Windows 10 wont activate after hardware change.

Jimbo · 15 Sep 2019 at 12:43

I've changed the motherboard, ram and cpu and now it wont activate my windows 10. Im sure i had a valid digital licence before the hardware changes. Is there anything i can do or must i cough up for a new licence?

Haze · 15 Sep 2019 at 13:07

It's because of the hardware changes....

something daft already!! · 15 Sep 2019 at 13:09

Haze said:
It's because of the hardware changes....

This lol

Windows 10 licenses are tied to your hardware. Any significant change, such as Mobo, will invalidate it.

MissChief · 15 Sep 2019 at 13:12

If you try and validate online and it fails you can call an automated service which usually works for me. Otherwise you can get a new licence for £10 or less on the bay.

Jimbo · 15 Sep 2019 at 13:13

I managed to fix and re-activate. I entered my old windows 8 key and all is now good.

stoofa · 16 Sep 2019 at 09:55

Jimbo said:
I managed to fix and re-activate. I entered my old windows 8 key and all is now good.

Well no - you've not reactivated, you've activated a new key

stoofa · 16 Sep 2019 at 09:55

MissChief said:
If you try and validate online and it fails you can call an automated service which usually works for me. Otherwise you can get a new licence for £10 or less on the bay.

Don't pay £10 to software pirates, if you're going to steal your OS, just steal it - don't pay someone to nick it for you.

*Interesting Note*

If you'd paid £100 for Windows 10 Retail version on release date, end of August 2015 - right now, that same license would be valid for your computer no matter how many hardware changes you'd made. In addition, you would be able to run the latest release of Windows 10.
For a cost of approx. 7p/day - this cost reducing every day you continue to use it.

~>Dg<~ · 16 Sep 2019 at 10:16

the funny thing is most of the cheap windows keys people buy are actually free ones LOL. many people dont know you can get win 10 free keys and activate them. legit.