Windows 10 Reactivation after Hardware Change

[thefeigningninja]

I recently changed my motherboard, CPU, and Ram, though once I got my computer booted up and running, I noticed that I had to activate Windows again, so I tried to and found that I couldn't do it as the troubleshooter said that my copy of windows on my computer wasn't activated beforehand? though my Laptop was listed as an option for activation. So I decided to look around on Google and found this thread;



https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install/cannot-activate-windows-10/8deda35f-7d6c-4d85-b641-2ffa7b70f6e9


I followed its instructions and now it appears I've made the problem even worse than before, as now it seems that Windows thinks I'm attempting to activate another type of Windows? (Error code 0x8007232B) I've tried searching for my original product key, but so far I've had no luck and I'm afraid that I might be stuck with this non-genuine version of Windows for the foreseeable future.



Also strangely on my Microsoft account's devices page, both my motherboard and computer name are both listed as separate devices, and I'm not sure why.

 

[terry4536]

Give it a few days.

I reset my Windows 10 Pro nothing more. But then I noticed that it wasn't activated. So I went through the Microsoft troubleshooting steps. And then like you it said my key was invalid for Windows 10 Home, but I didn't own the Home version.

So I tried to contact Windows customer support twice, but I never did get past the automated answering machine. After my phone battery ran out of charge, I decided to wait until the next day to try again.

But by the next day my Windows 10 Pro was activated. It can take a while for the Microsoft server to catch up. That was one of the FAQs listed.

 

[berenod]

Depends what type of Windows license you have.

If it's an OEM license, it can only be activated on the exact machine it was installed on.
Small upgrades such as more ram, a different hard drive etc will be no problem, when you reboot or reinstall windows it will automatically activate when you connect to the internet the first time.
As the answer above, might take a little time.

In your case, new mobo, cpu and ram, very likely is considered pretty much a new computer. Basically computing wise that is everything apart from the harddrive (and graphics card if you had one). So with an OEM license, will never work (reason those licenses are so much cheaper).

On the other hand, if you had a full retail license, then you can transfer that license to as many PC's as you like, as long as it is installed on only one PC at a time.
Of course, to do that you would need the original license key!

Even then, with the license key it might fail as the Microsoft servers might think that key is still installed on the older PC, but that is normally very quickly solved by calling to Microsoft (exact procedure might differ depending on country you are in).

 

[USAFRet]

Yes, wait a couple of days. I've had that happen as well.

 

[terry4536]

If you own a full retail version of Windows 10, then you can transfer Windows to another PC. If it is an OEM version, then it is a one time use for the life of the PC. A motherboard change is considered a significant change to the PC, and would require a new licence.

This isn't always enforced though.