Windows 10: unable to activate windows after changing cpu

Not long ago I made some hardware changes to my pc such as a new cpu, gpu and mobo. I did a clean installation of windows 10 and everything went fine and I was able to reactivate my account.


However since then, I have upgraded my CPU again, and when I go to activate windows after selecting a 'hardware change' I am left with this message : We can’t activate your copy of Windows because the digital licence for this device has already been used to reactivate Windows.

Please can anyone help me with this? Buying a new copy of windows 10 is not an option for me.

:)

 

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?:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/why-activate-windows-10

Get help with Windows 10 activation errors:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/activation-errors-windows-10

Can I clean re-install Windows 10 after upgrading?

Can I clean re-install Windows 10 after upgrading?

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

 

Unable to activate Windows after motherboard, CPU and graphic card change

My old motherboard died after a BIOS update. I had to get a new motherboard and CPU.

At the same time, I got a new graphic card.

after setting everything up, Windows 10 asked me to activate windows.

I tried the Windows activate troubleshoot after hardware change, and saw a list of the computers I have. I select the one that was running the current Windows, but it gave me an error message saying

"We can’t reactivate Windows on this device. Try again later."

Please help.

Pin

 

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