I recently upgraded my PC with a new motherboard and processor, but now I'm seeing a message in the bottom right corner of my screen saying I need to activate Windows. This issue started after I lost my boot drive and had to reinstall Windows using a USB drive. I didn't have this activation problem before. Does anyone know how to get rid of the 'Activate Windows' notification?
4 Answers
It sounds like your Windows license is tied to your hardware ID. Ideally, you should have extracted your license before making such a big upgrade. If you still have the original product key, you can just enter it to activate Windows again.
Check out this link for some official guidance: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/reactivating-windows-after-a-hardware-change-2c0e962a-f04c-145b-6ead-fb3fc72b6665. It might help you understand what to do next!
You definitely need to activate Windows again. You can purchase a new copy if you don't have the key, or just hop on a search engine and look up something like 'How to activate Windows'. Lots of guides out there!
You might want to call Microsoft support and see if they can transfer your license since you changed your motherboard. They can be particular about what counts as a new computer, but a motherboard change is usually a big deal.
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