Activation issue

Chuckls · Dec 14, 2024

Hi guys

I have an activation issue.

I have a client's PC with Windows 11 Pro installed.

The PC died so I took out a hard drive and installed it into a replacement (used) PC.

Windows shows activation required however when I tried to activate Windows, I get the following message: "We found a Windows 11 Home digital license for this device running Windows 11 Pro. To activate using this digital license, you need to install Windows 11 Home."

How do I get around this?

Thanks muchly.

MisterEd · Dec 14, 2024

If the new computer is a laptop there should be a key embedded in the BIOS. That apparently was a Windows 11 Home key. To activate Windows 11 Pro need to change it to a Windows 11 Pro key. Do you know what that key is?

My laptop originally came with Windows 11 Home. I bought a Windows 11 Pro key and upgraded it to Windows 11 Pro. The laptop had problems not worth fixing so I replaced it with an identical one When I booted the new laptop it showed Windows 11 Home. I replaced the boot drive with the one from the original laptop. It booted Windows 11 Pro but was not activated. I used the Windows 11 Pro key from the original laptop to activate it on the new one.

Chuckls · Dec 14, 2024

MisterEd said:
Windows licenses are usually Retail or OEM. If retail you can move the system drive to another computer and reactivate on it. If OEM if you move the system drive you can't activate it so will have to buy a new Windows key.

The original PC had an activated Windows 11 Pro licence from Dell. I've had a hardware change and this is causing the problem. I've not had this issue before and I've previously moved a number of hard drives to different PCs without any issues.

FreeBooter · Dec 14, 2024

You have product key that works for Windows 11 Home edition if you want to use Windows 11 Pro edition you need product key for it.

Chuckls · Dec 14, 2024

The client had two original Dell computers, both with Windows 11Pro installed and activated. One of the PCs died so I replaced the hardware and continued to use the original HDD. The replacement PC is recognising that it HAD Windows 11 Home on it.

Are you saying the customer has to fork out for another Windows 11 Pro even though he already had one? I've never come across this before...

FreeBooter · Dec 14, 2024

What kind of Windows 11 product key client used for these editions.

glasskuter · Dec 14, 2024

Not sure you can unless the Pro license was retail and you have a product key for the retail version. The replacement PC has an underlying Home license stored in uefi bios. Not only was the license on the hard drive activated with an underlying PRO license in the old machine, it was probably an OEM license and the activation servers are seeing totally different hardware in the replacement machine.

You can try activation troubleshooter. Start > Settings > Update & Security > Activation , and then select Troubleshoot to run the Activation troubleshooter
You can try manual activation using the generic PRO key. I have my doubts it will work in this case but it's worth a shot. Windows 11 Generic Keys for All Editions

You can backup any personal data and clean install Home which should automatically activate without issue.

You can contact MS but I wouldn't expect much considering the circumstances. Product activation for Windows – online & support telephone numbers - Microsoft Support.

Chuckls · Dec 14, 2024

FreeBooter said:
What kind of Windows 11 product key client used for these editions.

It was a Windows 10 Pro upgrade to Windows 11 Pro digital license.
I cloned the two old PCs onto to newer Dells and then upgraded to Windows 11 Pro with no issues.

One of these Dells then died so I moved the HDD from the dead Dell to a replacement Dell. The OS was already activated on the dead Dell.

Chuckls · Dec 14, 2024

glasskuter said:
Not sure you can unless the Pro license was retail and you have a product key for the retail version. The replacement PC has an underlying Home license stored in uefi bios. Not only was the license on the hard drive activated with an underlying PRO license in the old machine, it was probably an OEM license and the activation servers are seeing totally different hardware in the replacement machine.

You and I are on the same page here. I was hoping there was an easier way to get around this...

glasskuter · Dec 14, 2024

What happens when you try the troubleshooter?

dacrone · Dec 14, 2024

“Downgrade” The pro to home. Then it will activate. Then reupgrade it with the 10 pro key.

Downgrade Windows 11 Pro to Windows 11 Home

This tutorial will show you how to downgrade from Windows 11 Pro, Education, or Enterprise to Windows 11 Home without losing anything. You may find yourself needing or wanting to downgrade from the Windows 11 Pro, Education, or Enterprise edition to the Windows 11 Home edition. A direct...

www.elevenforum.com

If you only need secpol, gpedit, RDP and user manager from the pro variant, you can make all of those work in home as well.

FreeBooter · Dec 14, 2024

There is no digital license because you use Windows HDD on another hardware the best thing you can do is retrieve the Windows 11 Pro product key and reuse it on new computer.

SIW2 · Dec 14, 2024

Chuckls said:
The client had two original Dell computers, both with Windows 11Pro installed and activated. One of the PCs died so I replaced the hardware and continued to use the original HDD. The replacement PC is recognising that it HAD Windows 11 Home on it.

Are you saying the customer has to fork out for another Windows 11 Pro even though he already had one? I've never come across this before...

Try getting the DM license from the firmware and if it is Pro input it manually. It is in the MSDM table

rweverything ( which can be run from win10 or win10 PE ) or nir sofers little firmwaretablesview.exe should be able to find it

FirmwareTablesView

Simple tool for Windows that displays a list of firmware tables (ACPI, SMBIOS) stored on your system.

www.nirsoft.net

Bree · Dec 14, 2024

Chuckls said:
The client had two original Dell computers, both with Windows 11Pro installed and activated. One of the PCs died so I replaced the hardware and continued to use the original HDD. The replacement PC is recognising that it HAD Windows 11 Home on it.

The old PC had a digital licence for Pro, The replacement PC only has one for Home, hence the activation issues....

glasskuter said:
What happens when you try the troubleshooter?

If the client had signed in to the old PC with their Microsoft account, then they can use the Activation Troubleshooter to transfer the Pro digital licence to the new hardware, as I did here:
Lost Activation win11 pro - posts #92 & 93

Almost exactly the same situation - swapping a drive with Pro on it to a replacement PC that only had a Home licence.

glasskuter · Dec 15, 2024

If worse comes to worse, you might be interested in this.

Windows 11 Pro License $17.97 at Ghacks

Thought I would post this in case anyone is interested. If you are interested you have to act fast as the deals do not last long. Note: The only thing I know is you will be sent a license by email. That license has to be activated within 30 days, I make no claim as to the validity of the...

www.elevenforum.com

Chuckls · Dec 15, 2024

Bree said:
The old PC had a digital licence for Pro, The replacement PC only has one for Home, hence the activation issues....

If the client had signed in to the old PC with their Microsoft account, then they can use the Activation Troubleshooter to transfer the Pro digital licence to the new hardware, as I did here:
Lost Activation win11 pro - posts #92 & 93

Almost exactly the same situation - swapping a drive with Pro on it to a replacement PC that only had a Home licence.

These were business computers and the user did NOT log in with a Microsoft account.

Bree · Dec 15, 2024

Chuckls said:
These were business computers and the user did NOT log in with a Microsoft account.

Then buying another Pro key is the only real option. Some of the really cheapest may run into problems down the line if they were not entirely 'legit'. As a precaution, as soon as the PC has a digital licence for Pro I would change the installed key to the generic Pro key, the one ending -3V66T.

There is an outside chance that if you phone Microsoft support and explain the situation they may activate it for you, they have been known to do so in the past. I'd try that first.

Chuckls · Dec 15, 2024

Bree said:
Then buying another Pro key is the only real option. Some of the really cheapest may run into problems down the line if they were not entirely 'legit'. As a precautio

This one ends in 3V66T...

I'm waiting for Microsoft to get back to me...

Bree · Dec 15, 2024

Chuckls said:
This one ends in 3V66T...
I'm waiting for Microsoft to get back to me...

If you buy a Pro key and install it, then it will gain a digital licence from that key, but that key will remain the one installed on the PC. Should that turn out to have been a dubious source for the key it may cause activation issues down the line. As long as installing the key gained a digital licence then you can re-install the generic key which activates from the existing digital licence.

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