Windows 10 [2014 - 2017]

The problem is, when you upgrade from 7 to 10.. Windows lost the key. Replaced with special windows 10 key that is tied to the motherboard.

They call this 'hardware upgrade license' or something. It's not oem, it's not retail. It's special license that have no eula given (at least from my Google search).

So you can't reactivate if motherboard changed. Despite windows itself says it can reactivate and keeps trying to reactivate and keeps failing (this whole fiasco was told more detailed in my old thread somewhere in b3d, complete with official Microsoft response)


Edit: but if your machine pre installed with with Windows 8, your key will still be safe inside UEFI.

It can be manually retrieved using a script I posted a while back on b3d.

 

If everything else fails with the "upgrade key" once you switch components, call the the free activation phone should do the trick. MS has on several occasions stated that the upgrade, even when your changes, doesn't change the license type, so you still have retail (or OEM) license even if you have to hop through some hoops after mobo change

 

You sure about that, I only remember being able to disable hybrid sleep from there.

 

Hmm I guess that explains, even if it doesn't really make sense
I have & use Hibernate when I want that function (ie normally overnight when things are working OK)

 

Maybe could you run the task manager as admin?

Or in a command line :
taskkill /IM Rome2.exe (or what filename is applicable)
taskkill /F /IM Rome2.exe (if that didn't work yet)
taskkill /IM "Total War Rome 2.exe" (use quotes if the name contains spaces)

Right-click on shortcut or search result to cmd.exe, "Run as admin" :
taskkill /IM Rome2.exe
taskkill /F /IM Rome2.exe

i.e. a good fix ought to be one that doesn't require you to reboot.
Another way would be to log out and log back in. If log out (or "log off") doesn't work then there's more reason to be baffled.

 

Nope. The phone robot fails to reactivate.

windows 10 upgrade change the license.

 

after W10 upgrade, your prevoious windows key will be replaced with these generic keys. The license wil be changed to not OEM, not retail, but new special upgrader license. Despite SLMGR will says the license is retail.

this new kind of license did not allow you to reactivate after motherboard change. But you can manually ask microsoft to reactivate (actualy thei will give you a new REAL unique windows 10 key) by giving them your windows 7 or 8 key. so make sure you BACKUP your W7 or 8 key (its on registry) BEFORE upgrading to 10.

the generic keys
http://appnee.com/windows-10-all-editions-universal-product-keys-collection/
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about shutdown, its on power options

[FONT=Lato, sans-serif]


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the whole fiasco of W10 i experienced: [/FONT]
[FONT=Lato, sans-serif]https://dev.beyond3d.com/threads/windows-10.56128/page-57[/FONT]

 

Reminds me of Gnome 3, the ill-fated 3D-accelerated Linux GUI (seen a figure that said Gnome 2 had about 40% "market" share in Linux, and Gnome 3 has about 10%).
It's full of things like this one : if you close your laptop's lid then it will go to sleep, even if you don't want it to.

It has magic corners too, so it may have been an inspiration for Windows 8. Unity desktop may be another : that one is a great believer in "everything is a search". So if I want to know what programs are installed, I'll have easier time doing it from command line. In Windows 8 I didn't know where to find programs so I went to C:\Program Files.

I wonder what comes next : windows that fly towards you with a doppler sound effect? then you minimize the window and it folds itsef into a papler plane and fly out. Also, when you swear at the PC you will get a fine of one Microsoft Credit for perverting the morality of language.

 

The robot can fail, but there's actual customer service people who answer when necessary, you can skip the robot.

The license features don't change (the actual license your windows is activated on first upgrade install is different, but if you had retail license, you still have the right to utilize it's all features, including installation on completely different machine if you so choose (of course disabling the old activation in the process), even if requires you to talk to customer service)

I do have actual straight quotes about this in finnish from MS representative, and here's in english http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...0/a6a1cc4b-720d-41cc-87c2-7eb7dd5166fc?auth=1

OEM license doesn't really give you the right to upgrade motherboard, but this can usually be bypassed by just saying your old motherboard fried and you had to replace it.

 

@Kaotik unfortunately it's not like that in the reality.

Heck, even the windows itself pretty adamant that you can reactivate despite in reality you can't. The reactivation process will stuck forever.

This whole thing has been discussed long ago on that post i linked. Complete with the chat from Microsoft.

I also got ridiculed on reddit for saying my license and rights to transfer (because my motherboard dead) should still stick after upgrading to 10. It seems those community looooooove to have their rights reduced without notice.

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In reality, windows 10 upgrade give you generic key with special license tied to the motherboard.

To reactivate, you need your widows 7 or 8 key. Give them to Microsoft, and they will give you New unique key to reactivate windows 10 on new motherboard.

This new unique key is the classic license will full right of transfer.

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You can Google windows 10 motherboard activation to read lots of people got in the limbo like me because they did not backup their windows 7 key.

 

Btw my window 7 was retail. When upgraded to 10 it became windows 10 pro with generic key. Everything works fine until I replaced the motherboard.

Then everything falls apart.

Seriously. It doesn't matter if anybody don't believe me. I simply recommended everybody to BACKUP windows 7 or 8 key before upgrading to 10.

Because if you don't have oem windows key pre installed in UEFI, you will lost the right to reactivate after motherboard change.

 

Yes, the key becomes generic.

When you replace motherboard, there's 2 options, which of the latter works for sure, first possibly
1) Try installing Windows using your retail key
2) Call the toll free MS customer service number and get it sorted out

 

I have done both as already discussed on the link.

They will only give you activation if you still have previous windows key.

That's why I supper recommend to backup window 7 or 8 key BEFORE upgrading. Without that key, Microsoft REFUSE to activate your windows 10 after motherboard change.

And when upgrading to Windows 10. It is not blatantly clearly stated that you will lost your previous windows key. Despite it is a very important and crucial piece for future activation.

To be clear, your retail license and right to transfer still stays in your windows 7 key.

After you upgrade to 10. You lost the key and the right to transfer (motherboard change).

You can get your rights back by calling Microsoft and give them your previous windows key. Then Microsoft will give you proper unique windows 10 key that have proper license right.


TLR

• You can't reactivate windows 10 after mainboard change if you don't have windows 7 key.
• Windows 7 key will be FOREVER GONE after windows 10 upgrade
• It is not clearly stated in the upgrade process that your windows 7 key will be gone
• There is no key backup option in the upgrade process

 

Is not there Windows.old after upgrade to revert to W7? Or get key directly from some file.

 

Googled a bit and found this https://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/

Have not tried it but it claims able to recover key from other non boot windows.

But what is the chance people still have windows.old after mainboard broken? It usually months at minimum.

So, do it now. And email the key to yourself for save keeping

 

Yeah it's pretty safe to say don't throw out the old w7 retail box and key. Plenty of space in my bookshelf.

 

I lost mine after moving house

 

I wrote down all my keys to txt file.

 

Something I came across for people who use programs that do not conform properly to Windows High DPI query (to set correct scaling or non-scaling per app).

http://www.danantonielli.com/adobe-app-scaling-on-high-dpi-displays-fix/

It might help some people here if they use programs (like most Adobe ones) that report support for High DPI, but don't properly support it. Thus you end up with a very very tiny UI elements for the application.

Regards,
SB

 

Why should you care these days? If you google a bit you will find tons of Windows 7 product keys and your Win7 will be legal and you will good about yourself upgrading to 10 because you had a legal Win7 key before (just a couple of days ago I installed a Windows 7 ISO for a virtual machine and got a key from the net, even so, Windows 7 doesn't do much, just kinda pesters you sometimes with a "you might be victim of a software falsification" message), if not you can use KMSAuto Net Portable to create a key, but that's borderline piracy, though in this case...maybe not.