Windows 10: Is changing hard drive on Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7 possible?

Discus and support Is changing hard drive on Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7 possible? in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade to solve the problem; My desktop is slow, and I want to change out the system drive to SSD. Is this possible? I do not have a Windows key as it was merely a free upgrade.... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade' started by FUState, Mar 20, 2018.

  1. FUSTATE
    FUState Win User

    Is changing hard drive on Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7 possible?


    My desktop is slow, and I want to change out the system drive to SSD.

    Is this possible? I do not have a Windows key as it was merely a free upgrade.

    Can I just clone the existing drive onto an SSD and swap? Or will windows deny me this upgrade?

    :)
     
    FUState, Mar 20, 2018
    #1
  2. JIMRATTER
    JimRatter Win User

    PC reporting hard disc problem after upgrade from windows 7 to 10

    After upgrading from windows 7 to 10 my pc is continually reporting hard drive problems. If I change the hard drive will I need to re-install windows 7 and then upgrade again? With a new hard drive, will windows think it is a different pc and require
    me to pay again for windows?
     
    JimRatter, Mar 20, 2018
    #2
  3. PV131085
    Pv131085 Win User
    Upgraded Windows 10 to new hard drive

    Hi I had upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7. But now I need to change my hard drive. Will I be able to install Windows 10 on the new hard drive and will the Windows activation servers activate the OS?
     
    Pv131085, Mar 20, 2018
    #3
  4. BREE
    Bree New Member

    Is changing hard drive on Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7 possible?

    Yes @FUState. The free upgrade stored a digital licence on Microsoft's activation servers which is tied to the unique hardware ID of the PC.

    Microsoft have explicitly stated that the HDD is not part of this hardware ID. You could even put an SDD in and do a clean install of the same edition (Home or Pro), it will still activate automatically from the digital licence.

    Changing the motherboard or the processor would cause problems, but the disk is OK to swap out.
     
    Bree, Mar 20, 2018
    #4
  5. HELMUT
    Helmut Win User
    No problem, an HDD or SSD replacement is an allowed hardware change. MS will have your Hardware IDed linked to your license.

    I always re-install Windows on a new drive as a matter of principle as cloning just transfers any problems to a new drive.
     
    Helmut, Mar 20, 2018
    #5
  6. FUSTATE
    FUState Win User
    Thanks guys.

    I'll definitely do a clean install, as this computer has problems already. The only reason I thought of cloning was in case that was the only way to do it.
     
    FUState, Mar 20, 2018
    #6
  7. BREE
    Bree New Member
    Make sure you install the same edition as before, Home or Pro. The digital licence is only valid for one edition.

    When asked for a key, click the 'I don't have one' link. Activation will happen automatically as soon as it can contact the activation servers.


    Is changing hard drive on Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7 possible? [​IMG]


    TenForums tutorial: Clean Install Windows 10
     
    Bree, Apr 4, 2018
    #7
Thema:

Is changing hard drive on Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7 possible?

Loading...

  1. Is changing hard drive on Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7 possible? - Similar Threads - changing hard drive

  2. Windows 11 upgrade and hard drive changing

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    Windows 11 upgrade and hard drive changing: I have windows 10 running on my system on HDD. Upgradation to Windows 11 is available but I want to change my drive to SSD using the same license key. Should I upgrade first then change hardware drive or vice versa?...

  3. Is it possible to upgrade from Windows 7 Enterprise to Windows 10 Home?

    in Windows 10 Ask Insider
    Is it possible to upgrade from Windows 7 Enterprise to Windows 10 Home?: As the title states: If I purchase a copy of Windows 10 will I be able to upgrade a home computer from Windows 7 Enterprise to Windows 10 Home? Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/JustinSaneV2 [link] [comments]...

  4. Win 10 from upgrade and hard drive change

    in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade
    Win 10 from upgrade and hard drive change: I have a laptop which has preinstalled win 7 on it. I upgraded to win 10 via free upgrade program and now want to change my hard drive. Question is will i be able to go back to win 10? and other one is howa can I create bootable usb flash disk if I can't download win7 iso...

  5. Windows 10 upgrade from 7 not possible

    in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade
    Windows 10 upgrade from 7 not possible: **I may need more disc space. I will finagle that and return to report** Original post: Recently I upgraded a machine from 7 to 10. No real issues. Use the same stick on this machine* and No Worky. Clicking on the Setup starts and crashes. In Task Manager the process...

  6. how to upgrade window 10 from window 7 from backup of window 10 1803 in my hard drive

    in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade
    how to upgrade window 10 from window 7 from backup of window 10 1803 in my hard drive: before installing window10 October update i create backup my window 10 1803 oprating system in my external hard drive. during installation of october update my pc failed install october update and my pc is not opening so i formate my pc.now i am using window 7. how can i...

  7. Is it possible to upgrade Windows 10 on an external hard drive?

    in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade
    Is it possible to upgrade Windows 10 on an external hard drive?: I have a "Windows To Go" hard drive (in other words, a Windows 10 Pro installion that is installed directly into an external USB hard drive), and I want to upgrade from version 1803 (RS4) to version 1809 (RS5). But when I try to update it says that I can't upgrade/install...

  8. Boot drive changed after upgrading from windows 7

    in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade
    Boot drive changed after upgrading from windows 7: I updated my daughter's Toshiba Satellite c655-s5125 Windows 7 computer to Windows 10. Now it won't boot. I am able to get to a Command prompt though. [img] [img] From what I've been able to tell it wants to boot to an X drive, but I ran diskpart , here's a pic attached. I...

  9. Hard drive reformatting from windows 7 to 10

    in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade
    Hard drive reformatting from windows 7 to 10: I have a 750 GB external hard drive with many files on it which has worked fine on windows 7. I am currently on a computer which runs windows 10 and requests formatting for it to open files, with a warning that if I format all data could be lost. Thanks for your assitance...

  10. Possible Upgrade from windows 7 to 10.

    in Windows 10 Updates and Activation
    Possible Upgrade from windows 7 to 10.: Hi I have a windows 7 OEM on my machine. I am looking to maybe install to windows 10 before the 29th. Firstly I will be making a full backup of windows 7. I understand, if I install, upgrade to windows 10, I can revert back to windows 7 within 30 days. After that there...