Forum Discussion
Windows 11 not activating after mainboard replacement, troubleshooter doesn't run, can't get support
I have solved the problem, but in a very unsatisfactory way. I had to buy a new license key. And since the Change button was inactive, I had to enter it via slmgr in the command line. It worked, but I had to spend money unnecessarily because I already had a license, and as I explained above, Microsoft couldn't even be contacted for another solution (which still angers me).
Plus, I had a retail license, but now I had to buy an OEM license because it was more affordable. This means that if I have to make another major hardware change, I will have to buy yet another license.
I can't express how much I'm disappointed at Microsoft. I feel extorted, ripped off. I've been forced to pay again for something I already owned. But life is what it is, big corporations are what they are, and I'm just a common man. All I can do is swallow my anger and disappointment and move on.
If activation still won’t work, consider repairing your Windows installation: Download the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft. Run the tool and select "Upgrade this PC now". Choose Keep personal files and apps. This process will repair your Windows, preserving your data and activation status, but may fix issues preventing activation.
TannerOakridge, sorry for the delay. I took some days to reply because not only was I busy with a large work assignment, but also because exactly for that reason, I needed my PC working (which it was and is, other than the watermark and the black desktop), and updating a Windows install always involves some risk.
But eventually, I followed your suggestion and reinstalled Windows 11 over itself. It didn't work. The activation troubleshooter still doesn't load, and nearly all the advice I can find on forums and such involves using the troubleshooter. I couldn't find any case in which the troubleshooter didn't even appear, as is the case with me.
I have also found some tips about restarting some Windows services and using PowerShell commands. None worked. Also, most of the advice is very old, as I found several suggestions for calling Microsoft's telephone activation, which has no longer existed for quite some time (that was how I resolved my previous activation issues due to hardware changes).
And it gets worse: even if I paid for a new license key, I wouldn't be able to use it: the Change button in the activation window, for changing the product key, which is what I would have to use, also does nothing when clicked.
It looks like I'll have to do a clean install of Windows to try to resolve the issue. This means that I'll have to cope with the non-activated system for a while, because that would be a major disruption to my work for at least a couple of days, until I reinstalled and reconfigured everything — and with no guarantee of success. 😞 I can't afford to do that right now. The worst of all is my inability to get any support from Microsoft. That's a HUGE disappointment, I feel betrayed and abandoned. 😠