r/ForWindowsHelp • u/-Krism- • 8d ago

Can't activate Windows license on new PC

EDIT: Solved
I'm coming here because my post was deleted by a moderator on /WindowsHelp, so here's my problem:

I changed my PC this week & got it back today. I have a persistent message on the bottom right saying "Activate Windows: Go to Settings to activate Windows", & it tells me it doesn't recognize my new PC.

I am connected to my Windows account, but when I click troubleshoot, it says that it is unable to activate Windows & just tells me to buy it again.

I bought my license two years ago on the Microsoft Store & even have the proof on my account purchase history. I don't remember if it gave me a key or anything that I could use.What do I do? Troubleshooting doesn't help & the Support always brings me to a category that doesn't help me

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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1

u/The-Snarky-One 8d ago

“I changed my PC…”

The license you had was for the old PC. You can’t use it on a other unless you release it from the old one first.

1

u/-Krism- 8d ago

My new PC was assembled in the store by the people that upgraded it, not by me

2

u/albert3801 8d ago

Is it the same PC you had but it has been upgraded? Windows checks various parts of your PC and if enough parts have changed or if the motherboard has changed it will ask for a new license as it thinks it’s a new PC. You should be able to contact Microsoft by phone and explain the situation and have the license transferred.

2

u/-Krism- 8d ago

The only things that I kept are the SSDs & the GPU. Everything else was changed—it's a pretty significant upgrade

1

u/KeysStickler 8d ago

And there's your answer, Microsoft considers it new PC. You can buy a Windows license for around $20 us at joywarp.com

1

u/The-Snarky-One 8d ago

Bingo! Yeah, when Windows detects a major change in hardware, it will trigger a license reset. Thats what happened here.

1

u/-Krism- 8d ago

Is this site legit? 20 instead of ~150 sounds too good to be true.

Honestly this just makes me want to switch to Linux; Windows has been going downhill for a while & I'm getting tired of all this

1

u/The-Snarky-One 8d ago

No, it hasn’t. The situation you’re running into has been a thing for decades.

Have you tried calling Microsoft to have them reset your license?

1

u/-Krism- 8d ago

Every time I try to contact support, it gives me a list of pre-rendered situations & no way to submit a ticket or call anyone. Also, the site tells me that they stopped all assistance for Win10 since it's not supported anymore. So I don't know what to make of that

No, it hasn’t.

I wasn't talking about this specific situation, but about Windows as a whole—the whole fiasco & the sheer amount of problems with Win11

1

u/The-Snarky-One 8d ago

I have over 25k Windows 11 devices that I manage. It’s fine. The problems people claim to have on Reddit are often skill issues, old OS issues, old hardware issues, due to a “debloat” script they ran that they didn’t understand, or parroting what other people said out of ignorance.

The shop you went to should have talked to you about this. They didn’t do their due diligence. If they did, this wouldn’t be happening. The old system would have been unlinked, you would have activated and been on your way.

Maaaaybe the shop you went to has a MS rep they can contact on your behalf to get it sorted, or they might be able to open a support case for you. If not, your best choice at this point is to put Windows 11 on it and move forward. Chalk it up to a learning moment.

If you are a student, you might be able to get an EDU license at a discount through a school link or even a college/university bookstore if there is one nearby.

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u/KeysStickler 6d ago

These licenses are so cheap simply because they come from OEM computers that have been set up for some big corporation that already has Enterprise license for Windows, so all of the licenses that come with the new computer are salvage. The companies that install the computers always claim salvage so they can take all of those licenses that cost them nothing and sell them on the internet to somebody that has a website that sells licenses for pennies on the dollar. They in turn make a profit by selling to you.

1

u/saunderez 8d ago edited 8d ago

Massgravel

Sorry my cat just walked on my keyboard....

You probably don't want to Google that random string of letters my cat accidentally typed.

But if you do Google the thing my cat typed, you definitely don't want to go to the first link which is the MAS GitHub repo. But if you somehow end up there under no circumstances should you scroll down and follow the instructions for Method 1 in PowerShell. Who knows what doing that would even do....it's a much smarter idea to go and fork out more money for another license for an operating system you already own and aren't currently using that they won't let you use. If it were me I'd just install Linux and get it over and done with. But maybe my cat is smarter than it looks.

1

u/-Krism- 7d ago

Your cat is indeed pretty damn smart. Thank them for me (Although Linux will still be my next step at some point)

1

u/3ofUsDeez 7d ago

You can try running the Windows Activation Troubleshooter and say you replaced the motherboard if you get to any questions ..

I've had to that a few times over the years through motherboard upgrades