PC Update 5: The Empire Strikes Back

Last night
So, it looked like the computer was shipshape. Everything was working fine. But I noticed that Windows wasn't "Activated". I had my product key. I wasn't concerned and ignored it at first. However, one of the updates to Windows 10, since my PC crashed, was supposed to be(It's not ready yet.) the ability to change the window colors from white, #windowsalbino, to something real. I tried that. It wouldn't let me because it wasn't activated. The activation thing suddenly became serious. I put in my product key. Windows 10 doesn't accept Windows 7 keys, I guess. It said the product key was blocked or something like that. I didn't know if it was really blocked, or if it was just blocked from use on Windows 10. I did buy the computer used after all. It really could think it's blocked but hopefully not, since I now own the original equipment. The Microsoft solution? Ask me for $199. No. No. No.

It turns out that if you change the motherboard on an OEM installation Microsoft wants you to buy Windows again and deliberately breaks the installation. They consider you to have a "new" computer. Unless...the motherboard is defective. Which mine absolutely was, right? Totally, no doubt about it. That little stinker was bad from the factory. I could feel it. And a Google search found there actually is a known manufacturing defect with my motherboard. Case closed.

I contacted Microsoft and explained my situation to Kapil via online chat. There was a long pause every time after I hit the enter button. After a few times of that, I could sense Kapil copying and pasting my comments into Google Translate, which is an awesome service by the way. I use it all the time for French when I drift out of the shallow end of the pool. It knows more words than my Larousse French dictionary.

Kapil couldn't help me. He suggested what I'd already searched and found. I needed to uninstall Windows 10 and reinstall Windows 7 from scratch, preferably on a clean hard drive. What he was supposed to do was give me a new key because of my tragically defective motherboard. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the end of the conversation, he couldn't remember what I'd told him at the beginning. I thanked him and left.

I decided to uninstall Windows 10 and see if I could sneak my product key into Windows 7. It's not supposed to work but why not try? All roads seemed to lead to uninstalling anyway. Something bad happened. When I uninstalled 10 before, it was pretty smooth because of a bug. It got stuck, and I had to restart the machine. It was very fast. This time it took forever, and Win7 defaulted to the old motherboard settings. It wiped all my internet connection info and my monitor info, etc. All my programs seemed fine, but I couldn't get online to run an update.
And Windows 7 was really giving me a hard time about not being activated. It started at a black screen demanding I access the internet through this special browser window and kept me there a while before starting Windows. How could I connect to the internet to activate if it wouldn't let me access my settings? Even if I'd been online, Windows Update won't work on an unactivated computer.

I tried to set up a new network connection. Nothing. Somewhere along the way while trying to get the settings right, I went to the activation page and put in my possibly "blocked" product key. Since I was trapped offline, it wasn't blocked at all. heh heh heh Is the key somehow claimed by the corporation that leased the computer before I bought it and actually is blocked? I guess we'll never know.

Remember that wifi hotspot I bought in case I lose internet connection again? I also got a cheap USB wireless adapter at the same time. I didn't need the hotspot, but I was able to use the adapter to get online wirelessly and get the network settings I needed to get my normal ethernet connection working.

I was back online. Windows 7 said it was truly and properly Activated. I downloaded Windows 10. For the third time. It took forever, another wasted night fighting Windows. Since 7 was activated, 10 updated with no problems just like it did before I replaced the motherboard. It says it's activated. I'm anticipating good things.