Windows 10: Can't activate Windows 10 on new PC with product key from older deactivated computer

Hello, I am trying to activate a new Windows 10 PC with my Windows 10 Pro product key from an older computer that I have deactivated. This is something I have done a couple of times before, so I know that it works. Although it may have been with an older version of Windows, like 8 perhaps, the last time I did it.


I thought that once Windows was deactivated on the older machine, the product key would be free to use on a another computer. As has been the been the case when I did this in the past.


The older computer is a dual boot machine which also has Windows XP. From memory I installed Windows 10 on that machine as a free upgrade from 7 or 8, back when Microsoft had that offer running for the first year of Windows 10.


Any help would be much appreciated.

:)

 

Uninstall Product Key and Deactivate Windows 10


Deactivating Windows will not remove it from Microsoft's activation server.

It just simply deactivates Windows on the PC itself. This would only be helpful if say you're giving or selling the computer to someone, and don't want it to be activated with your retail product key.

You would only need to either uninstall or deactivate Windows on any other PC that you plan on using the same retail product key (license) on a new PC.

 

Uninstall Product Key and Deactivate Windows 10

Ok I see, if I want to transfer my retail copy of windows 8.1 (which I upgraded to windows 10 when it was free) to a new computer with a new motherboard how would I go about doing that?

 

Uninstall Product Key and Deactivate Windows 10  

What you are referring to is for a full retail W8 license that has not been used to get and activate the free upgrade to Windows 10 offer. You basically traded in your W8 license for the free W10 upgrade.

The W8 license is linked to W10 and you get a digital license for W10 on Microsoft activation servers. You can only have W8 or free W10 activated with the product key (W8) or digital license (W10) on a PC and not both.

If you want to install and activate a retail W8 on a single PC with this W8 product key, then you will need to uninstall the free W10 or deactivate the W10 first. If this is an OEM W8, then you can only do this on the same PC it was originally installed on.

If you want to install the free W10 on a PC with its digital license, then you will need to uninstall W8 or deactivate the W8 first.

Microsoft knows what PC(s) you have them activated on since they must be activated by the Microsoft activation server. If you try to activate on more than one PC, then it gets flagged and denied.