Windows 10: Activation of Windows 10 Pro after motherboard failure and replacement

I am the original owner of an Intel PC that I purchased off Amazon with a fully activated version of Windows 10 Pro OEM. My computer died completely and Intel sent me a new motherboard but it will not accept the Product Key any longer. Do I really have to buy a new version of Windows? If yes, I’m disappointed since I already paid for Windows on this computer. If on the other hand, There is a way to reuse my product ID that seems very reasonable in my situation and I would love to get guidance on how to make that possible. I’ve noticed that there is no way to reach Microsoft support, so

:)

 

Windows 10 Pro Activation after motherboard replacement

Hi Greg,

Thanks for all the information.

But in one of the iterations of attempting to activate the license (while my account showed the $99 Windows 10 Pro Upgrade) I did login with the email account as you suggested (was the last tech I talked to after talking to the activation tech suggested). It still did not work and produced the exact same error messages as attempting it under my local account with my MS account being open (and also used for my Office 365 license). After it failed that was when he said the "$99 upgrade was single-use-for-a-single-motherboard only upgrade and could never be used again on a new motherboard". So I asked do you mean that when HP replaced the motherboard because the original had failed, I LOST that license forever, and he said yes, you need to purchase a new license.

I couldn't believe that was absolutely true, but then after trying all the additional suggested steps and it still failed, I was starting to believe it was true. Finally last night I clicked on the Store link and clicked Buy on the $199 Windows Pro Upgrade (only option that came up) and then after selecting PayPal for payment and clicked on the button to complete the payment - 1 second later IT WAS ACTIVATED...

So, as I mentioned, I have now paid $330 for a Windows 10 Pro license ON THE SAME PC.

If the $99 license is such a piece of ****, Microsoft should not be selling it. And when I bought it on 9/26/21 I don't remember a warning being displayed that stated "This is a single install, single use only upgrade for a single motherboard and will never work to activate Windows 10 Pro on your PC if your motherboard fails and is replaced by the OEM. That will require a new purchase of the Windows 10 Pro license." I knew it was for 1 PC only and was not transferable, but not that it was 100% tied to ONLY 1 MOTHERBOARD.

I am hoping now that I have given Microsoft another $220 for a 2nd Windows Pro License this will not be an issue in the future if the motherboard fails again, which of course, I hope that doesn't happen either. I also told the HP tech I talked to that they need to warn their users about this issue if they have purchased and installed the $99 Pro upgrade.

The odd thing now is, I only see the $199 Pro upgrade, not the $99 Pro upgrade. When I searched for the upgrade on 9/26, the only thing I remember seeing was the $99 upgrade. So I selected that. Had I known it was a waste of money I never would have bought it.

And the other odd thing is my MS account shows this PC twice - I assume the latest entry is for the new motherboard and the earliest entry is for the original motherboard, but not 100% sure. Both descriptions are the same, even the same serial number. One does state the OS is "Windows 10 Professional" while the top entry only shows it as "Windows Professional". BUT there is NO mention of the motherboard... If Microsoft is actually tracking "devices" only by their motherboard then that should be listed also. It should also list the date the device was added and it doesn't.

Anyway, my PC is officially licensed again, at a much higher price than I thought it would cost. So the license activation issue is resolved for me. But my concerns on wasting money on a 2nd purchase of a Windows 10 Pro upgrade are still there. But thanks for the reply.

Ray

 

Windows 10 Pro Activation after motherboard replacement

I just received my HP PC back after the motherboard was replaced. The PC was initially set up with Windows 10 Home, then I purchased the Windows 10 Pro upgrade through the MS website. The website shows the purchase on my account.

When the PC was returned, they had replaced the motherboard and reloaded the factory install.

I had a cloned image and loaded that. It boots OK, but Windows is telling me it's not activated. This is a newer PC and the Windows 10 Home key was entered automatically when I did the initial setup. The key isn't listed anywhere on the packing box or on a label on the PC itself.

I use local accounts on the PC and do NOT use a Microsoft account to login to the PC.

I was logged in to my Microsoft account through the browser when I purchased the Windows 10 Pro upgrade. The order is listed on my account, but there are no order details at all. I never received an email from Microsoft with the product key in it either. When I clicked on the install link I was provided, nothing happened. When I checked the about info on the PC it now showed it was Windows 10 Pro - so I assumed OK, it's there...

But later I started having freezing issues, rebooting on its own when nothing was being used, etc. Ran the hardware diagnostics and said there were issues and it needed repair. Sent it in, they replaced the motherboard and returned, etc., as I mentioned.

Now the activation issues. Since the motherboard was replaced, I assume the license info is out of sync. When I go through the steps it says it can't fix it automatically (We can't activate Windows on this device because you don't have a valid license or product key. If you think you do have a valid license or product key, select Troubleshoot below. Error code: 0xC004C003),

I assume I need to enter the Windows 10 product key, but I don't have it. Since Microsoft never sent me the product key, I cannot enter the product key to see if that will resolve the issue.

So, what do I do??? Throw away another $110 on a 2nd license for Windows 10 Pro for the same stupid PC?

Since I bought the upgrade on Microsoft's website through my account, I would have thought they had the product key there, but it's not there.

 

Windows 10 Pro Activation after motherboard replacement

Paul,

Thanks for the response. I tried as you suggested and entered the key, but it comes back with still not being able to activate it. (all I can see of the original key is it ends with the -3V66T):

We can't activate Windows on this device because you don't have a valid digital license or product key. If you think you do have a valid license or key, select Troubleshoot below. (0x803fa067)

I tried twice...

When I click on Troubleshoot, it comes back with:

It looks like the hardware on this device has changed. Make sure you're connected to the Internet and try again later/ (0xc0ea000a)

We weren't able to activate Windows on this device.

Contact Support to Get Help

You can activate this device by going to the Store and purchasing a genuine copy of Windows.

Why should I pay MS another $108.91 for what I've already paid for, they have that information on my account. And if I try to contact support, it wants to reconfigure my PC to login with a MS account, NOT a local account.

Everything they do should be supported correctly even if we do login to Windows with a local account.

Does this mean if you clone your drive, then they replace the motherboard, the cloned image is worthless? Unless you fork over more money for something you already paid for?

Or does it mean that Microsoft complicated things to the extreme when they switched to the digital licensing?

And why did Microsoft not send me the email with the product key in it when I bought the Windows 10 Pro upgrade on THEIR website? (they still claim they do...)

...

I was eventually able to get the contact support option to ask for a phone number for someone to call me, but I won't hold my breath - it says to expect a call in about 1689 minutes...

I did find this,

Windows 10 Activation Error 0xc0ea000a - Microsoft Community

But it didn't help. Came back with an error and then said to contact MS Support to get help...

Ray

Update:

While they talk about linking your PC to your account, I had done that before I purchased the Pro upgrade, and it has been listed on my account since 9/26. But now I see there are 2 entries for this PC - at least for this PC name (same name of both entries).

The top entry (last?): Desktop PC

Windows Professional

The next entry: Desktop XXXXX (XXXXX being the model of this PC)

Windows 10 Professional

They both show the same version of Windows, same RAM and the same serial number.

I have no idea if this is causing any issues with the license activation or not, but apparently Microsoft has added the new motherboard as a different PC (since I never added it to my account). I'm assuming this is part of the issue, but it would seem MS sees the 2nd entry as the one I have the license for and the latest entry (the one at the top of the list) as a "new" PC with no valid license.

There must be a way to fix this.

Can I remove the latest entry and will that impact the license activation attempt?

Or will it just add it back as a different PC, with the same license activation issue?

Just adding thoughts as I keep looking at everything ...

Update #2:

I talked with a after hours activation support person and she suggested the same as you, and again it didn't work.

Then she suggested I chat with a tech level support person and that was basically the same again.

The he transferred me to another tech support person who called me and and we tried the same thing, but slightly different and still the same result of course.

But he went on to say that the issue was the previous license for the Windows 10 Pro upgrade was ONLY for the PREVIOUS motherboard, NOT the PC. Once the motherboard was changed, regardless of it being the same PC and drives, the license was NO LONGER VALID and I had to purchase a NEW license to get the activation to work!

I'm hoping that he actually didn't know how to correct the problem. I understand what caused the issue (replacing the motherboard after the previous activation), but there must be a fix for activation after replacing a motherboard short of forcing me to pay for something TWICE! As he repeated SEVERAL times to me, the license was for the motherboard - NOT the PC.

And even IF I thought purchasing it was an option, I'm not sure you can now that Windows 11 is out - and BTW it told me weeks ago I could upgrade to Windows 11 Pro, which of course I haven't. Still shows that but I doubt it would even work now if I did want to.

So, back to the actual issue - what to do, if anything, to get Windows 10 Pro activated on THIS PC again. Is it Microsoft's policy that every time someone has a PC repaired they have to fork over more money for a Windows 10 Pro license or it won't be "legal"?