Activating Windows 10 after fresh install

[Adviceasker]

So, in preparation to sell my old computer, I used the windows media creation tool and made a bootable usb, and used that to do a fresh install of windows on the computer. However, previously windows 10 had been running on my SSD. I took it out, and installed in on the HDD. Everything went well, except that now that I've sold it, it's telling the guy that his windows copy needs to be activated. Since it is the same mobo, I thought it would automatically activate once it connected to the internet? I'm not currently using the old SSD, is there anything I need to do with that to fix it? Also, the license is OEM, and one that was a free upgrade from windows 8.1 to 10.

 

[atomicWAR]

if you used the old creation tool you may be stuck. The old version did not accept win 7//8.1 keys you had to either upgrade an install or reinstall on the same disk win 10 was installed on. The newer tool allows for win7/8/8.1 keys to be inputed during the install. If you used the older version of the media creation tool did you first install win 7/8/8.1 first or did you just install win 10. If you just installed win 10 it won't work without a call to microsoft (assuming they want to help, had mixed luck here). Other wise the person needs a newer version of the media creation tool and your old windows key to directly install win10 or with the old creation tool they need you oem copy of windows and key, install that then upgrade to win 10. I run a few win 10 machines with various retail oem copys so i speak from experience here.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Setup a Microsoft Account and link your current PC to it , then backup whatever you want to save and perform a clean install on your new setup and activate it with your Microsoft account from within windows. Skip the key entry during setup and activate it from within windows with the registered Microsoft Account.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10/
Create a USB installer here ^
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP4sAhmH_Oo"][/video]
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ROoOkPWIM"][/video]

 

[Adviceasker]

if you used the old creation tool you may be stuck. The old version did not accept win 7//8.1 keys you had to either upgrade an install or reinstall on the same disk win 10 was installed on. The newer tool allows for win7/8/8.1 keys to be inputed during the install. If you used the older version of the media creation tool did you first install win 7/8/8.1 first or did you just install win 10. If you just installed win 10 it won't work without a call to microsoft (assuming they want to help, had mixed luck here). Other wise the person needs a newer version of the media creation tool and your old windows key to directly install win10 or with the old creation tool they need you oem copy of windows and key, install that then upgrade to win 10. I run a few win 10 machines with various retail oem copys so i speak from experience here.

I used the tool from microsoft's site. I gave the guy my old windows 8.1 key and he said putting that in didn't work.

 

[captaincharisma]

if you used the old creation tool you may be stuck. The old version did not accept win 7//8.1 keys you had to either upgrade an install or reinstall on the same disk win 10 was installed on. The newer tool allows for win7/8/8.1 keys to be inputed during the install. If you used the older version of the media creation tool did you first install win 7/8/8.1 first or did you just install win 10. If you just installed win 10 it won't work without a call to microsoft (assuming they want to help, had mixed luck here). Other wise the person needs a newer version of the media creation tool and your old windows key to directly install win10 or with the old creation tool they need you oem copy of windows and key, install that then upgrade to win 10. I run a few win 10 machines with various retail oem copys so i speak from experience here.

I used the tool from microsoft's site. I gave the guy my old windows 8.1 key and he said putting that in didn't work.

if you took the free upgrade when it was available you do not need to enter a key. windows 10 will activate once you get back on the internet. if you never took the free upgrade you will not be able to use your windows 8 key to activate windows 10. windows 10 now only activates with windows 7 and 8 keys if it was never used

 

[Dooop805]

So, in preparation to sell my old computer, I used the windows media creation tool and made a bootable usb, and used that to do a fresh install of windows on the computer. However, previously windows 10 had been running on my SSD. I took it out, and installed in on the HDD. Everything went well, except that now that I've sold it, it's telling the guy that his windows copy needs to be activated. Since it is the same mobo, I thought it would automatically activate once it connected to the internet? I'm not currently using the old SSD, is there anything I need to do with that to fix it? Also, the license is OEM, and one that was a free upgrade from windows 8.1 to 10.

Sign into the computer that's not activated with your Microsoft account. If you signed into your old computer at least once with a Microsoft account it would have tied that copy of windows to your account.

 

[USAFRet]

If it had been activated with Win 10, the old 8.1 license should not have been needed.

You gave him a PC with a blank drive, for him to install the OS?

During the install, when it asked for the license key...select "I don't have a product key"
Proceed with the install.

It should activate when it goes online.

Or, refund him $100 so he can buy a valid OS.

 

[Adviceasker]

if you used the old creation tool you may be stuck. The old version did not accept win 7//8.1 keys you had to either upgrade an install or reinstall on the same disk win 10 was installed on. The newer tool allows for win7/8/8.1 keys to be inputed during the install. If you used the older version of the media creation tool did you first install win 7/8/8.1 first or did you just install win 10. If you just installed win 10 it won't work without a call to microsoft (assuming they want to help, had mixed luck here). Other wise the person needs a newer version of the media creation tool and your old windows key to directly install win10 or with the old creation tool they need you oem copy of windows and key, install that then upgrade to win 10. I run a few win 10 machines with various retail oem copys so i speak from experience here.

I used the tool from microsoft's site. I gave the guy my old windows 8.1 key and he said putting that in didn't work.

if you took the free upgrade when it was available you do not need to enter a key. windows 10 will activate once you get back on the internet. if you never took the free upgrade you will not be able to use your windows 8 key to activate windows 10. windows 10 now only activates with windows 7 and 8 keys if it was never used

Our problem is that it didn't activate once it connected- and I'm not sure why.

 

[Adviceasker]

So, in preparation to sell my old computer, I used the windows media creation tool and made a bootable usb, and used that to do a fresh install of windows on the computer. However, previously windows 10 had been running on my SSD. I took it out, and installed in on the HDD. Everything went well, except that now that I've sold it, it's telling the guy that his windows copy needs to be activated. Since it is the same mobo, I thought it would automatically activate once it connected to the internet? I'm not currently using the old SSD, is there anything I need to do with that to fix it? Also, the license is OEM, and one that was a free upgrade from windows 8.1 to 10.

Sign into the computer that's not activated with your Microsoft account. If you signed into your old computer at least once with a Microsoft account it would have tied that copy of windows to your account.

That's what I htought as well, but I checked my devices and that computer is not tied to it.

 

[Adviceasker]

If it had been activated with Win 10, the old 8.1 license should not have been needed.

You gave him a PC with a blank drive, for him to install the OS?

During the install, when it asked for the license key...select "I don't have a product key"
Proceed with the install.

It should activate when it goes online.

Or, refund him $100 so he can buy a valid OS.

No, I installed the OS. That's what i did, unfortunately, it didn't activate and I'm not sure why.

 

[USAFRet]

No, I installed the OS. That's what i did, unfortunately, it didn't activate and I'm not sure why.

It didn't say why it would not activate?
No error message?

 

[Adviceasker]

No, I installed the OS. That's what i did, unfortunately, it didn't activate and I'm not sure why.

It didn't say why it would not activate?
No error message?

He got an error message saying he didn't have a "valid digital license or product key". Using the built in activation troubleshooter didn't help.

 

[USAFRet]

No, I installed the OS. That's what i did, unfortunately, it didn't activate and I'm not sure why.

It didn't say why it would not activate?
No error message?

He got an error message saying he didn't have a "valid digital license or product key". Using the built in activation troubleshooter didn't help.

Your/his only recourse now is to call Microsoft and talk to a human.
Or buy a new OS for it.

 

[Adviceasker]

I'm just confused as to why it won't activate. He's gotten himself a free copy through his college, I'm now just wondering for my curiosity. Everything I've read says windows 10 is tied to the motherboard, and it still has that...So what's wrong with it?

 

[USAFRet]

I'm just confused as to why it won't activate. He's gotten himself a free copy through his college, I'm now just wondering for my curiosity. Everything I've read says windows 10 is tied to the motherboard, and it still has that...So what's wrong with it?

It should have. But MS is the only entity that can truly answer that.

 

[captaincharisma]

I'm just confused as to why it won't activate. He's gotten himself a free copy through his college, I'm now just wondering for my curiosity. Everything I've read says windows 10 is tied to the motherboard, and it still has that...So what's wrong with it?

maybe lets backup for a minute. your first post, you said you sold an old computer and you installed windows 10 on a HDD when you sold it correct?

with you new computer did you get a new copy of windows 10? or did you somehow move that licence from your old computer over to the new one?

 

[Adviceasker]

I'm just confused as to why it won't activate. He's gotten himself a free copy through his college, I'm now just wondering for my curiosity. Everything I've read says windows 10 is tied to the motherboard, and it still has that...So what's wrong with it?

maybe lets backup for a minute. your first post, you said you sold an old computer and you installed windows 10 on a HDD when you sold it correct?

with you new computer did you get a new copy of windows 10? or did you somehow move that licence from your old computer over to the new one?

I didn't move it. I kept it on the old SSD but it's not in use right now. I haven't gotten a new computer.

 

[captaincharisma]

I'm just confused as to why it won't activate. He's gotten himself a free copy through his college, I'm now just wondering for my curiosity. Everything I've read says windows 10 is tied to the motherboard, and it still has that...So what's wrong with it?

maybe lets backup for a minute. your first post, you said you sold an old computer and you installed windows 10 on a HDD when you sold it correct?

with you new computer did you get a new copy of windows 10? or did you somehow move that licence from your old computer over to the new one?

I didn't move it. I kept it on the old SSD but it's not in use right now. I haven't gotten a new computer.

then it should still work as long as whoever has it now didn't try changing any other hardware . maybe the issue is that licence was already linked to your MS account and it didn't activate because you never logged back into windows 10 after the install

 

[Adviceasker]

I'm just confused as to why it won't activate. He's gotten himself a free copy through his college, I'm now just wondering for my curiosity. Everything I've read says windows 10 is tied to the motherboard, and it still has that...So what's wrong with it?

maybe lets backup for a minute. your first post, you said you sold an old computer and you installed windows 10 on a HDD when you sold it correct?

with you new computer did you get a new copy of windows 10? or did you somehow move that licence from your old computer over to the new one?

I didn't move it. I kept it on the old SSD but it's not in use right now. I haven't gotten a new computer.

then it should still work as long as whoever has it now didn't try changing any other hardware . maybe the issue is that licence was already linked to your MS account and it didn't activate because you never logged back into windows 10 after the install

Through some weird thing, it had me logged into a non-microsoft account- i.e. it wasn't connected to an email on that computer. However, I checked my microsoft account and that license is not linked to it.

 

[atomicWAR]

I pass a lot of old hardware builds to family. Always doing fresh Windows installs, config updates, OCs, or anything else needed. Point is anytime you sell/give a old rig out you should make sure your windows key is accepted on the initial install and set to activate when it connects to the internet. Using the enter key later/activate later leaves a lot of potential headaches down the line like this one. Sorry you had such trouble. Windows 10 certainly changed a lot with installs IMHO so it is to be understood how you ended up here so easily but I just want to help you avoid such issues in the future. Congrats in getting it straightened out though!!

 

[Adviceasker]

I pass a lot of old hardware builds to family. Always doing fresh Windows installs, config updates, OCs, or anything else needed. Point is anytime you sell/give a old rig out you should make sure your windows key is accepted on the initial install and set to activate when it connects to the internet. Using the enter key later/activate later leaves a lot of potential headaches down the line like this one. Sorry you had such trouble. Windows 10 certainly changed a lot with installs IMHO so it is to be understood how you ended up here so easily but I just want to help you avoid such issues in the future. Congrats in getting it straightened out though!!

Thanks! It's certainly been a learning experience