I have installed m2 drive after that my windows activation is gone

Question

I have installed m2 drive after that my windows activation is gone

The Sky 20

My computer has own activated key for windows 10 pro upgraded to win 11 pro and worked fine until i installed new m2 ssd from my other computer. My other computer has activated win 11 pro key too so i started using installed m2 ssd but windows fails to see my both keys and troubleshoot just freezes or says no internet connection despite i have one also some of the windows services crashing at start so i cant use many of the software i using before. Currently i cant use troubleshoot or windows activation but both of devices still seems to have valid key and my windows still unactivated also trying to enter new key freezes activation so i cant enter new key too

Neil D 33,825 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-07-22T21:32:27.5066667+00:00
Swapping drives between hardware is not always a good idea. It can mess up the activation even though both have a valid licence.

Is the SSD from the other computer the system disk. If so have you carried out a repair install and ensured all the drivers are correct for the new hardware. I assume you plan on keeping the SSD in the current computer.

The licence is registered against the hardware it is connected to.

To carry out a recovery go to Settings > System > Recovery > Fix problems using windows update and select Reinstall now. See if that helps.

Otherwise can you give details about the licences on the two machines.

Were they always Windows 10/11 Pro.

Did you buy the licences or were they preinstalled by the manufacturer, so could be OEM.

Were they ever Windows 7/8 licences.

On the current system open a Command prompt and enter slmgr /dlv [press return] post a screenshot of the result.

Answer accepted by question author

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Your answer

Neil D 33,825 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-07-22T21:32:27.5066667+00:00

Swapping drives between hardware is not always a good idea. It can mess up the activation even though both have a valid licence.

Is the SSD from the other computer the system disk. If so have you carried out a repair install and ensured all the drivers are correct for the new hardware. I assume you plan on keeping the SSD in the current computer.

The licence is registered against the hardware it is connected to.

To carry out a recovery go to Settings > System > Recovery > Fix problems using windows update and select Reinstall now. See if that helps.

Otherwise can you give details about the licences on the two machines.

Were they always Windows 10/11 Pro.

Did you buy the licences or were they preinstalled by the manufacturer, so could be OEM.

Were they ever Windows 7/8 licences.

On the current system open a Command prompt and enter slmgr /dlv [press return] post a screenshot of the result.

Answer 1

Hi The Sky,

Based on your description, the issue may be related to more than just Windows activation. Swapping a system SSD from another computer can introduce several problems, especially when the two devices have different hardware specifications, chipset drivers, storage controllers, or system configurations. As a result, Windows may experience activation issues, service failures, driver conflicts, or unexpected system instability. My best advice is to consider the SSD swap itself as a potential cause of the activation and system problems you are seeing.

To avoid these issues, the recommended approach is to create a full system image backup of the "windows 10 pro upgraded to win 11 pro" computer using professional backup software, and then restore that image to the new M.2 SSD. This preserves the existing Windows installation, drivers, and activation status associated with that device. It's better to migrate the system using a disk imaging solution rather than moving a Windows installation between different computers.

As discussed in topic Best Free Imaging, Recovery and Backup Software for Windows 11, there are several professional backup and disk imaging solutions available. These tools are designed to create a complete system image that can be restored to a replacement SSD while maintaining the original system configuration.

Disclaimer: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate and safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

If you intend to use the "windows 10 pro upgraded to win 11 pro" SSD in the other Windows 11 computer, you can perform the same process on that device as well. This helps ensure that each computer retains its own properly configured Windows environment and minimizes the risk of activation or driver-related issues.

I hope this explanation helps. If you have any additional details about the computers or the migration process, please feel free to let me know.

The Sky 20 Reputation points

2026-07-23T19:37:32.05+00:00

For future readers this can be solved via above or simply removing one of the keys (i go that route because i know my retail key)
Lucus-V 10,435 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-26T15:15:55.7566667+00:00

Hi The Sky,

I'm happy to hear that the problem has been resolved and thank you for your sharing.

If you have further questions, please feel free to start a topic.