[SOLVED] How do I remove my Windows License without access to the operating system?

Fl1cks

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Jun 19, 2021
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I’m quite sad right now,
I’ve spent this whole day trying to get my computer to boot into Windows, still have this issue and have posted a thread about this. In short, I’m stuck in the motherboard screen and can only come into the bios or the windows setup from my USB stick that I got with the license. I’m thinking of reinstalling windows on the drive where I previously installed windows to with my key but I’m thinking the license would be marked as used or something similar when I try entering the key again. I’m wondering how I could remove the key from my drive in my situation. I’m not quite sure how to remove the key from the drive, whether there is a command for this and how you type it in. I truly appreciate any help. I’ve been wanting to get this computer built and finished for weeks!
View: https://imgur.com/a/EOwyHzB
 
Solution
Was your key attached to your microsoft account? If yes, then you can just reinstall windows
I don’t quite understand. If I do this I will get a Windows version that isn’t activated and when I do I want to use my retail license key to activate it. I want to make sure that when I do activate it again, I don’t get an error or something saying that the key has already been used. That’s the reason I’m trying to deactivate the key that I entered when installing windows on a drive so that I can safely activate the key later on without trouble.

Keys are attached to your MS account. For example i have several keys in my account, just a few days ago, the main drive in one of my systems died, and I swapped it for a new m.2 when my old...

Fl1cks

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Jun 19, 2021
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Just select install without key, it will auto activate for you. No worries.
I don’t quite understand. If I do this I will get a Windows version that isn’t activated and when I do I want to use my retail license key to activate it. I want to make sure that when I do activate it again, I don’t get an error or something saying that the key has already been used. That’s the reason I’m trying to deactivate the key that I entered when installing windows on a drive so that I can safely activate the key later on without trouble.
 

Fl1cks

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Jun 19, 2021
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A reinstall, on the same drive, in the same system, incurs NO licensing issues.

You do NOT have to "deactivate" before this install.

Where did your license come from?
I remember that I got the retail license locally about 4 years ago for around 150$.
Do I simply start the windows setup from the USB drive and then install/override windows to the drive that has windows activated?
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
I remember that I got the retail license locally about 4 years ago for around 150$.
Do I simply start the windows setup from the USB drive and then install/override windows to the drive that has windows activated?
Ideally, you create a NEW USB to install from.
That 4 year old thing will incur a LONG round of updates.
A USB you create today (free), has 95% of what is current in July 2021.

Read through this a time or two...
 
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Fl1cks

BANNED
Jun 19, 2021
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Ideally, you create a NEW USB to install from.
That 4 year old thing will incur a LONG round of updates.
A USB you create today (free), has 95% of what is current in July 2021.

Read through this a time or two...
Okay. Do you think there will be any issues if I removed what I have on the original Windows USB stick that came with the home license and then replaced it with a new July 2021 version from a different computer?
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Okay. Do you think there will be any issues if I removed what I have on the original Windows USB stick that came with the home license and then replaced it with a new July 2021 version from a different computer?
"from a different computer" is sort of irrelevant.

You can create the install USB from just about ANY PC.
And you can use that current USB stick, and overwrite whatever is on it.

To create a current USB install....
This:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

And the first part of this:
 
Jun 12, 2021
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Was your key attached to your microsoft account? If yes, then you can just reinstall windows
I don’t quite understand. If I do this I will get a Windows version that isn’t activated and when I do I want to use my retail license key to activate it. I want to make sure that when I do activate it again, I don’t get an error or something saying that the key has already been used. That’s the reason I’m trying to deactivate the key that I entered when installing windows on a drive so that I can safely activate the key later on without trouble.

Keys are attached to your MS account. For example i have several keys in my account, just a few days ago, the main drive in one of my systems died, and I swapped it for a new m.2 when my old drive was inaccessible. All I did was to install windows normally in my new drive, log in with my account, (your key will still be allocated in the old drive) go to the windows activation screen, select troubleshooting, select the option saying that you just changed hardware and windows will deactivate the license on the old drive and activate it in the new one.
 
Solution

Fl1cks

BANNED
Jun 19, 2021
77
3
35
Was your key attached to your microsoft account? If yes, then you can just reinstall windows


Keys are attached to your MS account. For example i have several keys in my account, just a few days ago, the main drive in one of my systems died, and I swapped it for a new m.2 when my old drive was inaccessible. All I did was to install windows normally in my new drive, log in with my account, (your key will still be allocated in the old drive) go to the windows activation screen, select troubleshooting, select the option saying that you just changed hardware and windows will deactivate the license on the old drive and activate it in the new one.
Interesting, thanks!