Windows 10: New Motherboard - Reactivate Windows 11

Looks like I need a new motherboard and CPU. My NVMe has Windows 11 on it, so I’ll be using that. Is there anything I need to do to reactivate Windows with the new motherboard?Thanks.

:)

 

New Motherboard and Reactivation

I **think** that if you are replacing a broken motherboard with an identical replacement then you have a good chance of successfully re-activating your current Win10 installation

Once you have installed your new identical motherboard to replace the broken one I recommend you do the following:

• Speak to a Microsoft Activation Customer Service Representative on the phone.
• You will be able to get the phone number via the activation screen in "Settings"
• Clearly state that the motherboard used to initially activate Windows 10 had failed and needed to replaced
• Clearly state that this is a repair and not an upgrade
• Clearly state that you are replacing a defective motherboard with an identical like-for-like replacement (same make and model)
  
• Clearly state again that this is definitely not an upgrade of your existing hardware

FYI, I have successfully re-activated previous versions of Windows after replacing a broken motherboard with an identical make and model. I used the method to ensure success.

If you are not 100% clear in the way you are expressing your self then you may not be successful. ie They will not re-activate if they believe you performed a major hardware upgrade

Good luck.

 

Reactivating Win 11 after installing new motherboard

I guess my account didn't update to Windows 11 and I cannot rollback to Windows 10. Now I cannot activate Windows after installing a new motherboard and the troubleshooter is no help at all...keeps saying the servers are down, for over 12 hours now. What are my options for reactivating Windows at this point?

 

Reactivating Windows 10 with new motherboard

Plugging it into the new motherboard should be enough, but create a recovery drive in case you need to perform a startup repair:

• How
  to: Create a Recovery Drive for reinstalling Windows 10

The fact that you don't have a license key concerns me. If Windows 10 came preinstalled on your computer, you can't transfer it to a new computer or motherboard. You will need to purchase an entirely new license.

Learn more about transferring licenses:

• How to Transfer your Windows 10 License to a New Computer