Windows 10: Cannot activate Windows using Retail Key from My broken PC

Hello. I cant activate after fresh win10 installation after hardware change mobo, cpu, memory. I was annoyed, I bought another key, activated.

Now my brother want to install win10 - completed but there is a problem with activation. I gave him this old - unused key and he cannot active w10 too.


This old retail w10 key in theory is unused / disabled / free, but I cant activate any system with it. This old key was linked to Microsoft account.


How can I activate his system with this key? It's possible without calling?

:)

 

activate windows 7 oem key

There is no difference between the OEM disc and the Retail disc with Windows 7. A retail disc will accept a OEM or Retail key, and vise versa.

If the OEM Key wasn't going to work with the disc you have, it would have stopped you during the install when it first asked you for the key, not during activation.

What is likely the problem is that, since the OEM version has already been activated once, it is failing activation again. Activate it over the phone using the option given to you on the failed activation screen, and you shouldn't have a problem activating it.

 

activate windows 7 oem key

You cannot activate a retail version of Windows with an OEM key.
The retail version should have it's own activation key.
If you just borrowed the Win DVD from someone who is using the key, that won't work with your OEM (OA) key.

pwned by newtekie. lol My bad.
It does work in Vista and 7, just not in XP.

Have you looked on the ASUS website to see if you can re-download the driver/diag disk, or at least everything you need to make one?

 

activate windows 7 oem key

*Frown

Not yet, that's the last thing I wanted to try. But seems I have to.