Deactivating Windows after Hardware Changes hits Upgraders badly

Windows 10 looses activation after a hardware change. This happens to all flavors of W10 from Insiders via free upgraders to holders of a OEM and Retail Licenses. The hardware changes triggering this are trivial: New mother board, new BIOS version (!!), new security features like a TPM module. Simply a PC that needs maintenance or is finally broken.


Only retail licenses have a product key that reactivates the license. Upgraders which upgraded always from a valid license can only "go back to the previous version and upgrade again". Calling the support as the Microsoft VP Gabe Aul has announced has not proven to be helpful.


Because this can happen to everybody because of a simple hardware failure, the situation of upgraders is so bad and risky, that nobody should upgrade as long as there is no solution available.


My opinion is: This is not acceptable. Binding a license to device forms a new economic entity because customer's device becomes a part of the service production platform of Microsoft. The owner of the device is no longer in full control of its asset. For Upgraders the recovery from a broken motherboard becomes is no longer an affair with the hardware vendor but also needs a complete reinstallation of Windows 10 with the risk to loose configuration, apps and data


This is surely far away from good customer treatment. At least in the EU it has a good chance to be unlawful, too.


So let's nudge Microsoft to change this and reinstate Upgraders to be precious customers.

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