Updated Bios Now Asking To Activate Windows

Question

Updated Bios Now Asking To Activate Windows

Ibrahim Ibrahim 0

I updated my bios and now it's asking me to activate windows, I looked up within the settings of my computer with the backup code but that isn't working either

Neil D 34,350 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-10-02T08:49:56.9766667+00:00
To give the best advise we need to know the origin of the licence you were using. Was it:

Part of the free upgrade from Windows 10, and was that part of the free upgrade from Windows 7/8.

Did you buy the Windows 10/11 licence separate from the device. Do you have a product key with your purchase.

Was it provided by the system builder/manufacturer.

You can get ShowKeyPlus from the windows Store for more information about the licence.

4 answers

Your answer

Neil D 34,350 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-10-02T08:49:56.9766667+00:00

To give the best advise we need to know the origin of the licence you were using. Was it:

Part of the free upgrade from Windows 10, and was that part of the free upgrade from Windows 7/8.

Did you buy the Windows 10/11 licence separate from the device. Do you have a product key with your purchase.

Was it provided by the system builder/manufacturer.

You can get ShowKeyPlus from the windows Store for more information about the licence.

Answer 1

Neil D 34,350 Volunteer Moderator

@Ibrahim Ibrahim It looks like you have a digital licence given the last characters of a product key. The only way for a digital licence transfer is to use the activation troubleshooter, which you did use.

If you selected I changed hardware and it did not display a previous system to transfer the digital licence then you need to contact Microsoft support directly. (I assume you bought the licence from the Windows Store)

Use the Get Help app in windows and search the phrase billing then select Contact Support at the bottom of the window. There will be a couple more filters to select then you should see Chat with a support agent in your browser.

You must have the account details for the Microsoft account you used to buy the digital licence.

I realise you only updated the bios but it looks like that has been detected as a hardware change.

Ibrahim Ibrahim 0 Reputation points

2026-10-04T05:30:32.4633333+00:00

I contacted support and after they checked they said it is an OEM license and since they are typically tied to the original hardware of the device it can be difficult or sometimes impossible to reactivate. Before I buy another Windows 11 license, is there any other solution that anyone knows?
Neil D 34,350 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-10-04T08:43:26.9766667+00:00

If Microsoft Support cannot help it's unlikely there will be another way.

Answer 2

BryceSor 5,510 Volunteer Moderator

Hi Ibrahim Ibrahim,

Besides updating your bios, did you change any hardware, did you set the bios to defaults before updating, dis-able bit-locker.

Did you change edition from home to Pro?

Can you list the make and model of the motherboard or if a laptop the make and model of that?

0 comments

Answer 3

Senthil kumar 2,580

Hi @Ibrahim Ibrahim

Run the Activation Troubleshooter

Go to Settings > System > Activation

Select Troubleshoot

If you see "I changed hardware on this device recently", select it and sign in with the Microsoft account associated with your Windows license.

Verify Your Windows Edition

Make sure the installed edition matches your license:

Settings > System > Activation

Check whether you're running Windows Home or Windows Pro

A Windows Home key will not activate Windows Pro, and vice versa.

Check the Activation Status

Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

BAT

slmgr /dlv

Show more lines

This will show detailed activation information, including the license channel and activation status.

Re-enter the Product Key

If you have a valid 25-character product key:

Go to Settings > System > Activation

Select Change product key

Enter the key and try activating again.

Thanks.

Ibrahim Ibrahim 0 Reputation points

2026-10-02T05:54:33.73+00:00

I don't see a product key within the Windows Script Host. For License Status, it says Notification and the Notification reason is 0xC004F034.

Answer 4

Kayece Jan Mae Amizola 16,765 Independent Advisor

Hi,

I understand that your Windows was not activated after an update to your BIOS. Even though you did not change the hardware, please run the Windows Activation Troubleshooter, then select "I changed my hardware". Please select your old device that was previously activated. This process should move the licence to your current device.

If you require further assistance, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Stay Safe!

Ibrahim Ibrahim 0 Reputation points

2026-10-02T05:55:41.7966667+00:00

This is what it shows when I run Windows Activation Troubleshooter
Kayece Jan Mae Amizola 16,765 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-02T08:15:27.5966667+00:00

Is your license for Windows 11 or Windows 10? Is it Home or Pro?

Also, could you please execute the following command in Command Prompt (CMD)?

slmgr -dli

Then, post the result here.

My apologies for the late reply, and thank you in advance for your understanding if future responses are delayed
Ibrahim Ibrahim 0 Reputation points

2026-10-03T18:04:16.42+00:00

It's Windows 11 Home
Neil D 34,350 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-10-03T18:34:25.8333333+00:00

Use ShowKeyPlus from the windows Store. Provide a screenshot of the resulting information about the current licence.

Be sure to click any product key to hide all but the last 5 characters.
Ibrahim Ibrahim 0 Reputation points

2026-10-03T19:55:05.22+00:00

This is the result
Kayece Jan Mae Amizola 16,765 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-04T03:59:26.09+00:00

May I ask if this was bought from Microsoft Official store or third-party store?

If it was bought from Microsoft, please follow Niel instruction from the provided answer.
Ibrahim Ibrahim 0 Reputation points

2026-10-04T04:54:50.0066667+00:00

It was from a third-party store called microcenter, it came built in with the computer