Windows 10: Hardware change - cannot activate windows 10 and not seeing the relevant options to get to...

I have 2 retail copies of windows installed on 2 machines. Today I decided to upgrade the 1st PC, and then use the old parts motherboard, cpu etc. from this PC to 'upgrade' the 2nd PC. The 2nd PC was running Windows 10 Home N, and the 1st PC was running Windows 10 Home. So on the 2nd PC, i unregistered it on my microsoft account, wiped the drive by doing a Windows Reset, and reattached the hard drive to another PC the one being upgraded. Now i cannot activate windows, i've tried everything suggested - typing in slui 4 etc... i can't even get to the screen or option that will get me to an a

:)

 

Unable to activate Windows after hardware change

Hi,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

Usually the error code 0xC004F213 comes when there is a hardware change done on the computer (like Motherboard or Hard drive). The Windows license is associated with the device hardware. If there is any significant hardware changes, such as replacing
motherboard or hard drive, Windows won’t be able to recognize the license.

I suggest you to try the troubleshooting steps from the article
Reactivating Windows 10 after a hardware change and see if Windows gets activated.

If you are using an OEM computer that came with Windows 7, and the motherboard has not been changed, then you can follow the steps to retrieve the product key that came with your OEM computer. To retrieve the product key follow the steps mentioned
below:

1. Type Command prompt in the search bar, that is on the taskbar.
   
2. Right click on Command prompt icon and select Run as administrator.
   
3. Type the command and press on Enter: wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
   
4. You will find the product key.
   

Hope it helps.

Please reply with the status of the issue, we will be glad to help you further.

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

Windows 10 Hardware change

not that easy, unfortunately. fresh install is NOT the way to go, until AFTER the swap. I have swapped boards on my oiverclocking test OS that I use for reviews many times now, and that license (a retail one), de-activated after two board swaps, and then with every board swap after that. All other hardware remained the same. I do fresh installs for benchmarks in reviews, and they have NEVER activated. media creation tool makes it so the dvd will automatically activate on the hardware it was created on, IF the windows it was created on was already activated.

 

Activation problems after hardware changes and reinstallations.

Hi Meli,

Thank you for posting the query on Microsoft Community.

I do appreciate your efforts and time.

Was Windows 10 activated before re-installing it?

Along with the suggestions provided by Greg, you can also refer the steps below.



The only hardware changes that can negatively impact activation status once you upgrade to free version are the changes to the:

• CPU
• TPM
• Motherboard replacement

The following changes are examples of hardware changes that will NOT impact the activation status:

• HDD/SSD
• Video card
• Adding extra memory

If you replace the CPU, TPM, or Motherboard you may have to re-activate but this will not require a purchase of Windows 10.

Why can't I activate Windows 10?:

Why can't I activate Windows? - Microsoft Support

Get help with Windows 10 activation errors:

Get help with Windows activation errors - Microsoft Support

Can I clean re-install Windows 10 after upgrading?

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Hope this helps in resolving the issue. If the issue persists, do get back to us. We will be happy to assist you.