[SOLVED] Reactivating Win10 after hardware change without access to Windows first

[Blackhawk3339]

I'm repairing my kids' PC after a motherboard failure. It's running Windows 10 right now. Someone is giving me a spare mobo/processor/RAM, and I'll need to reactivate Windows once they're installed. Everything I've read says that this is no problem. Just associate the Win10 activation with your Microsoft account, note the key, and transfer it.

The problem is that the system is dead because of the hardware failure. It doesn't boot, so I can't do anything with the installation.

How do I approach this? I don't have any option to purchase a new copy of Windows. If I can't activate the current copy, my kids' computer stays dead, likely for months to come.

 

[Gam3r01]

Im assuming the windows licence was not already registered to a MS account on the broken system?

Your best option is to call MS directly and speak to a real person and see if you can get the key transferred. If they say they cant help, call again and get someone else.

If all else fails you can use windows unactivated, it performs the same minus personalization.

 

[USAFRet]

Concur with the above.
Contact MS. If no luck there, just install it an leave the OS unactivated.
It will run (so far) forever, with no license key. I have an Unactivated WIn 10 Pro installed in a VM, to test exactly this. Over 2 yrs now, no change. Gets all the regular updates, and runs just like normal, with the minimal Unactivated restrictions.