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Windows 11 Home deactivated itself

3 months ago I built a new PC and bought a digital copy of Windows 11 Home for it through the Microsoft website. This order also properly appears in my order history on https://account.microsoft.com/billing/orders . However, a few weeks ago Windows apparently deactivated itself again. The exact timing of this is unclear to me. The only hardware change I made was adding a network card and updating the BIOS, though afaik only motherboard replacements really register as hardware changes for Windows activation.

The respective Windows troubleshooting tool states that "Windows reported that the hardware of your device has changed. Error code: 0xC004F211". Trying to click on "I changed hardware on this device recently" results in a window stating "Unable to activate Windows. We can't find any devices linked to your Microsoft account that can be used for reactivating the device you're using right now. Make sure you're signed in with the same Microsoft account you linked to the Windows 10 digital license on this device or try again later."



Obviously, I'm using the correct account (I checked, even though I only have one) and I have tried this numerous times already (spread over weeks at this point). Clicking on "See other devices linked to your Microsoft account" only shows an old Laptop whose OEM license I clearly can't use to reactive Windows.

The device I'm using does not appear at all, even though online (https://account.microsoft.com/devices) it's visible.

Also, contrary to what the Find your Windows product key help page states, there is no product key in either my confirmation email, or my order history, making it impossible for me to just re-enter my product key.

Did I miss something obvious? How can I re-activate Windows on my device without buying a new copy?

Good day stlutz, thanks for your question. I am glad to be able to provide assistance to you today. Kindly check and try the below and see how it goes and use this generic retail key YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7.

Method 1:
- Press Windows key + X and click on Run
- Type in services.msc and press Enter or hit OK and this open up the Services window
- Look for Software Protection and double click on it, and try to Stop and Start the service or Start it whichever is applicable
- After doing the above check and try the product key provided

Method 2:
- Type in cmd from the search bar on the taskbar
- Right click on the command prompt from the search result and click on Run as administator
- Copy/paste the command below and execute then one by one
dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth
dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup
sfc /scannow
- After doing the above check and try the product key provided

Method 3:
- Open again command prompt and execute the commands below and press Enter after each command
slmgr.vbs /ato - proceed to the next one if this will not work
slmgr.vbs /upk - this will uninstall your product key
slmgr.vbs /ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX (X represents your 25 character product key)
- Check if this will activate Windows
- If it will still not work, kindly try to reach out either by call or chat to reactivate Windows from a representative
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/globa...
(Check the phone numbers listed there for your country and try to call them)
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/contactus or use the Get Help app from your PC and check if you will be able to able to get a hold of someone or to request for a callback by typing in talk to an agent

Regards,
Paul R.

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Hey Paul,

sadly, none of the 3 methods worked, though I had some hope after `sfc /scannow` apparently found and fixed some corrupted files.
Thanks for the response, though. I'm now trying to get in contact with a Microsoft agent.

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Alright stlutz and that is the next step that you can take and this is for them to cross check as well your account and the purchase that you made for Windows 11.

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Last updated May 13, 2024 Views 1,863 Applies to: