Windows 10: upgrade motherboard and done a fresh install of windows now it will not activate

originally it was a windows8 to 10 free upgrade, i have recently upgraded to a new motherboard & hard drive so i done a fresh install of windows but now neither the old setup or the new will activate, the original windows 8 was genuine as i purchased this. how to i solve the issue?

:)

 

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!

 

Activation after new hardware upgrades?

But you had never upgraded that motherboard from Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 10 previously? That was the first step of my suggestion.

It should have been install fresh SSD on the new motherboard. Install Windows 7 on it. Upgrade it to Windows 10. THEN copy the other Windows 10 image over to it.

 

Windows 10 and upgrading motherboard

Hi,



Thank you for bringing up your query on Microsoft Community.



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

Let us follow the steps suggested by Andre Da Costa (replied
on July 26, 2015) in the following thread:



Will Upgrading Motherboard After Upgrading To Windows 10 Make Me Lose My Windows License?

Will Upgrading Motherboard After Upgrading To Windows 10 Make Me Lose My Windows License?



Kindly let us know if you need any further assistance with Windows, we are glad to assist you.