i can't activate after changing to a different hard drive

Göker Topyan 0

I moved my Windows installation to a different hard drive, and now I am unable to activate Windows. I had previously changed the processor and graphics card, and added a new hard drive, without encountering any issues.

When using the troubleshooter, I select the option "I changed the hardware on this device recently." After selecting the computer I am using and checking the box, I click "Activate." However, I receive the following message: "We can't reactivate Windows on this device. Please try again later."

By the way, I purchased a retail key from a third party.

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6 answers

Igor Leyko 112.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-22T21:37:12.3966667+00:00

Did you try to re-enter your product key for activation?

Please use ShowKeyPlus tool from Store and check an edition of your key. Tell the result.
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Göker Topyan 0 Reputation points

2026-10-22T22:16:43.9533333+00:00

I tried re-entering my product key for activation. I had originally installed the version of Windows I purchased onto a 120 GB SSD; however, I am encountering this issue now that I have installed it on a new 2 TB SSD. When I reinstall Windows on the 120 GB SSD, it activates without any problems—but I do not want to use the old SSD.
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Igor Leyko 112.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-22T22:25:06.29+00:00

Please check edition of your key. Do not show the key itself.
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Göker Topyan 0 Reputation points

2026-10-23T16:05:45.9666667+00:00

I purchased a product key for Windows 10 Pro and i upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Where can I check the edition of my key?
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Igor Leyko 112.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-23T16:49:00.22+00:00

Please use Check Edition option in ShowKeyPlus.
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Göker Topyan 0 Reputation points

2026-10-23T17:16:04.5133333+00:00
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Igor Leyko 112.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-23T17:21:03.72+00:00

Please re-enter your product key once more and show a screenshot of Activation page of settings.

Could it be there were five or more hardware changes?
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Göker Topyan 0 Reputation points

2026-10-23T18:12:05.89+00:00

Five changes were made to the hardware: 1- processor, 2- graphics card, 3- a new SSD, and 4- the removal of the HDD. Up to this point, there were no issues. Following an electrical fault, the SSD containing the Windows installation became unusable and had to be discarded; Windows has not been activated since that time.
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Igor Leyko 112.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-23T18:21:36.4233333+00:00

0xc004c008 error is not typical for home computer. Please run command prompt, run slmgr /dlv command and show its result.
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Göker Topyan 0 Reputation points

2026-10-23T18:37:14.3033333+00:00

here are the screenshot
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