Microsoft offers OEM versions under retail pricing.
Microsoft offers OEM versions under retail pricing.
Earlier this year I purchased Windows 10 Pro for $200 US dollars. When I needed to replace my motherboard to repair my computer, I cleaned the drive with Linux and installed Windows 10 Pro. The system refused to activate on the new board. I contacted Microsoft, who informed me that my copy wasn’t valid for a different motherboard. What upset me most was their message that my new board was tied to my previous Windows because I had to boot into an older OS to create a USB installer. They assumed activation would be smooth since they recognized the board from my old installation. That didn’t happen. They kept insisting I pay another $200 for a fresh copy (which is actually Win 11). This experience made me strongly lean toward Linux after just one call. It’s even more frustrating that the representative used a temporary key valid only six months ago and then claimed she had activated Windows using my old key—this is clearly a digital license issue. I can share the exact source they used to obtain it. I don’t trust Microsoft anymore. At least explore Linux for a while. What’s worse is that the music industry still avoids Linux due to its outdated audio hardware. Making music on my PC only adds to this frustration. The new audio platform PipeWire is promising, but we still lack proper support from major companies. I genuinely don’t know how to proceed. Installing my extensive virtual instrument library on Linux via VM tech would be extremely difficult. Still, Microsoft seems to have a bad reputation.
I purchased it from Microsoft's shop. Honestly, I messed up by wiping the drive before setup. Windows interpreted it as a fresh machine. Really frustrating.
They're not rude. You should have done more research on this as you did with Linux... It's important to connect the license to your Microsoft account for a smooth process. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/wind...Windows_10
All my copies—both purchased directly from Microsoft and others—have been transferred between builds. Just sign in to your account, detach the previous machine, install it on the new build, and it should work. Do you still have the older machine running under your account?
Yes, it’s possible to uninstall the previous version and simply turn it on again. You might have been confused about the process, but it shouldn’t damage your purchase. Also, it’s strange that the support representative didn’t address this issue—what a mistake!
They likely won’t try to help you bypass their setup. My observations suggest they probably don’t go out of their way to explain workarounds. I’ve rebuilt a PC each year, used the same Windows 10 license every time. When I remove the old machine and enter the key, it works fine—especially now with Windows 11. This is just my personal experience.