A few weeks ago, Microsoft discontinued the ability to use activation keys for Windows 7 and Windows 8 to activate Windows 10 and Windows 11. Unfortunately, this blocking causes activation problems on PCs with Windows 10 and Windows 11 was activated legally.
For several years, Microsoft has allowed its users to migrate their old operating system to a newer one free of charge. The Redmond company even went a step further as it also allowed the use of old Windows 7 and Windows 8 activation keys to store freshly installed copies of Windows 10 and Windows 11. But since the end of September, Microsoft has put an end to this practice. Windows 10 and Windows 11 can no longer be activated using the activation keys for Windows 7 and Windows 8. But for the American company, the end of this “gift” is not without problems.
Copies of Windows 10 and Windows 11 are disabled on some PCs
If you are one of the users who have upgraded from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 10 or Windows 11, there are chances that your version of Windows will be disabled sooner or later. The same applies if you used an old activation key to save a copy of Windows 10 or Windows 11 after a fresh installation.
Several users have had this bitter experience. After changing a component of their computer or updating their BIOS, their legitimately activated copies of Windows 10 and Windows 11 were deactivated by Microsoft. And this even if the activation key was linked to the Microsoft account. That’s what happened to our colleague Tom Warren, a journalist at The Verge who covered the story.
This problem is unlikely to be an isolated case. The Verge reports that the same mishap happened to one of its readers. After he discovered that the automatic activation of his license no longer worked, he contacted Microsoft customer service. He reportedly responded that his copy of Windows 10 had been deactivated because it came from an upgrade from Windows 7, and that those keys were no longer supported by the company. It’s a shame, because replacing a component in a PC in no way violates the Windows license, which Microsoft has also recognized.
Other testimonies of this kind are also circulating on Twitter.
So you understand this nonsense. @Microsoft I cannot activate Windows on my PC after replacing the motherboard because the original activation was via a Windows 8 product key. Even though my previous board is already running 11 and that’s the product key I’m using. #Tear off #Microsoft
– Quint Long (@LongQuint) October 27, 2023
I have exactly the same problem. MS said this is because my product key is Windows 8 and the license validator doesn’t recognize these keys as valid. I was told that this should be fixed as the problem was theirs. It is very frustrating as it limits the functionality of my machine
– USJeff (@ProudOYTrader) November 5, 2023
Microsoft, which has been made aware of this unfortunate issue, is reportedly looking for a solution to allow users who have legitimately activated their copy of Windows 10 or Windows 11 to continue using it. You will have understood: If your PC with Windows 10 or Windows 11 uses a Windows 7 or Windows 8 key, it is better to think about postponing your desire to update your PC or update its BIOS.
Source: The Verge