Windows 10: Upgraded motherboard recently, gave old one to my brother and he immediately activated his...

How screwed am I?

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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!

 

Activate Windows 10 after motherboard change

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

I built the PC myself and it is\was a retail Windows 8 Pro license upgraded to 10.

The guide listed that I should be able to transfer the license, and following the steps given when selecting "I recently changed hardware" in the activation process it does not list my previous device to select from.

My Microsoft account is logged in on both my old and new motherboard, and my old motherboard is unable to boot at all to deactivate or retrieve any keys.

If my license is indeed available for transfer, how can I proceed from here?

Thanks.

 

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.