Windows 11 pro wont activate after a bios upgrade

Josh Micallef 0

Windows 11 pro wants me to re-activate after a bios upgrade. No hardware changed. Activation help in windows does not work

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EmilyS726 279.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-01T03:01:37.6066667+00:00
Can you please type cmd in the search on the taskbar and hit enter to launch command prompt, then run the following command:

slmgr /dlv

Then share a screenshot please. Thanks!

Was this originally a Windows 7/8 license upgraded to 10, then 11?
Matthew J. Moore 80 Reputation points

2026-11-08T23:16:23.4333333+00:00
BIOS updates often reset the firmware TPM (fTPM on AMD, PTT on Intel) and Secure Boot to off, and Windows reads that as different hardware. Go into the BIOS, turn them back on, reboot and wait a few minutes. That alone fixes it a lot of the time.

Still not activated? If the Pro key came with the PC, it's stored in the firmware. Admin PowerShell:

(Get-CimInstance SoftwareLicensingService).OA3xOriginalProductKey

then slmgr /ipk with that key and slmgr /ato. If your license is linked to a Microsoft account instead, the activation troubleshooter's "I changed hardware on this device recently" option works too.