Windows didn't deactivate

josey99 · 28 Sep 2020 at 14:05

Hi there. I always thought that your windows 10 license was attached to the motherboard but apparently not.
I just swapped out motherboard, cpu and ram. I fully expected to have to buy a new win 10 license. Well I boot in to my windows install and it is still active via a digital license. I've checked it every day since and its def still active.

It's not that I'm not grateful. I'm just confused. Am I missing something here?

d_brennen · 28 Sep 2020 at 14:06

Did you link your retail copy of Windows with a Microsoft account?

josey99 · 28 Sep 2020 at 14:22

Yep it's linked and it was a license I bought back in december from ocuk.
Maybe theyve allowed a hardware change?

peterwalkley · 28 Sep 2020 at 16:16

I had the same experience back end of last year after a dead motherboard: they allowed the HW change with no intervention or fiddling on my part.

My guess is that the lost sales revenue on the abuses are still cheaper than paying for call centre handlers to field the support issues and they can always detect the old motherboard still being used alongside the new one and then flag that key as suspect.

malachi · 28 Sep 2020 at 17:19

josey99 said:
Hi there. I always thought that your windows 10 license was attached to the motherboard but apparently not.
I just swapped out motherboard, cpu and ram. I fully expected to have to buy a new win 10 license. Well I boot in to my windows install and it is still active via a digital license. I've checked it every day since and its def still active.

It's not that I'm not grateful. I'm just confused. Am I missing something here?

Happened to me, I called MS and they gave me a new retail key.

rolypolyman · 2 Oct 2020 at 10:57

Dont be confused, if you have linked Win 10 with your microsoft account you are able to change hardware, including motherboard/cpu and ram. Normally I re-install Win 10 from a USB Iso, fresh download so latest version of windows, if you sign in to your MS account when offered during install its activated when all done. Please be aware you need to have previously linked your Win 10 copy with your MS account before changing hardware for this to work.