MS rip off maybe..

[trog100]

the machine is linked to my MS account they know its me its just had a cpu and the required mobo upgrade.. its a full retail windows 10 pro bought less than year ago for my last cpu mobo upgrade.. it cost £140 quid..

i was told there would be no problems with a full retail license linked to my MS account.. it seems i was told wrong..

at best they are trying it on.. at worse they are just rip off crooks..

needless to say the troubleshoot option dosnt work and produces exactly the same result..

trog

 

[qubit]

Yes, their activation requirements have changed with W10 and by linking it to your account, it should make things easier generally. I don't think there's any deliberate scam going on here.

Best thing to do is to call their activation support line. If you click on Learn more, does it lead to a page giving you that number?

 

[Jetster]

For some reason the retail versions are a little more critical when you change hardware. But the retail verions come with support so yes call them

 

[FireFox]

its just had a cpu and the required mobo upgrade..

After you upgrade Mobo it is time for a new Windows's License

One more Thing: Seriously £140, are you out of your mind?

8€ on Ebay and you get it after a few minutes

 

[trog100]

i really should not have to piss about trying to get through to some remote Indian call center that probably wont work ether..

i have a genuine bought and paid for win 10 pro licence linked to my MS account.. it should continue to work even after a hardware upgrade..

least i think it should.. and the price they want seems to be a rip off also..

trog

After you upgrade Mobo it is time for a new Windows's License

One more Thing: Seriously £140, are you out of your mind?

8€ on Ebay and you get it after a few minutes

i tried to be honest.. and if you think £140 quid was high what about the £213 that MS want.. he he

this time wont be so "correct" i have bought a license activation number from ebay.. f-ck MS..

trog

 

[FireFox]

least i think it should

That is what you think but unfortunately you are wrong, if you upgrade, Ram, GPU or CPU it wont be a problem but if you Upgrade Mobo there is the Problem.

this time wont be so "correct" i have bought a license activation number from ebay.. f-ck MS..

You did the right thing.

 

[Sasqui]

i have a genuine bought and paid for win 10 pro licence linked to my MS account.. it should continue to work even after a hardware upgrade..

I moved my Win 7 OS drive over to an SSD, it worked fine until... I accidentally booted with the old HDD, realized it and shut her down.

When I booted from the SSD, it worked for about a day, then I started seeing activation notices. Two days later, I got a message like yours. I entered the COA and boom, it activated no problem. I'm guessing booting from the old HDD with the same Win 7 license raised a flag.

Something else similar going on with your situation?

 

[trog100]

I moved my Win 7 OS drive over to an SSD, it worked fine until... I accidentally booted with the old HDD, realized it and shut her down.

When I booted from the SSD, it worked for about a day, then I started seeing activation notices. Two days later, I got a message like yours. I entered the COA and boom, it activated no problem. I'm guessing booting from the old HDD with the same Win 7 license raised a flag.

Something else similar going on with your situation?

i dont know.. from my end i simply swapped some hardware.. the mobo and cpu.. everything else stayed the same.. the machine is linked to my MS account.. it recognizes it.. but still wont activate.. i have done nothing wrong..

i think their activation system is away with the fairies.. or in simple term dosnt work properly..

trog

ps.. the other very annoying factor is they are over keen at pointing you to their rip off priced shop to buy a rip off priced genuine copy of windows.. the entire experience stinks..

 

[thesmokingman]

Next time deactivate the key before or call it in.

 

[Sasqui]

the machine is linked to my MS account..

Maybe that's your mistake ...half joking. They'll always find a way to break something. I wouldn't link my 10 to any account as long as it's an option.

 

[newtekie1]

i really should not have to piss about trying to get through to some remote Indian call center that probably wont work ether..

i have a genuine bought and paid for win 10 pro licence linked to my MS account.. it should continue to work even after a hardware upgrade..

least i think it should.. and the price they want seems to be a rip off also..

trog

Ok, here is the problem with this line of thinking. If they just let you re-activate it as many times as you want whenever you want, then there would be nothing stopping you from installing it on your computer, then your friend's computer, then your friend's friend's computer, etc. See how that wouldn't work?

So, even though you have a retail license, you can't just one-click re-activate it on a new computer(new mobo=new computer). You have to use the phone system to activate it. Chances are it will be completely automated anyway, and you'll never talk to anyone with a horrible to understand accent. At some point it will ask you how many computers this copy of Windows is installed on, and you answer honestly and say one, and then it will activate.

Did you even try doing what it told you and clicking Troubleshoot? In my experience, just click that will actually automatically fix the issue with no phone call even required with Windows 10.

from my end i simply swapped some hardware.. the mobo and cpu

The motherboard is the computer as far as Microsoft and the EULA you agreed to is concerned. So you have a new computer. And therefor you have to go through the proper steps to re-activate your copy of Windows on the new computer. If you have a true retail copy, that shouldn't be a problem. If you bought an OEM copy, then you'll have problems.

 

[Jetster]

A call to India will resolve the issue, you don't need a new license.

Good luck hope its not a long call

 

[Solaris17]

mobo

Bingo she won’t activate call to get it fixed

 

[qubit]

At some point it will ask you how many computers this copy of Windows is installed on, and you answer honestly and say one, and then it will activate.

I remember in the XP days I tried answering "more than one" for shits and giggles and that automated drone woman on the other end did actually deny me my activation. One redial later and I was good to go.

*You know, the one with that depressing, deadpan voice that just makes you wanna end it all.

 

[rtwjunkie]

if you Upgrade Mobo there is the Problem.

It shouldn't be a problem with a retail license, like Trog has. His is tied to MS account, not motherboard. That's kind of the whole point of a retail license.

I already moved a W10 retail license here at home. Just normal activation involved.

Now what I have found on past versions of Windows is that even retail, if reactivated multiple times will need that phone call, no different than the trouble involved with OEM copies.

 

[FireFox]

new mobo=new computer

Exactly

 

[trog100]

Ok, here is the problem with this line of thinking. If they just let you re-activate it as many times as you want, then there would be nothing stopping you from installing it on your computer, then your friend's computer, then your friend's friend's computer, etc. See how that wouldn't work?

So, even though you have a retail license, you can't just one-click re-activate it on a new computer(new mobo=new computer). You have to use the phone system to activate it. Chances are it will be completely automated anyway, and you'll never talk to anyone with a horrible to understand accent. At some point it will ask you how many computers this copy of Windows is installed on, and you answer honestly and say one, and then it will activate.

Did you even try doing what it told you and clicking Troubleshoot? In my experience, just click that will actually automatically fix the issue with no phone call even required with Windows 10.



The motherboard is the computer as far as Microsoft and the EULA you agreed to is concerned. So you have a new computer. And therefor you have to go through the proper steps to re-activate your copy of Windows on the new computer. If you have a true retail copy, that shouldn't be a problem. If you bought an OEM copy, then you'll have problems.

of course i tried the trouble shooting.. i have tried everything stopping short at the phone call which did look a bit daunting.. and to be hoenst i hate these remote call centers with a vengeance..

i also dont agree that a motherboard swap amounts to new computer. that is utter oneness.. a motherboard is just a relatively cheap component.. one that has to be changed just to upgrade a cpu.. a fairly common practice that MS should allow for..

MS are in the wrong here not me.. i find it hard to see why so many people are defending them.. he he

but as i have said.. f-ck MS and their annoying dysfunctional activation process i have bought a cheap activation key from ebay.. i have wasted enough of my time on this sh-t already.. he he..

trog

 

[thesmokingman]

I remember in the XP days I tried answering "more than one" for shits and giggles and that automated drone woman on the other end did actually deny me my activation. One redial later and I was good to go.

*You know, the one with that depressing, deadpan voice that just makes you wanna end it all.

Do that enough times and they will blacklist the key. There's some limit to the number active instances of a single key they will allow.

 

[jboydgolfer]

You didn't by chance use that full retail key to upgrade from a different oem os key did you? Because if you did it's bound to the previous keys rules.i think . as far as i can tell the retail rules are still transfer allowed, but the only thing that could explain why a retail key couldnt be transferred, is if it was used to upgrade off of a lesser key, in which case it takes on the rules of the previous key for some reason.

 

[MIRTAZAPINE]

Same thing happened to me too. Strangely it took a long while before my windows 10 pro was flagged and I am being told to activate it. What I mean by long while is the same ssd is switch in many different pc starting from my biostar z97we motherboard then to Lenovo Thinkpad when my motherboard died, then to a biostar h81 then changed to an Msi B350m gaming pro when the biostar died then finallly to my current asrock b350 itx where it was finallly flag and I am being told to activate. When it said that I am at a lost as I am not sure what is my key the windows 10 is an upgrade from my windows 8.1.

I thought I was about to bite and just buy a retail license, if my memory serve me right I was told to log in to my microsoft account. I so far have been using my local account thus far. Upon a few use an reboots, my windows strangely activated itself, but my wallpaper changed to the windows 10 I had at my netbook so I am unsure what license it is now. I want to go back to my local account but it seems stucked with the microsoft account, making a "local" account means I have a different session without my windows settings and programs saves in them.

 

[qubit]

Do that enough times and they will blacklist the key. There's some limit to the number active instances of a single key they will allow.

Yes that's true, but have you noticed how Microsoft are really vague about activation limits? Whatever the limit is, the 2-4 activations I did with the same key in a year on different hardware would not have been enough to trip it. One thing I know is that after 120 days the activation system resets and I could easily go much longer than this without an activation. The 120 days reset was on Microsoft's activation FAQ web page and reported widely at the time, so I'm not telling any secrets I shouldn't.

 

[thesmokingman]

Yes that's true, but have you noticed how Microsoft are really vague about activation limits? Whatever the limit is, the 2-4 activations I did with the same key in a year on different hardware would not have been enough to trip it. One thing I know is that after 120 days the activation system resets and I could easily go much longer than this without an activation. The 120 days reset was on Microsoft's activation FAQ web page and reported widely at the time, so I'm not telling any secrets I shouldn't.

Yea they are vague. But what's really annoying is that if something gets tripped up, they won't undo it. I had one key blacklisted and they said they couldn't fix it and that phone rep tried. That's the last time I get a retail key.

 

[newtekie1]

It shouldn't be a problem with a retail license, like Trog has. His is tied to MS account, not motherboard. That's kind of the whole point of a retail license.

I already moved a W10 retail license here at home. Just normal activation involved.

Now what I have found on past versions of Windows is that even retail, if reactivated multiple times will need that phone call, no different than the trouble involved with OEM copies.

Retail license or not, a new motherboard requires a new activation. If it hasn't been long enough since the last time you activated that copy, they will be suspicious and require a phone call.

of course i tried the trouble shooting.. i have tried everything stopping short at the phone call which did look a bit daunting.. and to be hoenst i hate these remote call centers with a vengeance..

Well, that is what you have to do. It takes about 5 minutes, and if you make the call from a smartphone, you don't even have to be on the phone for more than a minute. They just send you a text now, and you completely the activation on your phone through a web browser(you can actually copy the bit.ly link they send you to the computer and just do the activation right no the computer if you want).

i also dont agree that a motherboard swap amounts to new computer. that is utter oneness.. a motherboard is just a relatively cheap component.. one that has to be changed just to upgrade a cpu.. a fairly common practice that MS should allow for..

It is what has been decided to represent a new computer, so we just have to deal with it. The motherboard is the base of the system, it determines the platform the computer is. If any one part is going to be picked to determine what represents a new computer, then I can't think of anything better than the motherboard.

As for MS allowing for it, they obviously do, that is why they have the automated phone activation system. That is them allowing for it. As I said, they can't just allow you to re-activate as many times as you want whenever you want. It'd make it impossible to stop piracy, everyone in the world would be using a single key, and the activation system would be pointless.

MS are in the wrong here not me.. i find it hard to see why so many people are defending them.. he he

They are defending them because they aren't in the wrong. You're too lazy to make a 5 minute phone call, that puts you in the wrong here.

but as i have said.. f-ck MS and their annoying dysfunctional activation process i have bought a cheap activation key from ebay.. i have wasted enough of my time on this sh-t already.. he he..

The funny thing is, you probably spent more time finding the new key on ebay and buying it than you would have just calling the number and going through the automated system...

 

[dorsetknob]

a fairly common practice that MS should allow for.

you have the Retail Key
So Microsoft DO allow you to "TRANSFER" the O/S to a new system
Of Course you have to jump thru Microsoft set of hoops to achieve this ( this includes Phone Activation )
Think your find its STILL a Toll/Charge Free Call (0800 ****** in UK) Always used to be i know as i had to do it 20 to 30 times a week on Repair system Restores ( pre win 10 )

(KEY WORD IS TRANSFER)

 

[trickson]

the machine is linked to my MS account they know its me its just had a cpu and the required mobo upgrade.. its a full retail windows 10 pro bought less than year ago for my last cpu mobo upgrade.. it cost £140 quid..

i was told there would be no problems with a full retail license linked to my MS account.. it seems i was told wrong..

at best they are trying it on.. at worse they are just rip off crooks..

needless to say the troubleshoot option dosnt work and produces exactly the same result..

trog

Same thing happened to me, I just called them up it was fixed in no time at all.