Windows 10: Changed laptop's HDD to SSD, want to transfer windows 10 key

I'm typing this on the laptop right now. HDD it came with was the slowest hard drive I've ever encountered in my life, so I've swapped it out for a snappy SSD. Rather than cloning it to the SSD, I did a clean install, because I don't want all of acer's bloatware.

I've read that my laptop must have come with a Win 10 OEM key, and that those aren't transferable between different systems. Because this is the same system, with only a different hard drive, will it work? And how do I do it if I can?

I'm using unlicensed windows 10 right now, and I'm wondering if I can use the key that my original hard drive still has on it.

Of course the laptop didn't come with a key on the bottom, or in the manuals, like older versions of windows did.

Thanks *Cool

:)

 

Using the same product key twice on the same pc

I recently brought an ssd for my laptop and i want the windows to be installed on the ssd rather than on the hdd. Can i use the same product key to install windows on ssd. Or is there anyway to transfer windows from hdd to sdd??

 

Window 10 Home OEM , HDD to SSD transfer(Move)

I just want to move my Window 10 home OEM from my HDD to SSD. so i clone my window to SSD. change 1st boot priority to SSD. but when i try to start my Laptop its boot from HDD not from SSD. so without boot from SSD i can't format HDD system partition and
can't use SSD as system

 

How did you install the unlicensed Windows 10?

Please post the results of showkey plus from this forum. Click on the product keys to blank them out before posting:
ShowKeyPlus - Windows 10 Forums





Also, right click on the start icon, select Command Prompt (Admin). In the Command Prompt window run:

slmgr /dlv

Please post the result that should look like this:

 

This first image, above, is the licensed copy, which I assume you were asking for.




This second screenshot is of the unlicensed copy.

I installed this copy to the SSD by downloading the windows 10 media device files to a flash drive, and booting from there.

I didn't realize that what I had to begin with was home, and not pro. But that's okay.

Thanks for replying, and sorry if mine was late.

 

You installed Windows 10 Pro. You are only entitled to Windows 10 Home. That is why it won't activate. You have to reinstall Windows 10 Home. Make sure it is not the single language edition or the N edition. Just plain Windows 10, but Home instead of Pro.

The plain Windows 10 ISO download from Microsoft contains both Home and Pro.

 

So if I install home, then when it asks for a key, I use the OEM key that keyfinder gives me, windows will be licensed and working?

 

Yes, it should be.

 

Alright, I'll give it a shot. Thank you so much *Smile

 

You won't be prompted for key entry - Windows will auto install Home from an iso file that has Home included.

 

Which had me wondering the whole time how the OP ended up with Windows 10 Pro installed.... Windows setup should have detected the product key for Home and not gave the choice to install Pro. Unless it was build 10240 Pro they had downloaded.

 

You're right, this time it never asked me for a code, or which version, it says that windows home is activated with a digital license linked to my account. Thank you!!

 

...and that's the weird part - why have a Win 10 OEM Home licence then get a digital activation? Seems to me more and more that the old key activation method is being phased out.

 

When I was trying to upgrade install from 1511 to AU 1607 it didn't give a choice, I upgraded/replaced my motherboard and did a clean install (with your help) I booted from a USB with Kyhi's recovery tools, after deleting partitions I clicked on the W10 setup and was given the choice of Pro or Home.

I believe when a clean install is done with the iso since it has both Pro and Home on it, the user is given a choice because the iso has no way of knowing what (if anything) was there before. If I remember correctly Pro is listed first so it would be easy to accidently pick it.

 

The reason you were given the choice was because there was no Windows product key in the UEFI/BIOS for Windows 10 to detect. Except for the initial build 10240 - if Windows 10 detects a product key in UEFI/BIOS (or the user enters a Product Key when asked for it), Windows 10 setup will use that product key to determine which edition to install and not ask the user. Also, if Windows 10 setup detects a product key in UEFI/BIOS, it will not ask the user to enter one.

There have been many of us who have done upgrades to Windows 10 Pro on our computers that have product keys for Home in the UEFI/BIOS. When we do clean installs, Windows 10 will install Home by default, unless we put a product key for Pro in a PID.txt file to force the Pro install.

@alphanumeric will confirm this.