Windows 10: Re-activating Windows 10 Pro after a motherboard replacement

I think I'm royally screwed here, but want to confirm with you guys who are far move savvy than I am.

I had an Asus Eee (mini) with Win7 that I upgraded (and I use the term loosely) to Win10 a couple of years ago when it was free. Shortly thereafter I purchased the MS upgrade from Win10 Home to Win10 Pro. All worked flawlessly, albeit very slowly, because the Asus has marginal memory and slow clocking.

The Asus gave up the ghost... some sort of failure on the MB. I was able to remove the HDD and ISO-mirror it to another drive running off an new MB. Wonder of wonders, it all worked, the computer is faster than ever, but some Win10 functionality is missing because Windows is no longer activated. Most things work fine, and even functions that can't be turned on now still work because they were turned on before the swap; that is, the 'permission' is grandfathered from the HDD.

Because the Asus was originally a Win7 machine, and upgraded to Win10 for free, I am unable to get a product key/license code to re-activate the OS. After more than an hour on the phone with MS Customer Service, I was told I have to buy a license for $200 to regain full functionality of this computer. I am having trouble coming to grips with the unfairness that a hardware repair requires essentially purchasing the OS all over again.

Am I missing something here, or am I up a creek without the proverbial paddle?

:)

 

Windows 10 Pro's license completely glitched out after changing motherboard and CPU

We appreciate your reply. For us to know more about the issue, kindly answer the following questions:

• Did you manage to deactivate Windows 10 Pro first before replacing your motherboard?
• Do you still have the written copy of your product key?
• Are you using the same hard disk where your Windows 10 Pro product key has been activated? If not, where is this hard disk?
• Did you replace your hard disk along with your motherboard and CPU?
• What is the edition of Windows activated on your computer? To know, press Windows + S. Type About, and click it.

Meanwhile, we recommend that you deactivate and uninstall your Windows 10 Pro license from your old motherboard and reinstall it back on your machine using the steps below:

Step 1: Check your your Windows 10 Pro product key using Windows Powershell or Command prompt. Follow the steps below and note down your product key:

• Press Windows key + X.
• Click Command Prompt (admin).
• Enter the following command: wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
  and press Enter:
• The product key will be revealed, copy the product key.

Step 2: Deactivate and uninstall the Windows 10 Pro Product Key from the old motherboard since it has your license. Follow the steps below:

• To know the Activation ID of your Windows installation. Open a command prompt using the Windows search box and type in
  slmgr.vbs /dlv and press Enter. This will display the detailed license information for the installed operating system.
• A window will open up and will give you details about your Windows licensing and activation status. Look for
  Activation ID and note it down.
• On the same command prompt window, type in slmgr /upk <your Activation ID> and press
  Enter. This uninstalls the product key of the current Windows edition. After a restart, the system will be in an Unlicensed state unless a new product key is installed.

Step 3: Activate your Windows 10 Pro to your machine after uninstalling it due to a hardware change, follow the steps below:

• Open a command prompt using the Windows search box and type in
  slmgr /ipk <Windows Product Key> and press Enter.
• If the key is valid and applicable, the key is installed. If a key is already installed, it is silently replaced. If the key is invalid, an error is returned.
• Open your Control Panel you will see Windows is activated message.

Let us know if you need further assistance.

 

Activating Win 10 after replacing Motherboard

I recently had to replace a motherboard on a Lenovo ThinkCentre due to a blown power supply. After recovering, Windows was not activated and I can't use the troubleshooter to remediate. This system was shipped with Win 7 Pro and upgraded to Win 10 during
the free promotion offer.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to get Win 10 reactivated in this scenario?

Also any thoughts on why Win 10 doesn't recognize the DVD or USB ports in File Explorer?

 

Unable to activate windows 10 pro after motherboard replacement

Hi Igor,

I have been running Windows 10 Pro on this computer after updating from a genuine copy of Windows 7 Ultimate.

I have had to replace the motherboard due to a fault and am now being asked to activate it again. It is not a different computer. I just have not got a product key. I have a product ID which I presumed was the digital one.

Peter