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windows activation

Brad Franks 5 Reputation points
2026-04-20T22:20:16.4566667+00:00

I have changed my hard drive on my pc and windows isnt activated. i was told it was tied to my motherboard and wouldnt need to purchase windows again. Need to speak to a human

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Licensing and activation

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  1. EmilyS726 230.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-04-20T22:53:48.8366667+00:00

    Hello

    Launch Powershell (note, it is not Command Prompt, but Powershell), and run this code to see if you have an OEM license on the motherboard. If the key is not embedded in the motherboard, it will not return a 5x5 license key. So, run this command first to determine that first. 

    (Get-CimInstance -ClassName SoftwareLicensingService -Property OA3xOriginalProductKey).OA3xOriginalProductKey

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