My HWID keeps randomly changing between 3-4 different HWIDs.

Question

As the title says, my HWID keeps constantly changing, usually after a power outage or a cord being knocked, causing the PC to crash. Though, restarting the PC is enough for the HWID to just... change.

My issue is that there's two softwares I use on my PC that I've purchased and their license keys are tied to my HWID. I think you can start to see my issue here.

I've constantly had to contact the developer to have my license key changed. Over and over again.

I've asked their community as well and I've been repeatedly told that I must have changed parts from my PC, or that it's impossible for my HWID to change, or that I must be using some kind of spoofer. Thing is, I have a friend that works in IT and even he's baffled looking at my PC. He suspects it's something to do with my wireless adapter.

I haven't changed any of my parts in over 6 months, and I haven't used a HWID Spoofer (yet), but I'm getting really close to using one because this is just ridiculous!

I'm running Windows 10, but all the google searches online indicate that it's a Windows 11 issue (which I haven't upgraded to yet).

I've already tried changing my wireless adapters order around in Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network Connections (pressed Alt to get to Advanced Settings) > Advanced Settings. But it doesn't actually resolve the issue.

What could the issue be? I want to resolve the issue but no matter what I do, it just keeps changing and it's really frustrating.

Answer 1

Hello Valanthriel,

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

When I look at the entire thread, I am as puzzled as your friend, because HWID is usually impossible to change, but judging from your description, maybe we can find some possible reasons.

1. Power outages or sudden shutdowns: When your computer shuts down unexpectedly, it can cause some changes to the hardware configuration, including the HWID.
2. Malfunctioning hardware: Faulty or malfunctioning hardware components, such as a failing hard drive or network adapter, can cause the HWID to change.
3. Software issues: Some software, especially security software, can modify the system configuration and cause the HWID to change.

Here are some possible solutions to try:

1. Check your hardware: Test your hardware components, especially the hard drive and network adapter, to ensure they are functioning properly. You may also want to check the connections to your hardware components to ensure they are secure.
2. Perform a clean boot: Trying a clean boot which starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It can be used to determine whether a background service or program is interfering or causing a problem.  These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by-step.
3. Disable security software: Try disabling any security software temporarily to see if it resolves the HWID issue. If it does, try updating or reinstalling the security software to see if that fixes the problem.

It's worth noting that using a HWID spoofer is not a recommended solution, as it can violate the terms of use for the software you're trying to use and may cause further issues down the line.

Best regards,

Mitchell - | Microsoft community support expert from MSFT

Answer 2

Hi Valanthriel,

I haven't heard the voice from you yet. If there is anything more I can do for you or anything is unclear, do not hesitate to let me know.

Best regards,

Mitchell - | Microsoft community support expert from MSFT

Answer 3

Hi, thanks for your response, and sorry for the late reply.

I have done various of tests myself and haven't tried turning off my anti-virus/firewall yet. I will point out however that my Windows 10 is not currently active and has not been since I've had this build, my friend theorized that this was a possibility as well.

My HWID still keeps changing upon crashes at least 80% of the time, but almost never changes when I do a normal restart. However, in saying that, ever since I did switch to a clean boot, I've noticed my HWID has not changed - at least for now.

I'm thinking this could be both a software and hardware related issue as I have minor hardware issues since getting this PC built, though I'd be surprised if my SDD was failing, but doing a simple test wouldn't hurt either. I'll try reinstalling my security software and look into purchasing a windows license at some point, most likely next week (although, I've been saying that for 3 months now).

I heavily looked into HWID spoofers, but ultimately decided buying the same software 3 more times would be cheaper and easier, that said, I would still like the issue to be resolved as it actively causes me issues.

I'll get back to you on this and give you an update.

Answer 4

Hi Valanthriel,

I also recommend that you activate the system first to avoid problems later when using other features.

But I noticed that you performed a "clean boot" on the device, and you confirmed that the HWID was not changed after that, right?

This most likely represents that there may be some software on your device that automatically changes HWID, which you may have disabled due to clean startup. If you would like to troubleshoot this problem, please continue reading the "Clean Startup" guide link I gave you earlier. There are steps below to guide you to the appropriate application or process.

 

As for HWID spoofing programs, based on my position, I still don't recommend that you continue to use them.

Best regards,

Mitchell - | Microsoft community support expert from MSFT

Answer 5

I've just restarted my machine and my HWID has infact just changed once again.

All my hard drives seem to be in good health based on running CMD with the command "wmic diskdrive". Though, I did have 2 external hard drives plugged in to my PC for a few reboots now. I unplugged them yesterday and restarted my PC today, which is when the HWID changed. I'm unsure if that's related in anyway whatsoever, guess that's something I'll be testing after work.

As for the clean boot, I did make sure to tick to hide all of my Microsoft services (I actually want my PC to run correctly when it turns on after all).
I will take your suggestion and turn half on and half off at a time, but ultimately it seems unlikely.

I have never used a HWID Spoofer before, only considered one because of my situation. I can now with absolute certainty confirm that I have 4 different HWIDs on this machine and it's driving me insane.

Edit: I've just replugged both external hard drives in and did a restart. My HWID changed once again. When I get home I'll restart the machine with the hard drives in a few times and see if it changes... If it doesn't I'll unplug one and then plug the other back in and unplug the other to see what it changes into... This is absolutely insane and makes me question why I haven't just done a format already and just forked out for a Windows License.