Windows 10: How to Migrate Windows 10 upgrade to new PC with Windows7 Retail disc?

Question 1:
I own a windows 7 retail disc copy which i can use to reinstall and activate on a fresh new pc,migrating my license to that new pc. But if I free upgrade to windows 10 on my old PC running windows 7 once, then will I be able to migrate Windows 10 onto a new PC by installing Windows 7 using retail disc and then again upgrade to windows 10 on that new PC? Or is Windows 10 upgrade once installed, not transferable, even if I own a transferable retail copy of Windows 7?
Question 2:
If transferring Windows 10 using Windows 7 retail copy is possible, then is it mandatory that I must migrate within the free upgrade offer period to new PC? Or once if I used a Windows 7 copy to make the upgrade on a PC, the Windows 10 license gets attached to the base Windows 7 license and I could migrate the Windows 10 copy to a new PC at any time(and not just the upgrade offer period)?

:)

 

Windows Activation

Was the copy of Windows 10 an OEM licence and was this installed on your PC pre-motherboard upgrade?

If so then you will need to buy a new copy of Windows 10. OEM licencing essentially lives and dies with the motherboard. Single machine, single use, can't be migrated to a new machine (motherboard).

If it was a retail licence these have some additional rights and can be migrated.

 

Windows 7 and Windows 10 on septate machines with same serial?

You dont' say if this is a free Upgrade of Windows 7 to WIndows 10. We need to know that. Otherwise how was it activated?

If Winodws 10 was Upgraded from Windows 7 then the free 10 license depends upon the Windows 7 license not being used as long as 7 is being used to qualify for 10 for free.

At any time you can go back to Windows7 on the upgraded PC. For 30 days you can use the Go Back to Windows 7 in Recovery settings, after that you'd need to

Clean Reinstall Windows 7. Smart users always save a backup image of their OS's to use in place of Reinstall, and these also hold Activation.

Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

In addition you can return to Windows 10 at any time on the upgraded PC since it's free license will be permanently associated with that hardware which is checked each time it is activated.

You wouldn't be able to legally under the EULA migrate a retail Copy of WIndows 7 to another PC as long as it is qualifying for the free Windows 10. If you delete WIndows 10 then you can go back to Windows 7 or if retail migrate it.

If WIndows 7 came preinstalled on the PC from the factory then you cannot migrate it anyway - it lives and dies with the motherboard it was first installed on, as with OEM retail version.

I hope this answers you questions. If not please tell us what you're doing better.

 

It is not legal to use the same Windows 7 license on two different PCs, period.

 

I'm not gonna use the license simultaneously on both PCs. I'll erase it on one pc and install it on another.

 

Microsoft still does not like that. Technically you might be able to do it, but legally you can not do it.

 

Rocky, that's absolutely wrong. He has a Windows 7 *RETAIL* license. This allows you explicitly to transfer the license to another computer.

 

I tried to do that recently but I got a message from Microsoft that I could not do it. Maybe my license is different.

 

Did you buy a boxed copy? If not, then you don't have a retail license. Microsoft also doesn't send messages to people about your license. It may claim that the OS isn't genuine, but that's a different situation and many things can trip that.

 

With Windows 7 you could install the license key on another motherboard/cpu but you would then need to activate it - as Windows 7. You probably would need to call Microsoft and inform them that you need to activate the new motherboard (I believe the motherboard is the anchor for the license). I did this a couple times, you might have to say the motherboard is defective, but an upgrade should be sufficient since they will deactivate the old motherboard. Then you could upgrade this system to Windows 10.

Once you upgrade this system to Windows 10, from all the reading I have done recently, the Win10 license is tied to the equipment i.e. motherboard/cpu. You might get away with a cpu upgrade on the same motherboard, but a new motherboard would require new activation and new equipment is not eligible - again the Win10 license is tied to the equipment i.e. motherboard/cpu.. One exception might be if the board did fail and you got the same model. Calling Microsoft you might get the guy to activate with a good story, but I would not count on it.

So the strategy would be to wait till you get the new motherboard/cpu install Win7 and activate Win7 then upgrade to Win10 before the year is up. I will probably build a new system before the year is up and do this. I have one unused Win7 Home Premium license, but I read tonight that could only upgrade to Win10 Home. I would prefer Win10 Pro. I have 3 systems that are dual-boot Win7 Home Premium and Win 8.1 Pro, so I may upgrade one of these from Win7 and not Win 8.1, so I could use that license for my new system and get Win10 Pro.