Windows 10: How to activate my windows 11 home on a new motherboard?

I currently have a pre-built pc that came with windows 11 pre-installed. I have the product key in hand. My question is, how would I activate windows 11 on my recently new/upgraded motherboard? Says my windows is activated "OEM" Please let me know how i can install my windows 11 to my new motherboard. My current motherboard is damaged.

:)

 

Can I still upgrade to Windows 11 if I change the storage drive, CPU, and motherboard?

My PC does not meet the minimum requirements to upgrade to Windows 11 (Pro). In order to accommodate this upgrade I've bought a new storage drive, CPU, and motherboard. The new drive is much faster than the other drives, so I'd like to use it to store Windows instead of the original drive.

• Is it possible to immediately activate Windows 11 after I install it on the new drive using an installation disk?
  
• In case activation isn't possible because I don't own Windows 11 yet, would it work if I installed Windows 10 first and then upgraded to Windows 11 instead?
  
• Or would it not activate either copy of Windows 10 or 11 because my PC isn't recognized as the original due to the changed parts?
  

I would very much appreciate any help or suggestions.

 

Windows 10 activation with new motherboard


I've tried contacting Microsoft support by both chat (twice) and phone, and none of it was helpful. And so I'm posting the problem here.

I have a laptop that was originally running Windows 7. I upgraded to Windows 10 last month via the free upgrade option, and things were working fine for a while. However, a motherboard issue forced me to replace the motherboard yesterday. This also required me to move the old hard drive and CPU to the new motherboard.

Now, my problem is this: while I do still have Windows 10 installed on my device, it is an evaluation copy; it is not activated as the full product. Some research told me that the free W10 upgrade is linked to the device's hardware, something I didn't know. Since I'm using a different motherboard now, Microsoft apparently doesn't recognize that I DO own a full version of W10 courtesy of the free upgrade.

So now I'm wondering whether there is a way to transfer my W10 license to the new motherboard so it will activate. And before you ask/suggest anything:

• My original sticker on the bottom of my computer with the W7 license key on it fell off a long time ago. So no, I don't have that.
• I tried contacting Dell to get my original product key, and they refused to help me because I'm out of warranty, even though what I'm asking them for is very simple.

Any help is appreciated.

 

Windows saying not activated after motherboard upgrade

Hi,

I recently upgraded some PC parts (new motherboard, RAM, processor, video card) and ever since then I have a watermark in the bottom right of my display reading "Activate Windows - Go to Settings to activate Windows."

I took advantage of the free upgrade to Windows 10 back when they were allowing Windows 8 users to upgrade to Windows 10. I don't remember receiving an activation key during this upgrade.

I've read online that installing a new motherboard can occasionally cause issues with OS activation. How can I reactivate my Windows without having to purchase Windows 10.

Some things to note:

• This watermark was not there prior to installing the new motherboard
• As some places (and a Microsoft Tech Support member) suggested, typing the query "wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey" into CMD just returns with "OA3xOriginalProductKey". The Microsoft Support member seemed confused by this and said there was nothing further she could do.

Thanks!