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My Windows 11 system will not activate after changing hardware. Troubleshooting did not work.

Jance Myers 0 Reputation points
2025-12-16T03:20:58+00:00

I recently had computer troubles where I needed to RMA essentially everything besides my video card (Motherboard, Processor, RAM, PSU). After getting my computer back up and running, my Windows 11 Education edition will not activate.

I attempted the troubleshooting and selecting "I recently changed hardware". The first time I attempted it, the servers must have been down as I kept getting errors about connecting. However, a day later, it pulled up but only showed my Windows 10 Education license (I upgraded to Windows 11 from my Windows 10 Education license).

To be clear, I checked my Microsoft account and my Windows 11 computer is showing on there but not recognized as my current one for the purpose of activating. I have done every step I could but Windows support is quite frankly failing hard and will not bring me to a screen that says more than "have you tried troubleshooting? Oh that didn't work? Click this link to go to a new screen that asks if you tried troubleshooting"

I have carried this license from multiple computers in the past and have not run into problems until now.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Licensing and activation
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  1. Alexandr S 101.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-12-16T04:49:29.7+00:00

    Hello, Jance Myers.

    OS Education is a corporate edition. Licenses for such operating systems are not sold to individuals, but are distributed only to organizations under an agreement with Microsoft Solution Providers./Microsoft partners.

    If you are a representative of an organization or educational institution, contact your company's System Administrator. He will create a request to Microsoft Support for corporate clients.

    If you are a private individual (home user) and we are talking about your personal PC, then the solution to the problem is to purchase a Windows license of the "regular" edition (Home or Professional) and install it cleanly with activation with the key from the purchase package.

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