Windows 10: Is it possible to upgrade genuine Windows8.1 to Windows10 even after hard-disk replacement?

I had upgraded my genuine Windows8.1 to Windows10 earlier. Due to HDD problem, I had to replace my HDD and installed Windows8.1 again. Is my laptop still eligible for upgrade to Windows10 again?

:)

 

Windows10 Clean Installation with Windows8 OEM laptop

Hi,

I have this situation, i need to change the Hard disk from my laptop that have a Windows8 OEM license but it's currently upgraded to Windows10 during the free period.

The question is, if I make a clean installation of the computer on the new HDD with the Windows10 ISO will the activation remember the Windows8 key and automatically activate the OS or it will keep asking me to insert it ?

 

Windows 10 Enterprise fails to re-activate after hard disk replacement

The system is a laptop where the single hard disk failed and was replaced. Unfortunately, there was no recent, viable backup of the hard disk that could be used to restore it.

A successful clean install was made from en-gb_windows_10_business_edition_version_1803_update_jul_2018_x64_dvd_12613160.iso.

The first login used my Microsoft Work or School account but I was unable to activate it from that account.

I then created a user with my Microsoft Account (which uses the same email address) but was unable to activate it from that account either.

The laptop has a firmware-embedded activation key. It appears in the devices list for my Microsoft Account and also appears in the devices list in the Azure Active Directory which we receive as part of Office 365.

It is a commodity laptop that was supplied with Windows Home installed; upgraded to Windows Pro using Get Genuine; and upgraded to Windows Enterprise with an OS upgrade using a product key. It was regularly updated before the hard disk failure.

I had anticipated that re-activation after the hard disk replacement should have been simple!

Any pointers to where I might be going wrong? Or suggestions as to how to diagnose this? I'm a volunteer systems administrator for a Museum (non-profit / charity) and this is outside my comfort zone.

 

Replacing the hard disk

Hi,

If you are replacing the hard disk, you can still reinstall Windows 10 by performing a direct clean install using the media creation tool.

For more information on how to perform a clean install. Refer to the Use installation media to reinstall Windows 10
section on this article.

Note: Performing a clean install will remove all your personal files, drivers you installed, apps, customizations from your PC manufacturer, and changes you made to settings so we suggest that you back up all your important
and personal files.

While performing a clean install, your product key should automatically retrieved from the system but, in case you are still prompted for a product key during the installation, get the product key in advance (before doing a clean install) by following the
steps below:

• Press Windows key + S.
• Type Command Prompt.
• In the list of results, right-click on Command Prompt and select
  Run as administrator.
• Enter the administrator credentials if prompted.
• In Command Prompt window, type this command:
  
  wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
• Press Enter.
• The product key will be revealed. Copy or write it on a paper.

Also, we recommend contacting the device manufacturer for more information if your SSD is compatible with your laptop.

Merry Christmas and feel free to post back if you have other concerns.