lost activation key

Question

lost activation key

MARGARET COLLINS 20

When I put my hard drive into another Dell computer I lost the Activation for my Windows 10. I need to activate this copy of window 10.

Answer accepted by question author

2 additional answers

Your answer

Answer 1

CrazyKats 13,365 Volunteer Moderator

Hi Margaret,

The activation key is tied to the

motherboard of the Dell PC that

the hard drive was in.

Was the PC you moved the HD to ever activated?

MARGARET COLLINS 20 Reputation points

2025-12-11T16:42:38.13+00:00

yes the new pc was activated.

Answer 2

When you move a hard drive with Windows 10 to another computer, the activation may fail because the activation key is tied to the original hardware. To activate Windows 10 on the new Dell computer, you can try the following steps:

Use the Activation Troubleshooter: Go to Settings > Update & Security > Activation. If Windows is not activated, you might see an option to troubleshoot. Follow the prompts to see if it can reactivate your Windows.
Re-enter the Product Key: If you have the original product key, you can enter it in the same Activation settings menu. Click on Change product key and enter your key.
Contact Microsoft Support: If the above methods do not work, you may need to contact Microsoft Support for assistance. They can help you with reactivating your Windows 10 on the new hardware.

Keep in mind that if your Windows 10 was an OEM version, it might not be transferable to a different computer due to licensing restrictions.

References:

Answer 3

CrazyKats 13,365 Volunteer Moderator

Is the new PC on Windows 11 or Windows 10?

Can you take a screen shot of this page in

Settings, System?

User's image

Share via

lost activation key

2 additional answers

Your answer