Windows 10: Re-installing and reactivating a free upgrade of Windows 10 after hardware change.

Discus and support Re-installing and reactivating a free upgrade of Windows 10 after hardware change. in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade to solve the problem; Hello all. I have Windows 10 Home 64 bit version 1803 that i upgraded to, for free, from Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit. Now my hardware is a bit long... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade' started by NikMartin1, Nov 14, 2018.

  1. Re-installing and reactivating a free upgrade of Windows 10 after hardware change.


    Hello all. I have Windows 10 Home 64 bit version 1803 that i upgraded to, for free, from Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit. Now my hardware is a bit long in the tooth, main board approaching ten years old, so i would like to upgrade it along with memory and possibly CPU, and a switch to SSD.

    My issue is this; i don't have a physical copy of Windows 10, or a Windows 10 product key, so after i upgrade the hardware, what do i install? I would expect that cloning my current HDD to a new shiny fast SSD then trying to boot the new motherboard from it will be met by disappointment owing to the configuration changes. I also thought of re-installing Windows 7 and going through the free upgrade process again, but a friend told me that the upgrade is no longer available and that because my Windows 7 is an OEM version, i wouldn't even be able to install that after a hardware change.

    I started to do some research, which may have been a mistake in itself as i found that although this seems to be a common problem, there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer, and in fact i came across more problems than solutions. For example, i read somewhere that Windows 10 is digitally coded to the hardware configuration, so if you change it, that copy of Windows will not work as it would be like moving it to a new machine. Also, if you do manage to reinstall, you are met with reactivation issues.

    I then read some Microsoft support articles that state, in later versions the change to a digital license linked to your Microsoft account meant that you can download the Windows 10 installation media, install it, even after hardware changes, and then use the Activation Troubleshooter to activate it, I even found Microsoft support article 20530 Reactivating Windows 10 after a hardware change that states exactly that. I thought i'd found the answer in this article, however, having read it a couple of times i realised that it makes no mention of having upgraded to Windows 10 from another version.

    I decided it was time to speak directly to Microsoft. So, even more confusing, the nice lady at Microsoft support listened patiently to my tales of woe, then informed me that all i need to do is install Windows 10 on the upgraded hardware, then use the product key from the original version of the Windows i upgraded from, in my case Windows 7. She went on to say that the version 'levels' have to be the same ie 7 Home Premium to 10 Home, and that in my situation, the support article i referenced didn't apply. Also, when questioned twice, she said that the fact that my version of Windows 7 was OEM did not matter. Having thought about the conversation since, i still don't have a Windows 10 to install.

    Could someone brighten my day and clear all this up. I really don't want to end up spending large on new hardware only to find it useless as i have no OS.

    Many thanks in anticipation

    Nik

    :)
     
    NikMartin1, Nov 14, 2018
    #1
  2. Rose Cal Win User

    Windows 10 reactivation on hardware changes

    Hi Florea,

    It is possible that Windows won't be able to identify your computer correctly that is why the operating system is not activated. To address your issue, we suggest that you follow the steps in this
    article on how to reactivate your Windows 10 after a hardware change.

    Let us know if you need further assistance.
     
    Rose Cal, Nov 14, 2018
    #2
  3. Riel Alc Win User
    Upgraded from 8 to 10 and changed major hardware, windows wont reactivate.

    Hi,

    If your Windows 8 was preinstalled to your device or Full retail version, then you used the free upgrade to Windows 10, you can definitely install Windows 10 to your computer after making a significant hardware change such as replacing the motherboard.

    Note: If you use the free upgrade, you're already entitled to a digital license.

    Please check the following articles for more information:


    Feel free to post back should you need further help.
     
    Riel Alc, Nov 14, 2018
    #3
  4. CK011885 Win User

    Re-installing and reactivating a free upgrade of Windows 10 after hardware change.

    Installing Windows 10 on New PC?

    I'm going to be building a new PC on Christmas and want to install Windows 10 on it. I have Windows 10 on my current PC, which I installed upgrading from 8.1 with the files on a USB. How do I go about installing a clean copy of Windows 10 on this new PC? I think I recall something about installing it once makes Microsoft recognize your hardware, but since this will be a PC I'm not sure what steps I need to take. Do I need to go 8.1 -> 10 or is there a method of going directly to 10?
     
    CK011885, Nov 14, 2018
    #4
Thema:

Re-installing and reactivating a free upgrade of Windows 10 after hardware change.

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