Retail windows 11 pro key accepted but then shows invalid after upgrade

Question

My Dell 3480 came with Windows Home so I used a Windows 11 Pro key and it was activated

So I replace the SSD and now the key is rejected so what gives? I tried phone activation and rand it failed too

Of course Microsoft has its had out to spend $ on a new key, but I already have one. Phone activation also balked.

Answer 1

So you installed Windows 11 Home first then upgraded to Pro edition using the product key you had. Did you do the same thing with the new SSD.?

Answer 2

Hi there! This is Marc. Thank you for reaching out.

Thanks for providing those details. Based on what you've described, here are a few approaches we can try.

1. Use the Activation Troubleshooter
   • Go to Settings > System > Activation
   • Click Troubleshoot (only appears if activation fails)
   • Then select I changed hardware on this device recently
   • Sign in with the Microsoft account linked to your license (if available)
2. Manually re-enter the key
   • Still in the Activation page, click Change product key
   • Enter the same Pro key again and see if it goes through
3. Make sure the key is retail
   • If this was an OEM or volume key, it may not work after hardware changes
   • Open Command Prompt and type: slmgr /dli Look for “Retail” in the description

If activation still fails and you’re sure the key is valid and retail, you can call Microsoft Support and request manual activation. Be ready to explain that you replaced your SSD and are using the same PC and key.

Let me know how it goes.

Best,

Answer 3

I put my old SSD back in the machine and no problem with activation

Clearly a problem, perhaps I will have to clone the SSD

Found DiskGenius which is free but it is slowish as my existing SSD has some 40% of 1TB and the new SSD is 2TB

Maybe I should reset windows first before cloning to speed things up?

Do not understand why my key works on my 1TB SSD but on a new SSD it is rejected. Makes no sense whatsoever.

Answer 4

Is your new SSD currently running Home or Pro?

If it is running Home, you can go to Settings > System > Activation > Change product key

Disconnect internet, and disable any third-party antivirus, key in the generic key instead: VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

That should get you to Pro. Once restarted, you can connect back to the internet, sign into your Microsoft account. See if it is activated.

If not, go to Settings > System > Activation, run the troubleshooter, choose the hardware change option. When it asks you where it is installed right now, you should choose the old device name. Then click on the Activate button. And on the next screen when it asks you where to transfer it to, choose your new device name. See if that does the trick.

Answer 5

I tried that and it seems that Redmond has not stored my retail key on this Dell to my account property. I have two Dell machines, Latitude 5440 and Precision 3480 which are both 13th gen machines but the 3480 has DD5 while the 5440 has DDR4.The 5440 also has a celular slot but I am looking at a better card. Not sure if there is a slot on the 3480 as the cooler is much larger due to the discrete graphics.