In my situation I don't have my TurboTax files in my Personal Vault as I have found that to be problematic on many levels, but they do sync to OneDrive, and I usually open them from OneDrive. Here is what I have found to be helpful:
1. After installing TurboTax for the first time, create a tax return file by simply starting a return and then saving it, even if it only has a name for data in it. Always start TurboTax by double clicking this file rather than the Generic TurboTax icon. That seems to bypass many of the re-activation issues (but is not 100%).
2. Sometimes when you double click the icon referenced above an update happens and once again the request for activation comes up. Close TurboTax via the upper right-corner X. Open your Personal Vault (I know it should matter if your file is not there, but opening it seems to work), and double click the file again. I have found that TurboTax does an update again (even though is should be done), only this time it starts without asking for another reactivation.
Based on other experiences I have seen posted, it seems like the activation has something to do with the computer configuration (a really bad idea for this kind of software). Adding or taking away external drives can change this, and the activation software treats the computer as different if the configuration is different. I suspect that "Personal Vault" is treated like another drive in the Windows configuration, and TurboTax is seeing this. So you have to go back to your "original configuration" in order for TurboTax to believe you are still on the same computer. This needs to be fixed by Intuit, but looking through the posts it has been this way for years and Intuit does not seem inclined to fix it. I've decided that I will try to install it in a dedicated VM next year to see if I can avoid all this.
