Windows 10: Activating windows after losing product key and performing a hardware change.

Long story short, I purchased this computer in its entirety off of someone from Craigslist so naturally, I have no possibility of tracking them down. The PC never came with a manual or, in this case, a product key. Years later (today), I do major hardware changes, which entail purchasing absolutely every component besides the SSD with Windows 10 installed to it. Now I'm using this brand new PC but I'm stuck with either having to pay for a new version of windows or stick it out with the Activate Windows watermark forever on my screen.


To sum it up, lost product key with no chance of getting it back, had major hardware change, however I used to sign in with a Microsoft account and the "About Windows (run: winver)" tab lists that the product is listed under my email (which is my Microsoft account). How can I activate windows using my email as proof that it's a legitimate copy of the OS?

:)

 

Unable to activate Windows after hardware change

Hi,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

Usually the error code 0xC004F213 comes when there is a hardware change done on the computer (like Motherboard or Hard drive). The Windows license is associated with the device hardware. If there is any significant hardware changes, such as replacing
motherboard or hard drive, Windows won’t be able to recognize the license.

I suggest you to try the troubleshooting steps from the article
Reactivating Windows 10 after a hardware change and see if Windows gets activated.

If you are using an OEM computer that came with Windows 7, and the motherboard has not been changed, then you can follow the steps to retrieve the product key that came with your OEM computer. To retrieve the product key follow the steps mentioned
below:

1. Type Command prompt in the search bar, that is on the taskbar.
   
2. Right click on Command prompt icon and select Run as administrator.
   
3. Type the command and press on Enter: wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
   
4. You will find the product key.
   

Hope it helps.

Please reply with the status of the issue, we will be glad to help you further.

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

Windows 10 pro Activation after hardware change

Moving the hard drive to a new device will lose activation. Windows 10 is activated against the hardware and changing hardware will invalidate activation.

If Windows 8.1 was pre-installed (OEM) it is not transferrable to a new device.

If Windows 8.1 was retail then enter the Windows 8.1 key into Change product key.

 

Windows 10 Product Key

Hi Oscar,

Since the laptop has no battery compartment wherein the product key is usually located, we recommend that you follow these steps to find your Windows product key:

• Press Windows + X and select Command Prompt (Admin).
• Enter this command: wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
  and hit Enter.

Also, if you're looking to reinstall Windows 10 after a hardware replacement, we recommend that you follow the steps provided in this

article.

Let us know if performing these steps resolved the issue.