No, you don’t have to install the operating system from scratch.
No, you don’t have to install the operating system from scratch.
Your Windows 10 license usually depends on both hardware and the MAC address. Replacing a hard drive with a valid license on another computer that hasn’t used a licensed Windows 10 version will remove the license. Windows 7, when upgraded to Win10, generates a new Windows 10 key tied to the hardware, just like buying a genuine key. There’s essentially no distinction. I hope this clarifies your question? If you’re keeping only the GPU and HDD, the installation is likely to lose the license.
You’ll likely need to buy a new license. If you’re replacing the software, you probably won’t reinstall Windows 10—just install the purchased version and connect it to your computer.
You seem fine, but I haven’t made any changes to Windows 10 myself, so I can’t confirm for sure. It’s a big step up, but Intel options are simpler than AMD or Intel-AMD versions, including FX-Ryzen. As I mentioned, you can still reinstall and restore old Windows files if needed. Are you using a Microsoft account for login? That means you registered your key with Microsoft when you upgraded to Windows 10. The Windows 7 key is now compatible with both OS versions. You can install Windows 10 directly and then add the Windows 7 key, or log in via your account. I’m confident it will activate, though if it doesn’t, contacting Microsoft support usually helps. If the key isn’t linked to your Microsoft account, you can use tools like MagicalJellybean to register it.