What method is used to move a Windows 10 license from an older SSD to a fresh PC built with a new SSD?
What method is used to move a Windows 10 license from an older SSD to a fresh PC built with a new SSD?
I have followed these actions: I connected my Microsoft account to my Windows 10 license.
Now I consider making a USB drive with Windows 11 from another laptop running Windows 11, and then using the original Windows 7 license key from the package I received ten years ago. This would avoid installing Windows 10 on my new system and upgrading to Windows 11.
Is this a suitable approach?
No. The WIn 7 is not useful. In fact, MS has recently disabled the option to use Win 7/8 license keys for activating a new WIn 10 or 11 install. You might be able to update your MS account after the Win 11 installation and inform it of the change. Alternatively, consider increasing the budget by 5-10% to buy a new retail Win 11 license, which will remain valid through Win 12-13 and possibly longer. This also extends the usability of the old PC, either for continued use or selling it with its existing Win 10 license.
Can’t use the old key anymore. It looks like Microsoft disabled it. I noticed this because I had a Windows 8 license that was actually upgraded to Windows 11 before, linked to the same motherboard. I thought it would work, so I reinstalled Windows after rebuilding with the same board and a different CPU. After installing the new CPU, I checked my activation status and saw it was still active.
I reinstalled again, but the OS didn’t show as activated. Eventually, I bought a Windows 11 license. Looking back, I should have signed in with my Microsoft account and used the change hardware option as instructed. I didn’t do that this time. If I had, I might have saved some money. But I’m sure they won’t accept the Windows 8 key and they say they don’t accept Windows 7 or 8 keys for Windows 11 installations.
I’d recommend linking your digital license to your Microsoft account and using the charge hardware feature. Alternatively, you could clone your existing drive with a tool like Macrium Reflect. Restart with the new drive and if it still shows as activated, go to recovery and use the system reset option to essentially reformat the OS.
It worked!! Thanks for everyone's input
My steps were:
1) Linked my Windows 10 license with my Microsoft account as suggested before beginning the new build.
2) Made an installation USB for Windows 11 on my Windows 11 laptop.
3) Installed Windows 11 onto a newly built PC (2TB 970 EVO Plus with fresh MOBO and RAM).
4) Ran the Windows activation troubleshooter on the new PC to move the license from the old system, using a major hardware change option. I chose my old desktop that appeared next to my laptop in the Microsoft account list.
5) Formatted the old SSD via Disk Management and now have a clean spare SSD!
I hope this thread helps someone useful after searching through 1000 answers. 😎