New
#31
Having read the following statement from a Microsoft Community moderator, I think a different motherboard of the same model is considered to be the same device.
'OEM versions allow all hardware upgrades except for an upgrade to a different model motherboard.'── quoted from http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/w...3-cc55cf7b9231
That's talking about Windows 7 Retail versus OEM. If you had a motherboard failure, and replaced it with an identical, or almost identical motherboard, you'd have to call and activate by phone. Then explain what you did. In most cases I think Microsoft would reactivate you. My original point was, that you can't transfer the free upgrade to a new PC when the old one dies. Like you can with a full Retail Version. It's my understanding that Microsoft will not let you do that. That's all I meant by the life of the device.
In my case, I did not have to call and activate by phone because, IMO, Microsoft considered the identical motherboard to be the same device.
My understanding, which might be wrong, is that Microsoft will let you do that as long as the new motherboard is identical to the old one.
update: I installed Windows 10 Home on the tablet, but it hasn't accepted the 8.1 Core product key.
It says it can't be used to activate this version.
Enter the Windows 8.1 product key into the check product key function of Showkey Plus. Please post the results here. You can just click on the product key itself and showkey will blank it out for you:
Showkey - Windows 10 Forums
Also from an elevated ("run as administrator") command prompt, run:
winver
slmgr /dlv
Post the results of both of the those as well. Then we can figure out why the product key is not being accepted.