Updated my BIOS on the Z690 classified for the 2nd time and both times I lose my Windows activation and login PIN. Can we please get a chance to the BIOS that stops a new hardware ID being generated every time I update the BIOS.

**EDIT**
Windows is refusing to activate now as well. I am assuming because the key has been used too many times. I have logged into Microsoft and removed the other devices even though they show the same hardware ID.

Mienko
Yup.  I posted about this a little while ago.  EVGA hasn't responded.
 

I commented in there as well after my 1st activation issue. I guess it was wishful thinking they would correct it. :)

woodzstack
yeah, I have MS products that are now "not activated" and when I call them or use the internet service says I can not activate them. They told me get a genuine key. I bought the key from MS directly years ago and it's literally in my account under products. So weird. 

 
I had to deactivate my other devices and then attempt to re-activate via the auto activation in windows. It failed a few times, I restarted my PC and then it showed active again.

Come on EVGA at least acknoledge this. Still can't windows to reactivate this time....

Forwarded to EVGA

Quick update from me.

Flashed 2.04 on my classy last night. Still had to reset my pin after entering my PW, but for the first time Windows was still activated after flashing. Not sure if it was a fluke or if a fix was applied but not disclosed.

I was hoping to find a solution here in the forum about the Windows needing to be reactivated after a BIOS update. Guess not
I have an EVGA Z690 Classified that was updated to 2.05 and now I have to reactivate Windows. This sucks! Has EVGA even made a comment about this?

woodzstack
yeah, I have MS products that are now "not activated" and when I call them or use the internet service says I can not activate them. They told me get a genuine key. I bought the key from MS directly years ago and it's literally in my account under products. So weird. 

I have had this happen many times with BIOS updates that change HWID. There is really not a good excuse for it that I can identify. I can't think of any valid reason the HWID would need to change with a firmware revision. Once a product is released the HWID should never change unless you are cross-flashing firmware from a foreign product (like some of us do for graphics cards). It has happened to me not only with Windows, but also other software that ends up getting the product key blacklisted. MiniTool Partition Wizard and PrimoCache are two software titles that this has happened to me with besides Windows. I have stooped to using unauthorized activation mechanisms that the software developers would not approve of, but they received my money already and I acquired their products directly from them, so they're not being cheated. But, it should not be necessary to have to do this.

Hoggle
I wonder if it’s EVGA or if it’s Microsoft at issue. I have had random times it’s wanted me to reactivate windows including during BIOs updates on even an ASUS motherboard. Luckily every time I call Microsoft they have reactivated it for me.

I've never had the issue with an Asus motherboard.  And I had 3 different DDR5 ones within the last year that had constant bios updates.  Never even had the reset PIN part.
 

If you really need it you can get Windows 7/8/10/11 product keys online for less than $5 and they activate automatically through a normal process because they are legit product keys. I think I paid like $1.25 each the past time or two.

Black_Hawx1

Mr. Fox
If you really need it you can get Windows 7/8/10/11 product keys online for less than $5 and they activate automatically through a normal process because they are legit product keys. I think I paid like $1.25 each the past time or two.

I know that, but evga should be the ones fixing the problem or sending new windows keys, is unfair to spend money for something that happened because of the bios update (the same bios update mandatory for using the fans controller in Eleet X1) because if I keep updating the bios and buying new keys I would spend around 20 usd in the next months.

if your windows key is valid, contact microsoft. updating a bios doesn't invalidate an os license. not sure what you're expecting to get from evga. i'd go hit up msft and shake their tree until they transfer your license key.

I agree it should not be happening, but it does and the Micro$lop Mafia won't help. They are as worthless as the mammary glands on a boar. Already been down that road with Windows and Office. They have my money, won't provide acceptable support, so I take matters into my own hands. I believe this is an honest mistake on EVGA's part and I think the only thing they need to do to fix it and prevent it in the future is never change a product name or hardware ID on something that has gone into production. Once it has, the hardware ID and product name should remain the same indefinitely.
 
But, the solution could be tricky. Fixing it for people that installed and activated Windows on an older BIOS might have their problem fixed, but the problem will potentially be introduced on a new group of users that installed and activated Windows on a new BIOS with a different hardware ID and/or product name. Once you change the product name and hardware ID on a product in retail circulation it opens a Pandora's Box.

jll544
If anyone is planning to update their BIOS, or if you have multiple versions installed on different chips, would you please try the following:

1. Launch an admin-level PowerShell, and then run the command "Get-TpmEndorsementKeyInfo sha256".
2. The output will include your PublicKeyHash. Take note of it somewhere.
3. Update BIOS (or switch to a different chip). Reboot back into Windows, and check if it's still activated.
4. Run the command again, and compare the PublicKeyHash with the one you recorded previously.

No need to post the actual hash, I'm just interested to know if it's changing across BIOS updates.

While fixing my memory overclock issue (user error); I saw your post and ran it for you:
2.04 395d...
2.05 aa7a...
Edit: 2.01 it was Activated - Validated on Microsoft's side in the Account. As i moved up to 2.03 is when I lost it.  

raiden2a
While fixing my memory overclock issue (user error); I saw your post and ran it for you:
2.04 395d...
2.05 aa7a...
Edit: 2.01 it was Activated - Validated on Microsoft's side in the Account. As i moved up to 2.03 is when I lost it.  

 
Thanks for checking. It confirms that the public Endorsement Key gets a different value each time TPM/PTT is initialized, which explains the activation problem. EkPub is included in Microsoft's "hardware hash" that uniquely identifies the PC. With that value changing, we get only a few reactivations before being locked down.
 
To fix this, EVGA would need to change the way they flash the BIOS. As it stands, they always overwrite the entire chip, which means that the ME region (and the TPM/PTT data inside it) is wiped out. Other manufacturers get around this by updating the various flash regions independently.
 
ASUS, for example, provides an MEUpdateTool separate from BIOS files, which implies that the ME region is untouched during their normal BIOS update. Preserving the TPM/PTT state also should eliminate the need to reset your login PIN after a BIOS flash.

Well, I stand corrected.  The 2.05 to 2.06 did have issues.  It showed up later after multiple reboots.