This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
hi , few days ago i build my new pc and install windows 11 and activate it through my microsoft account. and everything was fine . yesterday i updated my MB BIOS and after that I'm having a problem with activating windows !!
i tried troubleshooting and " change hardware " option but still getting error .
tried to contact MS support live chat but stock at num1 in line and never get respond !
my MB is Gigabyte B560 AORUS Pro AX
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Should or should not, the fact is that I did a bios update yesterday and now windows tells me it can't activate due to hardware changes.
Indeed a change has been made going from 32GB to 64GB a few weeks ago but that would be really weird if that would be the reason for it plus giving the activasion message weeks after the change.
So the only reason I can think of is indeed the bios update.
I had the same problem!
I recently updated the BIOS of my motherboard, an MSI PRO Z690-A (DDR4), from version 7D25v1D to 7D25v1E (the latest one) and now I can't activate Windows 11 PRO anymore, due to (wrongly) detected hardware change! I also have a PC with MSI B550 Tomahawk (AMD cpu) with Windows 10 and got the SAME PROBLEM. So it's not a mobo hardware fault, but it is clearly and unequivocally a Microsoft Windows OS problem.
I finally got assistance from Microsoft in my region (Italy, Milan) this morning, remotely assisted via "Quick Assist" software, and the operator was NOT ABLE to solve my problem: the only solution is BUY a new Windows 10/11 license ... also if the problem is from Microsoft side 😒
Shame on you Microsoft, really disappointed! Now I can fully understand what the motto "Don't be evil" refers to 😓
That was also my solution. I got a refund and purchased a new digital license. Everything works fine now. However, I guess I may have the same issue if I update my BIOS in the future. If enough people resolve the issue via refunds, maybe it will encourage Microsoft and/or the board manufacturers to properly investigate what is going on and fix things so that BIOS updates don't deactivate Windows. It's such a huge waste of time for everyone involved and a very unpleasant experience for Windows customers.
I just upgraded the bios from my MSI motherboard and have the same problem
Error code 0xC004F211, clicking troubleshoot and clicking "I recently changed hardware on this device" also doesn't help.
It then mentions "We can't activate Windows on this device. Try again later."
The windows was updated from Win8Pro to Win10Pro and then Win11Pro.
Also the is nothing happening after making a ticket on Microsoft. You get an confirmation email about the ticket numbering and thats it.
Here some extra info:
That was also my solution. I got a refund and purchased a new digital license. Everything works fine now. However, I guess I may have the same issue if I update my BIOS in the future. If enough people resolve the issue via refunds, maybe it will encourage Microsoft and/or the board manufacturers to properly investigate what is going on and fix things so that BIOS updates don't deactivate Windows. It's such a huge waste of time for everyone involved and a very unpleasant experience for Windows customers.
Unfortunately my original product key comes from a Windows 8 "retail box" (with optical DVD support) copy so I cannot be refunded after 3+ years. I made all the upgrades requested/required by Microsoft: Windows 8 -> Windows 8.1 -> Windows 10 -> Windows 11. So now I'm stuck: I cann't downgrade to Windows 8 (unless re-install from scratch) and I can't format and re-install Windows 11 because my old Win8 license will not be accepted anymore.
