Window OEM Activation Motherboard Laptop Soldered CPU RAM

[smlie4]

I've got a Asus UX31A ultrabook come in today that needs a motherboard it has a windows OEM license on.

This is one of those laptops where everything except the SSD is soldered to the motherboard. As you would expect the motherboard costs nearly as much as the laptop.

Always in the past it's a no brainer for customers and the data is recovered and the laptop goes in the bin. However I got a feeling this customer (based on his income and work situation) is going to want to replace the board.

This brings me to something I have not had to think about before, how will Microsoft play the OEM de-activation due to the number of (unavoidable) components changed. (motherboard, ram, cpu).

I would think straight up that windows will become a brick. Has anyone had experience with OEM on these 1 piece boards?

 

[fincoder]

Not worth repairing, but if they still want to pursue it then tell them to use an Asus service centre or authorised agent.

If their budget is low, offer a refurbished laptop to replace it.

 

[smlie4]

Not worth repairing, but if they still want to pursue it then tell them to use an Asus service centre or authorised agent.

If their budget is low, offer a refurbished laptop to replace it.

Yer bugger it, I'm not getting into argument with customer if Win10 de-activates no matter how much I explained it to them before they go ahead. Plus the motherboard would be coming from china which is 4 weeks wait and could be faulty (refurbished part) on arrival which will aggravate the customer coz they had to wait.

I'll throw Windows 10 on the quote which will really make it not worth replacing, charge them a diagnostic fee and move on.

 

[glennd]

Yer bugger it, I'm not getting into argument with customer if Win10 de-activates no matter how much I explained it to them before they go ahead. Plus the motherboard would be coming from china which is 4 weeks wait and could be faulty (refurbished part) on arrival which will aggravate the customer coz they had to wait.

I'll throw Windows 10 on the quote which will really make it not worth replacing, charge them a diagnostic fee and move on.

Yup. Cost of new motherboard, cost of new Windows license, cost of repair, cost of migration = $New.Laptop.

According to this, that thing is over 6 years old: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/asus-zenbook-prime-ux31a

 

[smlie4]

According to this, that thing is over 6 years old: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/asus-zenbook-prime-ux31a

Thats the one.

It was his work computer and I think they gave it to him after they upgraded.

 

[Altster]

Always in the past it's a no brainer for customers and the data is recovered and the laptop goes in the bin.

I hope that you are actually "recycling" your dead / defective electronics and not just "throwing them away!"

 

[sapphirescales]

I've got a Asus UX31A ultrabook come in today that needs a motherboard it has a windows OEM license on.

This is one of those laptops where everything except the SSD is soldered to the motherboard. As you would expect the motherboard costs nearly as much as the laptop.

Always in the past it's a no brainer for customers and the data is recovered and the laptop goes in the bin. However I got a feeling this customer (based on his income and work situation) is going to want to replace the board.

This brings me to something I have not had to think about before, how will Microsoft play the OEM de-activation due to the number of (unavoidable) components changed. (motherboard, ram, cpu).

I would think straight up that windows will become a brick. Has anyone had experience with OEM on these 1 piece boards?

If the replacement board is genuine, it will have a Windows license slipstreamed into the BIOS. You might have to use a piece of software like RW Everything to extract the key, then use an elevated command prompt and type the following:

slmgr.vbs /ipk #####-#####-#####-#####-#####

Replace the # symbols with the product key recovered from the BIOS.

 

[Sky-Knight]

If the replacement board is genuine, it will have a Windows license slipstreamed into the BIOS. You might have to use a piece of software like RW Everything to extract the key, then use an elevated command prompt and type the following:

slmgr.vbs /ipk #####-#####-#####-#####-#####

Replace the # symbols with the product key recovered from the BIOS.

Not always, but the OEM is supposed to provide you a key with the part if it doesn't. That's the way Dell does it now, they send a mainboard and a card with a key on it.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Not always, but the OEM is supposed to provide you a key with the part if it doesn't. That's the way Dell does it now, they send a mainboard and a card with a key on it.

That's only if you source the part directly from the OEM. Embedded DPKs have made motherboard replacement repairs a pain. You can sometimes call Microsoft and convince them that you are doing a repair and get them to issue a new key. But you are as likely to be told to pound sand.

 

[smlie4]

Just a follow up customer didn't want to go ahead with replacement board. Charged him for data recovery and diagnostic fee.