Activating Windows after significant hardware upgrade

Alex of Smeg · 28 Aug 2020

I am about to undertake a significant hardware upgrade:
M'board, CPU, RAM, GPU

Also considering a new M.2 boot drive which may/may not complicate process as I currently have windows installed to my SATA SSD

Question I have is how do I ensure I can still activate and use my copy of W10 after the upgrade?
I did the slmgr -dli method to find that my copy is a RETAIL copy but I bought the machine second hand and do not have a copy of the license key.
I have linked it to my microsoft account I believe but I don't want to touch anything until I know for sure I am not gonna get stuck .

Any advice appreciated

dalchina · 28 Aug 2020

Hi, I suggest you read through the text in this carefully:
Activate Windows 10

The tutorial section (link above) contains a wealth of useful information and guides. Well worth getting to know.

It's useful you have linked your license and account:

Starting with Windows 10 build 14371, you can link your Microsoft account to the Windows 10 digital license (formerly called digital entitlement) on your device. This can help you reactivate Windows using the Activation troubleshooter if you make a hardware change later, such as replacing the motherboard.

This may also be of interest:
Use Activation Troubleshooter in Windows 10

If you make a meaningful change to your PC's hardware (ex: motherboard), you may need to contact customer support to activate by phone.

Alex of Smeg · 28 Aug 2020

I have actually managed to get the key (at least I think it's the key). On this page, scroll down to the bit where someone has shared a vbs script. I tried it and it popped up with a key. Perhaps someone could try and confirm to me it is correct before i start dismantling my pc!

How to Find Your Lost Windows or Office Product Keys

dalchina · 28 Aug 2020

Thank you for your reply..

You could try Showkeyplus (free).

NavyLCDR · 28 Aug 2020

Alex of Smeg said:

I have actually managed to get the key (at least I think it's the key). On this page, scroll down to the bit where someone has shared a vbs script. I tried it and it popped up with a key. Perhaps someone could try and confirm to me it is correct before i start dismantling my pc!

How to Find Your Lost Windows or Office Product Keys

Is the product key you found one of these?
Generic Product Keys to Install Windows 10 Editions

Alex of Smeg · 28 Aug 2020

NavyLCDR said:

Is the product key you found one of these?
Generic Product Keys to Install Windows 10 Editions

No. I am pretty sure it's genuine. Tried it on my two w10 laptops and they both seemed genuine too. Was hoping someone on here who has a record of their key could try it and tell me if it worked correctly for them

pparks1 · 28 Aug 2020

Normally, Microsoft is pretty understanding and easy to deal with on an activation issue. Most time, you don't even talk to a human, you talk to the robo system and it gets activated.

At the end of the day, sounds like you are getting a pretty sizable upgrade. I guess I wouldn't let me fear of the operating system activating dictate whether or not the upgrade was going to happen. Back up your data, make your changes and get the new machine activated. Absolutely worst issue would be having to get a new key, but compared to the rest of the hardware cost upgrade, a license isn't going to be awful.

CountMike · 29 Aug 2020

Using MS account I haven't had any problem when changing several motherboards (only thing that counts), it would activate the moment I signed in to it.