Windows 10: Activation not working with MS digital license after Mobo swap

Hello,



I upgraded from Win 7 Ultimate (bought on eBay from retailer back then) and used my MS account the last year from begin with so the license was linked to it. After my mainboard died last week I had to make a move. It was around 8 years old and it's not avaible anymore. So I decide to use this bad luck to update to newer generation chips as I always did. But despite I had linked the digital win10 license to my account and informed myself that the reactivation will work. It doesn't. The hole internet as also on here on mass says it should work but it doesn't.



What happend

- I swapped mainboard, cpu and ram. Rest is the same. I didn't reinstall win 10! I didnt have any problems, drivers and performance is right. I have a massiv amount of plug-ins that would need to be reactivate. I can't afford a complete new OS install timewise.



- on activation troubleshooting, choosed "changed hardware", selected my workstation and clicked activate I get the response

"activation not possible. Please try again later"



- deleted my old mainboard workstation on the Microsoft account in the devices tab


- I tried it several days now and gave up and called the support. I needed to talk to three women. One more unfriendly and unpolitle than the next one. All told me I have no rights to reuse the license because of the free MS upgrade program doesn't provide the rights to do so and I must buy a new license. As I told that I have written evidence that their statement is wrong they just hang up. Human friendly support Microsoft. But really I don't care... What I care about is not throwing money out of the window where there is no need



- so despite what they told I researched further and came to the idea to test it with a VirtualMachine. I used my Win7 image and upgraded with my Win7 Pro license to Win 10 and what a surprise I was activated with the new mainboard and cpu components in the VM!!



So I really don't understand why the new components work with VM and the activation servers but my real system doesn't?

Is here any polite support person that is helpful to clear this up. If it's not possible than it's unfortunate but I will then buy a new license. Just want to be clear what's going on.

:)

 

Windows 10 Digital license new mobo?

So by a program I'm enrolled in I was able to upgrade from windows 7 to 10 which says it has a digital license.

From Googling around I understand the digital license is sort of a hardware signature so what happens when I replace my mobo/cpu/ram?

Per other threads windows 10 is usually able to handle such an extensive hardware swap, but what happens with the digital license... would there be any issues on reactivating?

Thanks,

Bob

 

Digital license

Thats how licensing works with Windows 10, the digital license is attached to your Microsoft Account and makes it easy to reactivate Windows 10 in the event you reinstall it.

Learn more:

• Use a Digital
  License to Manage and Activate Windows 10

 

Win10 License after Mobo Upgrade ?


I recently upgraded my mobo and in preparation got a digital Win10 license connected to my MS account as suggested here: How to Reactivate Windows 10 After Changing Hardware

I simply hooked my old SSD to the new mobo and Win10 took a little extra time to boot and was up and running -- not like the bad old days However, when I tried to activate Win10 using the digital license per the above it didn't work - there was no license for this type of device, which I assumed meant a PC. So I chatted with a MS tech and he kindly connected to my machine and activated it for me. I also went to my MS account and got a digital license for the new mobo.

However, a couple days later I noticed that I now have a product ID that ends in -AAOEM I assume this means it is an OEM license which cannot be transferred if I replace the mobo again.

I originally purchased XP in 2005 when I assembled my first computer. I took advantage of the inexpensive Win8 Upgrade to purchase Win8 Pro which became Win8.1 and then Win10 Pro, all without further payment to MS.

I assumed that because I started by purchasing XP that I had a retail license and that this retail license would propagate through all of these upgrades, allowing me to change mobo's whenever I chose. In thinking more about it, I'm wondering whether the cheap upgrade to Win8 converted my license to OEM and this tech did me a favor by allowing the mobo change. Or, should he have made the license retail?

Bottom line is I think I now have an OEM license and don't understand whether it should be a retail license or I'm a cheapskate and should just buy a new Win10 Retail license when I next change mobo's.