Windows 10: moving old hdd to new computer

I have an old computer with a bad motherboard that I am thinking about taking the hdd out of and reinstalling it in a new computer and duel booting between win7 and win10, my question is "can it be done"?

:)

 

Moving my Win 10 HDD to a new computer [new Mobo]. What should I expect?

The ability to transfer will depend on what type of Windows 10 license you have.

If its a full retail copy, yes you can.

If its the free upgrade from a retail copy of Windows 7 or 8, yes you can.

If its the free upgrade from a OEM copy of Windows 7 or 8, no you can't.

Learn more:

How to Transfer your Windows 10 License to a New
Computer

 

Moving my Win 10 HDD to a new computer [new Mobo]. What should I expect?

Dear sir ,

thanks for your clear and concise answer. I wish all tech questions were answered like this!

Best regards,

Steve

 

If your plan is to erase the drive and clean install then, yes, it can be done.

But my guess, from the thread title, is what you want to do is move the drive, connect it to the new PC, boot from the drive (with no changes to it), and expect it to work. And in that case, no, it's most likely NOT going to work.

Why?

Because each Windows install has its own drivers and since the hardware on the new PC is likely very different from the hardware on the old PC, the drivers carried over will not work. Best case, it will boot into a desktop, allowing you to replace the drivers. Worst case, it will not boot into a desktop at all -- due to incompatible video drivers.

 

It may be possible.

First question: is it a retail license or an OEM one (what you usually get with a PC system purchase)? If it's an SLP OEM one (custom Windows installer reads a code in the PC's BIOS), then it's basically impossible. If it's a generic OEM license, it against the rules, and it probably won't activate.

If it's a legally transferrable license, it's possible that you could swap the HD, Windows would recognize the hardware change, it would work without any additional effort.

Plan B: use Sysprep. That's a command line tool traditionally used to genericize Windows for installation in corporate environments. You use it to save a copy of your OS that has the drivers stripped out. Plug the drive into the new PC, install drivers, and off you go.

Plan C: use a migration utility. Acronis sells a utility that allows you to image a Windows partition, and restore it to different hardware. I've never used it. (It'd also require another drive, USB or other, large enough to hold the image, typically tens of GB or larger.)

Short answer: if you have a legally transferrable Win 7 installation, you may also have installation media for it. (Or, at least a license key. Last I looked, there were legitimate download sources online for the Win 7 installers.)

If you don't, there may be a more convenient way to pirate Win 10. I know nothing about that.