M$ block my key

Here my sad story, on the 29th of July I updated my son PC from 7 ultimate to 10 pro. Last Monday, I received an Intel 240GB SSD to replace the WD 640gb Black, Before switch I check the windows key and it was not he one of the 7 ultimate, so I guessed Microsoft give a key to the 10 upgrade. Anyway I replace the drive and unplug the other 2 tb for make sure the install don’t mess with it. I then used the usb key I made with the ISO I created with the update tools. At the install it ask for a serial, I skip, when finished it inform me that I have to charge the key, and the one that was indicated was the one I take note before switch, I called MS to activate by phone and they told me the key is now blocked because I try to install t with a wrong key, WTF…… they told me I have to purchase it @ $ 200 ….I send them to h… and use a spare Windows 8 that I will never use to install it and then upgrade to 10…… So M$ not finally enforce their dream to tie the key to the motherboard but also to a HD…… As result all my PC will be now on Linux mint except the one of my son because he need his Battlefield 4 and Hardline….. I call M$ quite few hundred time to activate customers PC by phone and never have a problem before. Seriously block a key… they even told me I can’t reinstall Windows 7 with it, good thing the moron on the phone don’t realize it was not even a Windows 7 key…..

But where this key was coming from ????? I have 3 ultimate key and none of them was this one…..And what I did wrong….

I don't use that key .. I skip all the request for the key I right click my computer and it was not activated .the windows 7 I used before was not even an one, it was full retail. When I try to activate the key was already there .....The install don't recognize the pc as one with 10 installed before because in their data base it was not with the same hd. I forgot to mention the hd before was set up in bios in raid because a small ssd was use for cache. The new install was on ahci . Before I switch I removed the cache and set in ahci and re booted, ms said u can't reinstall if you make a substantial change on a oem but it's a retail. Everything was done by the book. It's crap their "will reinstall on the same machine". If you change ur drive and unraid like I did you are dead.

After tough about it I wonder if the problem was not with the fact the motherboard have 2 bios (rog) so it maybe even see it as another pc if he both on the other bios like I think it did because I reset it for the reason that my son forget his bios password i must have try to force both on the other bios to see if I can activate.anyway it's too late. Pic work fine now.......but lesson taken all install of2012r2 server will be on vm. Not bs activation if you change the motherboard or whatever



ler say it was not a typical install. Raid-achi. 2 bios....but the guy on phone should have give me the code, I should have call back and try someone else.....

I understand that you are dissatisfied with what you currently have. Being a paying customer you rightfully do not want to be dealt with as if you were a software pirate.

This is what you need: After your initial and successful upgrade to Windows 10, I expect that this upgrade also activated properly, right?
If this is the case, then you should be able to exchange parts of that PC, including the harddisk, and to reinstall Windows 10 and it should activate. You should not provide a key. Just hit the "Skip", "Not now", "Really not now", "Stop annoying me" button. When Microsoft tells you that your key would be "blocked", maybe it is only the wording, which is not so clever. In fact, your key is irrelevant. You don't need it. The activation server should recognize your PC as having been upgraded and should then activate it automatically. Without entering a key.

I am unsure what your BIOS might have to do with the problem.

PcQuebec said:

I don't use that key .. I skip all the request for the key I right click my computer and it was not activated .the windows 7 I used before was not even an one, it was full retail. When I try to activate the key was already there .....The install don't recognize the pc as one with 10 installed before because in their data base it was not with the same hd. I forgot to mention the hd before was set up in bios in raid because a small ssd was use for cache. The new install was on ahci . Before I switch I removed the cache and set in ahci and re booted, ms said u can't reinstall if you make a substantial change on a oem but it's a retail. Everything was done by the book. It's crap their "will reinstall on the same machine". If you change ur drive and unraid like I did you are dead.

There is no Key for an upgrade install for someone to give you, Upgrades can only be accomplished by upgrading an existing
system. There is nothing anyone can do on the phone to give you a code to activate an upgrade.

The only thing that uses keys is full install version.

Mystere said:

The only thing that uses keys is full install version.

You can do a clean installation after you have at least once upgraded. That will work and it will activate and that, just like the upgrade itself, without entering a key.

What you mean is the retail version, which you buy in a shop or on amazon.com or where ever. In order to activate that one, you will need to enter the key, which you got with your purchase. If you are eligible for the free upgrade, you will after that not have such a retail version.

Mystere said:

There is nothing anyone can do on the phone to give you a code to activate an upgrade.

That is what I think as well. They should just have told him that with the right words.

Maybe what you should have done was a clone of the original HDD. That would have solved the whole mess.

Nevermind. Your post was hard to read and after rereading it I now understand what you tried to do. I thought you already had a Win 10 install and were just swapping out the HDD. This forum won't let me delete a post so therefore the edit and explanation.

I tried the upgrade method using the usb iso from win7 to 10 and kept getting an error message. Since I had everything backed up I just opened the file on the USB stick and hit auto run and got it to at least start. I then did a clean install instead of the upgrade, after formatting C drive. When it was done I got the activation error (blocked key) message. I called Microsoft and couldn't believe how fast I got thru. The guy in India (or parts unknown) said the blocked key is a valid key that was installed when I installed Win10, confirming I had a legit copy of Windows to install from. He said the block is basically putting me in a que and it will be activated in 7-10 days....if not call back and they will manually do it then. Sounds good to me. He said I wasnt the only person on the planet with this issue!!
BTW.. clean installing win10 overwrote my win7 recovery file on the hd of my laptop....so there's no going back!!

sorry this tread is all mess up because I have to use my iPad with cellular at work. I will correct some misunderstanding tomorrow with a real keyboard and not $&@&&$ auto corrector.

but let say today I switch a had for a sad in my laptop and everything work fine. The problem with the upgrade version is when you change hardware they can't do nothing to help activate by phone. So conclusion is don't upgrade keep your windows 7 if you plan to change hardware.



The retail os I talk about was my 7 ultimate......... I will not have problem to activate by phone a retail windows 10 .......

just dont change a motherboard or a raid card or raid bios option with the upgrade ........... This what give me problem I was expecting the phone activation will work.


Cloning ... We have so many problem with it in the first day of sad that I still don't trust it......