Windows 10: Activating Windows 10 after hardware change - but with no devices linked to MS account

Discus and support Activating Windows 10 after hardware change - but with no devices linked to MS account in Windows 10 Updates and Activation to solve the problem; Hello, After exchanging my Motherboard, I have to re-activate my Windows 10. Now, initially I did not know that I had to go into the settings and... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Updates and Activation' started by MultiKi77, Aug 22, 2019.

  1. MultiKi77 Win User

    Activating Windows 10 after hardware change - but with no devices linked to MS account


    Hello,


    After exchanging my Motherboard, I have to re-activate my Windows 10.


    Now, initially I did not know that I had to go into the settings and link my former device from my MS account.


    I had already 8 different PCs linked (no clue where they were all coming from...), so I thought that Windows had a problem with me using so many PCs and the same license.

    Therefore, I removed all the devices that were offline.


    Unfortunately, after figuring out that I need to link the proper device, I could not re-activate my Windows (since all the other devices were gone...).


    How do I restore a device I removed from my account?

    Or is there another way to activate my Windows?



    Thanks for your help!

    :)
     
    MultiKi77, Aug 22, 2019
    #1
  2. JT1969C10 Win User

    Activating WIndows 10 after hardware change.

    Before replacing my hardware on my main computer, I logged into my Microsoft Windows account. Once logged in, I saw that the name of the PC that I was upgrading was in my list of PCs that were activated for Windows 10 Pro. So after reviewing how to reactivate
    after a HW changed, I went ahead and upgraded the motherboard, CPU and memory in that PC.

    Now, when it is time to reactivate, the PC in question is still listed in the hardware list on my MS account but it will not allow me to activate Windows. I followed the instructions online and ran the troubleshooting tool. It then gave me the following
    response:

    Unable to activate Windows

    We can’t find any devices linked to your Microsoft account that can be used for reactivating the device you’re using right now. Make sure you’re signed in with the same Microsoft account you linked to the
    Windows 10 digital license on this device or try again later.

    See other devices linked to your Microsoft account

    So why would it not find the license that was for this PC when it had the old hardware installed? My assumption, albeit may wrong, was that the PC was activated because it was in the list. It was also activated as a Windows 10 Pro edition.

    Anyone have any suggestions on this type of issue?
     
    JT1969C10, Aug 22, 2019
    #2
  3. Kursah Win User
    Loophole Lets You Freely Upgrade to Windows 10 After Offer Expiry

    If you upgrade your 7 install to 10, which is worth it IMHO, make sure you link to a Microsoft Account. Otherwise you might not be able to easily regain the key if they block using 7 keys in the future.

    You don't need to use the Microsoft account as your profile on so you can still bypass logging in at setup and creating a local account. All you gotta do to link your 10 account to your MS install (if you choose not to use your MS account as your profile), is to simply do the following:

    • Click Start
    • Click Settings
    • Click Update and Security
    • Click Activation
    • As or with Admin permissions, click Add Account
    • Login with MS Account credentials.
    Then you should see a message that reads:

    More info: Link Microsoft Account to Windows 10 Digital License , Link a Microsoft Account to a Windows 10 license - gHacks Tech News
     
    Kursah, Aug 22, 2019
    #3
  4. lx07 Win User

    Activating Windows 10 after hardware change - but with no devices linked to MS account

    Odd change in MS account list of devices


    Interesting. You are correct - they did say VMware version xxx but now they do not.

    For me, VirtualBox (red) is still described as "VirtualBox". VMware (green) and Hyper-V (yellow) both say the generic "Virtual Machine"


    Activating Windows 10 after hardware change - but with no devices linked to MS account [​IMG]


    It is definitely retained anyway. My Hyper-V VMs (Yellow above) are local accounts as they are for playing with insider builds. I always clean install and they always activate.

    I also have more (old unused but activated) VMs that that are linked to this MS account and don't appear. I think the website shows recently connected VMs but isn't really tied to activation or license. It would be hard to test that though but I'll resurrect an old one and see.
     
Thema:

Activating Windows 10 after hardware change - but with no devices linked to MS account

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