Battlefield 3 activation error on PC

If you receive a “We could not activate Battlefield 3 on this computer using the Origin account you provided” or "The product key entered cannot be used to activate the game" error message when trying to launch or play Battlefield 3 on your computer, try either of the steps below.

"Unable to Activate Battlefield 3" through Origin error:

1. Click on the cog wheel icon and select "Refresh my Games".
2. After refreshing, please restart the Origin Client.
3. You should be able to launch Battlefield 3.

OR

1. Open Computer from the Start menu and go to: C:\ProgramData\Electronic Arts\EA Services\License **Program Data may be a hidden folder on your machine**
2. Delete either 71067.dlf or 71069.dlf (depending on if you have Limited Edition or Standard)
3. Reboot your machine.
4. Launch Origin.
5. Try to launch BF3.

OR

 

1. Exit Origin completely. You can do this by right-clicking Origin in your system tray (near the clock) and selecting "Exit."
2. Open Internet Explorer (this will only work with Internet Explorer, not other browsers). Enter the following address into your address bar C:\ProgramData\Origin\DownloadCache and press "Enter/Return."
3. Delete the files in this directory
4. Restart your machine.
5. Launch Origin and login to your Origin account.
6. Attempt to launch Battlefield 3.