, than I've often got from major players in computer manufacturing.

I'll report back on whether this first set of instructions end up fixing the issue. I'd rather that than having to wipe the machine and send it back for exchange from Amazon.

 

[timeshifter]

So it looks like they sent you a compress image that expands to 16GB that you put on a flash drive to boot and install Windows from?

There's been some questions raised on whether they're legit OEMs for MS and whether those licenses are truly valid. I mean, I guess if they were wouldn't they activate correctly when installing from clean media. And if that's the case and I were in the middle of it I think I'd buy a $19 key from one of those resellers and use a direct Microsoft download for the install media.

 

[britechguy]

I'm quite sure that I was given an image via download, but as it turns out it only expands to 11.8 GB.

In any case, this is the GMKtec contact us page: https://www.gmktec.com/pages/contact-us

They sell worldwide, Microsoft has to know about them and definitely has the legal resources to stop them with regard to Windows, but have not done so. There is no reason, in my book, to question the legitimacy of the products or licenses. If I don't do this for Dell, HP, Asus, Acer, and the list goes on and on, because I simply cannot know and Microsoft itself is the activation gatekeeper, I am going to take exactly the same approach to them that I do to any device maker.

I'm going to try what they're suggesting just to see if it works and for my own education. This is precisely what I'd do were tech support from a major player to give me instructions. If the procedure were not to work, then they've said they'll supply a license key next.

It's a process and I'd rather follow it than not. I thought about doing a completely clean install and buying a license key, too, but why should anyone have to buy a license key for a brand new machine that should have shipped with Windows 11 Pro that activates (just like other machines just like this one have)?

Heaven knows that the support I've gotten so far from GMKtec has been better than I have received from many major players on many occasions when I sought it out over the years.

 

[Markverhyden]

1. Does the machine have the holographic MS license sticker?
2. That error means that the image on the drive has already been digitally registered with MS on another box. I think I remember reading another post on here where it appeared that the vendor was using a drive image to install rather than a an installer image.
3. Can you get to cli? If so enter slmgr /dlv to see what it says.

 

[britechguy]

enter slmgr /dlv to see what it says.

I'll do that when I get to the machine later today, and before I re-flash it. This one happens to be for my partner's cousin, so I'm doing a Sunday visit to finish this off, I hope.

 

[britechguy]

BTW, this is what comes back from that command on my own machine:



The only reason I post this is that this is the second time in two days where I've encountered Windows reporting build 26100 in one place (which equates to 24H2) when it is 25H2 on that machine (build 26200). If I fetch Windows Specs from System, Settings, About, this is what I get:
Edition Windows 11 Pro
Version 25H2
Installed on ‎10/‎1/‎2024
OS build 26200.7019
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.265.0

Even in that the Experience Pack still reflects build 26100. I get that 25H2 was an enablement package, but you'd think that correcting the build numbers everywhere they occur would be part and parcel of the Feature Update all the same. But, nooooooooo . . .

 

[britechguy]

And here are the two screenshots from the GMKtec machine, first one from the Windows 11 Pro NOT Activated State:



And this after reflashing (or whatever one wishes to call it) with the image they gave me to download off of OneDrive (which took 6 minutes from start to finish):



I'm in the process of getting the final cumulative update for Windows 11 v24H2 applied. When I arrived today 25H2 was being offered on the unactivated OS, as I'd already allowed this final 24H2 update to apply the other day.

 

[Markverhyden]

@britechguy the Description line is what I was looking for. The error code in your OP says that the machine already has an activation tied to the machine and it doesn't match what's in the OS. OEM_DM Chanel is using a digital key embedded in the mb. Once that key has been activated it will only reactivate on the same mb. At least so they say. This kind of follows the comment I made that it appears that some of these machines are not imaged using the MS installer but installing a disk image from a registered machine.

All that being said when you search for OEM_DM Channel it appears that it has problems similar to yours. Another item of interest, at least to me, is the Windows rearm towards the bottom. It shows 1000 but with properly installed/activated licenses both the Windows and SKU rearms should be 1001. Rearm is the grace period, usually 90 days, for a trial version. It can be reset slmgr -dlv.

 

[britechguy]

Well, in Win11 Pro, System, Activation it's showing as activated with a digital license tied to the Microsoft Account.

Everything seems to be as per usual on any Windows 11 machine I've ever set up before after having applied the image as directed. While it would be nice to know exactly what happened, I also know that I never will.

Also, as an aside, the support folks at GMKtec also replied very promptly to another question I had. I've gotten more responsive support from them than I have from several of the major players in the US market. And even more impressive it's not scripted in the sense that it directly addresses exactly what I've asked, and in a non-generic way.

Win11 v25H2 was also downloaded and applied before I walked away earlier today. All in all this part of the work was way less unpleasant than the sadly-all-too-usual sorting out of passwords that took an inordinate amount of time during the first cycle.