Windows 10: Activation with old key?

So,

I had Win 8.1 retail on my machine, updated it to W10.
Now I swapped the mobo and trying to activate W10 again.
It won't accept my old serial...is there a way to activate it? I thought retail (not OEM) versions could be transferred to a new build as long as they are removed from the previous build?

:)

 

windows 10 clean install and activation with old product key

No, that will have no effect on your Activation, I always reformat and partition my HDD.

Your Digital Entitlement is stored on the Microsoft Servers, so even if you replace your hard drive it does not affect activation . . .

 

windows 10 clean install and activation with old product key

Since you previously had Windows 10 installed and activated on that PC during the installation process skip the steps which ask for a product key and select the option 'I am Reinstalling Windows 10 on this PC', and activation will not be an issue,
your PC will have a digital entitlement stored on the Microsoft Servers

If you do not have the latest Windows 10 Installation Media Click HERE to download the Media Creation
Tool (Click on Download Tool Now), with that you can download the latest Windows 10 ISO (Select Create Installation Media for Another PC), you can create a bootable USB flash drive (min 4GB) using that tool or create the ISO file which you can later burn to
DVD

 

Actually, the way I had done it was wrong; I had used the ShowKeyPlus to reveal what was my original code and that was all wrong. Found the original serial and everything is fine, Windows activated

 

In which way was it wrong? When you use check product key on each of them, do they both show the exact same edition?

 

Glad to hear that it worked for you. Thinking about trying it also. My current MB uses sata 2 and usb 2 and was wanting to upgrade MB to newer model. Thinking about installing new MB, install Win8 in my case, then to 8.1 and then on to W10. Current MB was upgraded from retail 8 to 8.1 and then W10 and I knew that would not work and remain activated if I changed the MB.

 

Yes, it definitely seems to work fine as long as the original Windows was retail not OEM, as long as you use the original key as well and not the ones reported by Windows or ShowKeyPlus

 

LOL.. you don't trust the key that Windows reports that it itself uses?
You probably had an over-used key that needed to be phone activated via Win 8 before digital entitlement on the new mobo - and activated with one that still had online transferability.

 

The key was 8.1 retail I bought for the machine I took it from a year back, and updated that same machine to W10 last summer. Hardly overused; only once installed ever.

I tried both the 'original 8.1 key' as reported by ShowKey as well as 'current W10 key' or active or whatever it is...well every key it showed and both were instantly deemed unsuitable keys, it didn't even attempt them. But I used the key I had glued to the old box from the retail and no problem.

This was after W10 was installed. I also tried to give said keys during installation but they weren't accepted there either. But the original 8.1 key it accepted without any issues or phone activation or such.

It was a surprise to me that ShowKey showed completely wrong type keys.

 

Well, this is the first I've heard of this...

If the original key shown was indeed a Win 8.1 retail key, where did it come from? - ShowKey cannot create keys...
and what error message was given when you tried it? (NB the upgrade Win 10 key would never work as it's generic)

 

This is purely a guess. Don't think that W8 was that fussy back then, but if you are using it now with a new MB, MS doesn't have the ability to cross it to the older MB like they are now doing for W10??

 

Here's what it said on the old machine:

Windows 10 Pro
Product ID: 00330----
Installed Key: VK7JZ----

Original Key: XHQ8M----
Original Edition: Win 8.1. Professional Retail
OEM Key: OEM key not present in firmware

But the key I had used with the orig. 8.1. installation (and luckily had stuck it on the PC case) was nothing like these.

Sadly I don't remember what exactly it said, but it was along the lines of 'windows cannot activate with this key' I recall it was even in red. And offered to try another key or after installation to go to the store.

 

xhq8m-c3mcj-rqxb6-wchyg-c9wkb ???

That product key is all over the internet.

 

Hmm...I installed ShowKeyPlus again now on this new machine...

Windows 10 Pro
Product ID: 00330---- (BUT end is different)
Installed Key: VK7JZ---- (Exactly the same as on old machine, also exact same on all my machines. No wonder it didn't work it must be just a generic key it shows).

OEM Key: OEM key not present in firmware


- doesn't say anything about the 'original key' or original edition any more....Strange that the product ID has changed too...but I see it is actually different in all my W10 machines.

It doesn't appear to have the OEM key in firmware in any of my machines, although all 3 of them ARE updated from OEM W7 to W10.

 

Yep, that's it. Maybe it's a generic code as well??? Well then especially obviously it wasn't the real key I installed it with originally, but some bogus key ShowKey presents.