Windows doesnt activate after mobo + cpu change.

Mark Phelps said:

Don't want to get into an argument about this, but I recently went through this very thing -- clean-install using build 10586.35 on an HP laptop -- and after the install, it would NOT activate, no matter what I entered. And, even though the product key was embedded in the SLIC table in the BIOS (as reported by showkeyplus and Belarc), it did NOT read it or use it.

What worked was using the GenuineKey XML method as documented in this forum -- but that requires saving off the activation xml file before doing the Win10 install.

When you started the install, did it ask you to select either the Home or Pro version to install?

NavyLCDR said:

When you started the install, did it ask you to select either the Home or Pro version to install?

Yes -- and I selected the proper version.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not criticizing what you said ... it's just that I'm on the HP Forums everyday and HP machines are weird!! Some upgrade without problems, some have minor issues, and others (like mine) are a disaster!

Just want folks to know that even though entering a Win7 product key SHOULD work, with HP machines, it might not -- and if they do the genuineticket approach ahead of the upgrade (as I did) they are more likely to have activation success later.