Windows 11 Pro activation lost after clean reinstall on same PC – 0xC004F213

Question

Windows 11 Pro activation lost after clean reinstall on same PC – 0xC004F213

승엽 사 0

Hello,

I am having a Windows 11 Pro activation issue after a clean reinstall on the same Lenovo PC.

Before reinstalling Windows, this PC was already activated with Windows 11 Pro. I still have a screenshot showing the activation status as “Active.”

I did not replace the motherboard or make any major hardware changes. I reinstalled the same Windows 11 Pro edition using Microsoft’s official installation media.

After the reinstall, Windows is no longer activated and shows error code 0xC004F213.

I have already tried the following:

Windows Activation Troubleshooter
“I changed hardware on this device recently”
Signing in with my Microsoft account
Checking the BIOS/UEFI for an embedded OEM product key
Running slmgr /dti
Entering the Installation ID into the Microsoft Product Activation Portal

The Activation Portal says that it cannot verify the Installation ID.

Additional information:

Windows edition: Windows 11 Pro
Same motherboard as before
No major hardware changes
BIOS does not contain an OA3 embedded product key
Current installed key ends in 3V66T
The PC was definitely activated before the reinstall

Could someone please advise whether Microsoft can check the previous digital activation history for this hardware and help restore the existing activation?

Thank you. Hello,

I am having a Windows 11 Pro activation issue after a clean reinstall on the same Lenovo PC.

Before reinstalling Windows, this PC was already activated with Windows 11 Pro. I still have a screenshot showing the activation status as “Active.”

I did not replace the motherboard or make any major hardware changes. I reinstalled the same Windows 11 Pro edition using Microsoft’s official installation media.

After the reinstall, Windows is no longer activated and shows error code 0xC004F213.

I have already tried the following:

Windows Activation Troubleshooter
“I changed hardware on this device recently”
Signing in with my Microsoft account
Checking the BIOS/UEFI for an embedded OEM product key
Running slmgr /dti
Entering the Installation ID into the Microsoft Product Activation Portal

The Activation Portal says that it cannot verify the Installation ID.

Additional information:

Windows edition: Windows 11 Pro
Same motherboard as before
No major hardware changes
BIOS does not contain an OA3 embedded product key
Current installed key ends in 3V66T
The PC was definitely activated before the reinstall

Could someone please advise whether Microsoft can check the previous digital activation history for this hardware and help restore the existing activation?

Thank you.

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1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

DaveM121 936.6K Independent Advisor

1

Where did you get your Windows licence was that pre-installed on the PC or did you purchase a full retail Windows licence from Microsoft or from a 3rd party retailer?

Or is your Windows licence based on a previous Windows 7 or 8 licence?

2

Click your Start Button, type cmd then right click Command Prompt and choose 'Run as Administrator'

Run or paste this command and hit Enter:

slmgr.vbs /dlv

Please post a screenshot of the resulting dialog

3

Download the free ShowKeyPlus app from the Microsoft Store.

Please provide a screenshot of that app window and please hide your product key in the screenshot.

승엽 사 0 Reputation points

2026-09-30T06:18:17.9966667+00:00

Thank you for your reply.

I have already checked some of these items.

This PC was purchased used, and Windows 11 Pro was already activated before I performed a clean installation. I did not purchase the original licence myself, so I am not sure whether it was OEM, Retail, or Volume.

I already ran slmgr.vbs /dlv as Administrator, and I also checked for an OEM key embedded in the BIOS/UEFI. No embedded OEM key was detected.

After the clean installation, Windows 11 Pro is no longer activated. However, I still have a screenshot showing that Windows 11 Pro was activated on this same PC before the clean installation, and the motherboard has not been changed.

I will also check with ShowKeyPlus and upload the result with the product key hidden.

Is there any way to identify or recover the previous activation from Microsoft’s activation records?Thank you for your reply.

I have already checked some of these items.

This PC was purchased used, and Windows 11 Pro was already activated before I performed a clean installation. I did not purchase the original licence myself, so I am not sure whether it was OEM, Retail, or Volume.

I already ran slmgr.vbs /dlv as Administrator, and I also checked for an OEM key embedded in the BIOS/UEFI. No embedded OEM key was detected.

After the clean installation, Windows 11 Pro is no longer activated. However, I still have a screenshot showing that Windows 11 Pro was activated on this same PC before the clean installation, and the motherboard has not been changed.

I will also check with ShowKeyPlus and upload the result with the product key hidden.

Is there any way to identify or recover the previous activation from Microsoft’s activation records?
DaveM121 936.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-30T06:30:08.4666667+00:00

Thank you for that information.

If there is no OEM licence on the motherboard indicated when you use the ShowKeyPlus app, then because that is a used device you purchased, the retail licence belongs to the previous owner and will be linked to their account as a digital licence, you will not be able to reactivate that licence.
FRED OLDENKAMP 0 Reputation points

2026-10-02T19:23:20.5266667+00:00

bought pc from amazon came with pre installed windows 11