Windows 10: Moving system disk to new hardware, linking a license to ms account when using a domain...

Hi there.I have a couple of questions regarding moving my system disk to new hardware and I have not been able to find clear answers in the jungle of Microsoft licensing.Background:My pc is currenly running windows 10 pro but is too old to run windows 11 pro. It is originaly a windows 7 pro OEM install, later upgraded to 10 pro, and I suppose it means it is locked to the motherboard. The disk has a lot of things on it and it would be great to be able to just move it to new hardware. Question 1:If I buy and install a win10 pro retail license for the old pc, would I then be able to move the disk

:)

 

Linking Windows license with MS account - What does it do?

There's a nice and practical workaround for this.

When signed in to Windows with your local account, open any native Windows UWP app. I often use Weather app for this. Sign in to app with a Microsoft account (screenshots from Weather app):





When you have entered your MS account email, password and in case you are using two-step authentication, the verification code, click Next to add this MS account to Windows although still keeping your local account as a sign-in account:





This does not switch your Windows 10 local account to a Microsoft account. You will continue signing in to Windows with your a local account but you have now set Windows to automatically sign in to all Microsoft apps with the MS account email. Activation will now be connected to your MS account:





This allows you to transfer the license after hardware change.

 

Windows 10 retail license linked to Microsoft account

The key will still work but the Digital LIcense takes precedence until you want to change a retail license to an entirely different PC using the Product Key. Hardware changes using the DL are limited to parts changes including motherboards which require
reactivating using the Activation Troubleshooter:
Reactivating Windows 10 after a hardware change

You said you presently have the Digital License linked to an old MS account email address you changed.

I showed you how to change the email address on the same account if you haven't already used it to create a new MS Account, after which it cannot be used to change the old MS account email address since you must use a fresh email address to change MS Account
email or start a new MS account.

If you've already created the new MS account then I also showed you how to change it in Windows 10, either by converting your old MS to a Local account first so you can then change it back to the new MS Account; or by creating a new Admin MS account to move
into and then when ready delete the old MS account.

Once you are signing into Windows 10 with the new Admin MS Account, it will change the Digital LIcense to the new account.

If you have any problems navigating the steps with illustrated tutorials I gave, just ask back any questions.

 

Linking Windows license with MS account - What does it do?

That information was from Groovypost (whatever that is) pointed to by an article in an Answers.Microsoft.com forum. Both postings were by Andre Da Costa. If one has incorrect information, the other probably does, too.

So at this point I go with Cereberus' suggestion?

At this point a failure could either be that I did something wrong or that reactivation /transfer is not allowed. Is that correct? Will it be clear if reactivation is not allowed for OEM licenses?

Is there any option to do the reactivation using the product key (assuming the product key displayed by products like Belarc Advisor is accurate)?

If I have to get a new Windows license am I dead in the water until I get it? And is a new license somehow tied to a new copy of Windows or can I just activate the existing installation with the new key?