Windows activation after bios update

I have a MSI PRO Z690-A WiFi DDR4 ProSeries Motherboard and the same exact issues happened to me...Twice!

The first time I updated the BIOS Windows was no longer activated due to "Hardware Change". Contacting Microsoft "Support" has become a complete joke. There is no number to call and the online support is a roll of the dice as to what level of "technician" you get. I spent three hours with several agents and none of them could fix the issue let alone tell my why it happened in the first place. So I spent another $150 for a digital license just so that I could get back to my life. MSI released another update and because I had no idea that this was the initial cause of the OS deactivating, I flashed the bios again. After rebooting I was greeted with windows 10 is not activated... Back on to support with Microsoft, at first they were telling me that I would need to purchase another key. I was not having it and demanded the situation be escalated to someone that could fix it. Almost four hours later a new retail key was generated for me and I was able to reactivate. I am now afraid to ever update the bios on this build. Yes Microsoft support has become a total clown show but I tend to think this is an MSI issue. I have other manufacturer motherboards (ASUS) that have never displayed this issue.

I had the same issue yesterday after upgrading my MSI Z690 Carbon to the 7D30V18 BIOS released Sept-13th. MSI notes the update addresses CPU Microcode and PCIe storage compatibility. Both of which I had been having issues with.

I've had random reboots after updating to the v17 BIOS that supposedly addressed memory compatibility issues. However, issues arose from the CPU - discerned from event log errors with e-core parking, and an PCIe storage issue with an ADATA NVME drive, which was viewable, but unable to be interacted with by me or the OS.

I have four NVME drives and the Samsung and WD NVME drives were fine. I've been running the Insider Preview of W11 2022H2 with very few issues. I opted back into the release candidate preview before updating the BIOS and had no issue with the license. I have no idea at this point on how to proceed other than to inform both Microsoft and MSI.

I think the license "issue" arises from the BIOS update erasing the unique ID numbers from the bios as software like AIDA or the MSI Center no longer shows the unique ID string or serial number. Another symptom appears from my Microsoft account, as managing the devices now shows my current desktop twice, but I am afraid to delete one and accidently make my digital key unretrievable. In fairness to Microsoft, it seems like a major MSI error. Which is still not fair, and I am trying to figure how to reactivate W11 as well. I've been presented with the same unsuccessful reactivation options as you, and nothing from internet forums have yet worked.

I don't know if you/we can roll back the bios to an older version to an older one to see if it reactivates or at least it recognized until MSI resolves their current BIOS issues. I have not tried just yet, as the last version had major issues. Right now I just have a water mark but finally have stability. I'm not sure how Microsoft assigns or associates the key. I assume with the UUID in the bios. It might be the last resort though.

I'm not sure which version of Windows you are running but I can't help but think this may be a ploy to push us into Windows 11 by making Windows 10 unusable...

No, this was with Windows 11. To fix it, I ran "slmgr /rilc" in an administrator command prompt, rebooted, logged in using a Microsoft account rather than the local account I normally use, then went to activation in Settings, clicked on Troubleshoot, and then clicked the link saying something like "I have changed my hardware", and was able to re-activate. I then had to go to accounts and setup my local account again.

A total ****PITA. And who knows if it will happen again the next time I run a BIOS update.

I had the same issue with error code 0xC004F211 and resolved this issue with a customer support call with Microsoft.

I have Windows 10 PRO, Gigabyte mother board 787X-UD5H. Recently did a reinstall of Windows 10 PRO after which windows was running great, but I continued to have a booting issue which was ongoing before the new windows install. As a verif I ran sfc /scannow and all new microsoft files were in good shape.

I then updated the bios and from that point I had the windows activation error indicating that the hardware had changed. And interestingly, when I ran sfc /scannow again, there were integrity issues in the OS files. So the Bios upgrade was corrupting the new windows files.

In speaking with Microsoft rep he said that when you change the bios after a Windows upgrade, the machine codes etc previously stored from the old Bios in Windows will not match up with the new Bios and cause identification issues between the OS Install and new Bios creating the indication that the hardware changed thus blocking activation. (Reportedly, if you upgrade the BIOS first, and THEN reinstall Windows second, you may not have this issue! But, in my case, I was a little nervous to update the Bios on a 10-year old mother board so installed Windows first and was hoping I wouldn't have to. :)

Fortunately I had a Microsoft account and my previous OS installs were recorded with Microsoft so there were no issues in determining the validity of my digital license but it did require a repair to get the OS and new Bios back into communication. The handling was to run the following commands which the microsoft rep guided me during a screen share:

As a note, I used Windows Powershell for the commands in admin mode. (Also note, there is a space between slmgr and the 2nd part of each command.)

Open Windows Powershell by tapping Windows Key and X at same time and in the popup select Windows Powershell (Admin)

Type slmgr -upk then hit Enter

Type slmgr /cpky then hit Enter

Type slmgr /rearm then hit Enter

Then select Start button and go to Settings.

Select Update and Security

Select Activation on the left

Then under the word Windows try to activate again or do the Troubleshooter and select change of hardware and execute.

That should clear out the activation error and the Activate should be successful!

Hope this helps!

Good luck!

As mentioned this is not just one manufacturer. Another user reported they have a Gigabyte mobo and same thing happened to them. I, in fact, just found this forum searching for a solution after updating the bios on my Gigabyte Z690 AORUS ULTRA mobo and experiencing the same thing. When I try to reactivate using the same license in my account for the same computer, it won't transfer because it's saying it's already been used to reactivate another computer... which is this same PC.

This is BEYOND ridiculous and should be embarrassing for Microsoft. This is the kind of thing that leads to class action lawsuits if they're trying to force users to buy a new license every time they update their firmware.