Windows 10: Can I use my Windows 10 key on my new PC?

So I got a new PC and discarded my old one.
But I upgraded my old PC to 10.

Can I use it's key on my new PC? Will it work?
Please reply.

:)

 

Can I use my product key on my windows 7 disk again to reinstall it?

I built this computer from scratch and when I bought it, it didn't have windows on it. I got a windows home premium disk in a clear case form the store and it has the product key on the back. there is also another barcode on it saying windows 7 home prem
OEM software above the barcode itself.

I want to know if I can still use the disk and the barcode to reinstall windows 7 and if anything on my computer that I downloaded after upgrading to windows 10 will be safe. I'm new to downgrading but, at this point with all the frustration I have had with
windows 10, I am more than happy to downgrade.

 

Can I use my product key on my windows 7 disk again to reinstall it?

Manually backup your files first:

How to manually backup and restore your files

Then follow the procedures to downgrade:

How to Downgrade Preinstalled Windows 10 to Windows 7/8.1

References preinstall Windows 10, but the same instructions work for upgraded installations.

 

I don't believe so, no. You'll need to install 7/8/8.1 first, and once activated, then you can do the free upgrade to Windows 10. From that point on, you'll be able to do clean installs of Windows 10 on that computer.

 

There is no key for an upgrade. There is only the old OS key. If your new PC has windows 7 or 8.x, just upgrade it.

 

Hmmmm. Thank you.

So can I say one key is assigned to one PC?
Like once I get a key I can use it infinitely on a PC right? To do clean installs.

 

Yes and no. The key is associated with that hardware, so yes, you can do indefinite clean installs on that hardware. But, you need to perform a new upgrade on new hardware to get that hardware associated with the key so it can be clean installed again.

 

In a way, it is like an OEM license. It's valid for the life of that computer, no matter how many times you may want to reinstall. As soon as you buy a new computer, it will need a new license.

 

Actually there is a somewhat grey middle ground.

The activation is tied to your computer using various pieces of unique info that is recorded back inside the dungeons of Microsoft. While no one will say publicly all the pieces of info that are used, typically the exact CPU type and your Network Interface Card/Chips MAC address having been used for quite a while.

This means that if you upgrade some aspects of your computer, the next time you boot it there can be a message saying you are no longer activated. You are directed to contact Microsoft to reactivate. This is what Microsoft calls "substantial upgrades". Thus they do allow you to re-tag your key to a new configuration.

In allowing this to be done Microsoft is trying to balance between not stranding people that make legitimate changes that trip the non-activated state with ensuring there is now way for people to misuse/hijack keys. (Especially the hijack keys aspect).

I have not done this myself recently, certainly not with Windows 10.

 

How about if I clone my upgraded windows 10 to a new SSD would that still be activated if I do a clean install on that?

 

No, most likely not. Once Windows boots on new hardware, it trips the activation status. In the past, if it is a retail license, it would reactivate online. If not, some have been able to reactivate with a phone call.

 

Actually changing SSD's shouldn't pose a problem. I upgraded retail 8.1 Pro on my HDD in the ultrabay and clean installed Win10 on my SSD without issue.

 

If it is just the SSD that's changed, it may not trip the activation. But if you clone the SSD to another, and install that in a new PC, it likely will.

 

Actually you can say it stronger.

Changing the drive will not deactivate you. It works exactly the same as any Windows setup. If you clone your drive to a bigger one/different one/etc it doesn't care.

The info about your activation is stored in silicon on your motherboard, using the UEFI firmware storage locations, and corresponding info is sent to Microsoft for storage in it's activation databses. As people have stated, only if you change things drastically such as replacing your motherboard/cpu and or nic card will you trip re-activation requirements.

People to thousands of drive clone/upgrades every week. Windows 10 isn't going to break that.