Microsoft is investigating a Windows activation issue that appears to be related to the company’s decision to ban the use of Windows 7 and Windows 8 keys to activate certain versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11. Windows 10 and Windows 11 users who have used the free Windows 7 upgrade option or Windows 8 to the latest platform version may experience problems when replacing computer hardware components or updating the BIOS.
Image source: Windows/unsplash.com
For several years, Windows 7 and Windows 8 users have been able to upgrade the operating system to a more current version for free using a digital key from the old version of the platform. This approach made it possible to get an activated system with a license for the current version of Windows. However, last month Microsoft closed this loophole, after which user reports of activation problems began to appear on the Internet. For example, when replacing the motherboard and then installing Windows 10 and Windows 11, activation of the operating system is no longer possible if it was activated with a Windows 7 or Windows 8 key.
“Automatic activation didn’t work, so I contacted support. They told me that they couldn’t renew my Windows 10 Pro license after replacing the hardware components because the Windows 10 license was updated from Windows 7 and they no longer support keys for Windows 7. However, they admitted that replacing the hardware would not be a violation of the Windows license, so there is no reason to revoke or change my Windows 10 license.”said a user who encountered a problem while trying to activate Windows 10 after replacing components on his PC.
The problem appears to stem from Microsoft closing a loophole last month that had long allowed users to upgrade from Windows 7 and Windows 8 to Windows 10 and Windows 11 for free. “Microsoft is aware of customer complaints and is investigating them. Users experiencing technical difficulties should contact support.”“,” a representative of the software giant commented on this issue.
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