Windows 10: Possible problems with selling my PC with win10 license linked to my MS account + adding a...

Hi,

My current situation

1 PC with preinstalled win10 on HDD

2 Moved windows to a SDD on the same PC, win10 was reactivated by itself. The license is connect to my MS account


Now I'm planning to sell that PC while moving the SDD and installed programs to a new PC.

So the plan is to

-Reinstall the HDD in the old PC, reinstall windows and sell it including the original win10 license to a new user

-Move the SDD to a new PC (in order to avoid a reinstall on my current setup), assume that the license would be invalid due to the motherboard change, buy a new license key and reactive windows on the new PC without reinstalling windows.


1. Will it work to move the SDD and just reactive with a new key or do I have to reinstall it anyway?

2. Will there be any conflict with the accounts on the old PC/original license since it currently says that my ms account is linked to the license? (the same account that will be used on the new PC). Do I have to unlink in some way or will it just work the new users account?

:)

 

Selling PC with Windows license

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I want to sell a PC to my brother and I want the Windows license to go with it. I have all the parts for a replacement PC that I will build in a few days and for that I will buy a new Windows license. I guess the
questions I have are:

1. How do I transfer a Windows license to another person, or is that possible with current licensing rules? The hardware that the license runs on would be the same, just a different person. I don't know if he has a Microsoft account, but we can set one up
   if necessary. This license was originally bought as Windows 7 and then converted to a Windows 10 license. I don't remember if it was an OEM or retail copy or if that is important.
2. Since I'm building another PC which will need a Windows license, would it just be easier to transfer the license I currently own to the new PC and buy a new license for my brother? In that case, the license would stay with the same person (me) and the same
   Microsoft account, but will run on all new hardware.

 

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.

 

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


Overthinking or not, I've run into a problem. I switched to login in with the Microsoft account on the PC in question and my linked it to my Microsoft account. The account now shows that PC with its old motherboard. I've now replaced the motherboard and tried re-activating Windows using the Activation Troubleshooter. The troubleshooter does something for a while, asks for my password, spins its wheel again for a while and then reports that there is a problem with the server and I should try again in a few minutes. I tried twice more over a 15 minute period with the same results.

I know coincidences happen and somebody would be trying re-activation when the server is down, but I also know that error messages like that sometimes really mean "Something went wrong". Do I just keep retrying or should I try another route? An earlier post suggested calling MS support but I usually end up very frustrated with phone support (for any product).

Update (delayed by a 6 hour cable outage):

I got a little further. (It apparently was a server outage.) The Activation Troubleshooter process found my linked PC (based on computer name, I guess) and displayed my old motherboard. It gave me the option to activate so I took it. In a few seconds said it could not process the request. No mention of server process; no suggestion that I try later; no explanation at all. It did suggest I could purchase a valid license at the MS Store.