Windows 10: I sell my PC and make a new one from parts. Can I keep my license ?

I've changed the RAM and hard drive on a test box, clean installed Win 10 and it activated. I shall be changing the CPU at some point this week to see if activation sticks.

 

All correct except for the needing the key part. You can clean install without it. You just click skip when asked to enter it. If you have already done the free upgrade on that PC, and are installing the same version you got with the free upgrade, it will activate. Google your key and you'll likely find out its the same generic key we all got as part of the free upgrade. My 4 PC's had the same 10 Pro key posted on these forums. You can enter it if you want though. I do it automatically with a PID.txt file on my install media to speed things up and save having to click skip. You'll get the skip prompt at least twice.

 

Are you also using the Technical Preview version ?

 

I'll be very honest and direct here. During the TP time frame there weren't so many users, and most of them were professional, and they wouldn't have any problems with understanding. Most of the answers were answered very good and were good structured and were backed up with official information. Now most of the answers were 'probably', or 'I thing', or 'should' and so on. If you don't know the answer, don't answer. Technical questions aren't meant to be answered with opinions, they are meant to be answered with solutions. *Wink

To be honest, the impression that it gave me is that users post just to increase post count, which is BAD on a forum. Now I get that my question wasn't very detailed but it's 100% understandable. I have a PC, I want to sell it but I want to keep my license for the PC I'm going to buy. It's a simple as that.

Not to clear up some stuff here. A license is not a key. A license is a license and a key is a key. Two different things. I have a license (actually more, because I own multiple PCs, but whatever), but I don't have a key.

There are 'keys' on upgraded versions, but they are 'generic keys', all PCs share the same keys (there may be more than one that are spread on all upgraded PCs, some for x64, some for x86, some for Pro, some for Enterprise, some upgraded from 7, some from 8 etc). Now you may have noticed that my statement includes 'may', and that's because I'm not professional.

In the end I get back to that. My question was very simple. 'Can I transfer my license from one PC to another ?', or 'Can I keep my license if I throw away my current PC and build another ?'

Hope I'm clear,

 

the win8.1 key that is/was in my bios is different than the one that shows now with a key finder ,on the fresh install of win10 I have .I installed win8.1 on a new hdd ,it found the key in the bios ,I then upgraded to win10 and activated win10 ,it then showed a different key than the original win8.1 bios key, I then formatted the drive and did a clean install of win10,and the key that shows now it not the same as the bios win8 key ,,,,,so Microsoft issued me a new win10 key ,,, in a few days I'm going to change hdd and do a install of win8 .1 and to see if it uses the bios key ,I'm assuming it will do things this way

 

that's laughable, do you also have an aluminum hat

 

yes ,likely ,if you sold the computer with out the os installed on it ,but if you left it install on the sold computer ,then NO you can use it on the new computer

 

I doubt there are people that aren't happy with a free upgrade to Windows 10. And if they are, Microsoft provided ways to revert the upgrade.

 

No. Not in your case.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Usete...10_English.htm

 

Marron ... Someone already mention to you . The license is the key . They aren't 2 different things ... Software have a code of numbers ( key ) that is the license part . Just like a car has numbers/letters on the plate, that is the license . Its the samething ... But back to your question , yes or no you want to know whether you can re use your windows 10 Technical Preview version license key again, right ?

 

It doesn't say that the device can't change, so why is it not possible in my case ?

Likely how ?

 

I got the generic Windows 10 Pro key on all 4 of my upgrades. My two laptops have Windows 8.0 OEM embedded keys but were both running 8.1 Pro with my MSDN keys. After the upgrade showkey listed all three keys. If you install the correct version of Windows 8.1 it will use the embedded key automatically. I've verified it myself. My MSDN ISO's install 8.1 Core automatically without a prompt to enter a key. They activate online with no issues too. Same deal if I install Windows 8.1 from the Media Creation Tool, no prompt to enter a key and auto activation. It's only if I try to install 8.1 Pro that I get asked for a key. My two desktop PC's don't have embedded keys, they also got the same generic 10 Pro key after the upgrade.

 

Marron - how about items 4a and 4b in the terms halasz linked to. I've reread the thread and I still don't know "what license". Is it a stand alone license or is it a license that was preinstalled? Your question is simple but can't be accurately answered without sufficient data.

 

From what I know you have access to my PC specs. Now can a custom built PC come with OS already installed ? It can't.
And you said that you read the whole thread. Well I said that it's the license Microsoft gave me for being an insider.

 

Because you didn't buy or upgrade from a stand-alone (i.e. Retail) license. You can hack your way around it but you aren't entitled (as I read it anyway).