Windows 10: Will Windows 10 Activate If I Replace Hard Drive With New One?

Hi,

I have an activated copy of Windows 10 running on my system. I am thinking of replacing my old HHD with a new SSD. I would want to do a clean install of Windows 10. My question is if Windows 10 will activate. Will it know its the same computer after I've replaced the disk drive?

Thanks.

:)

 

crashe hard drive

my windows vista hard drive crashe I replace a new hard drive in computer, can I put windows 10 on new hard drive, system has 64 bits

**Post moved by the moderator to the appropriate forum category (from
Windows | Windows Vista | Download, install, & activate to Windows | Windows 10 | Download, install, & activate | PC).**

 

Will I be able to reuse the same windows 10 activation key twice?

After you get your new Windows 10 and get it installed using the key your computer is activated. You can replace the hard drive and not loose activation. When you install on the new hard drive you will not need a key.

 

Hi there

Usually always. I've never had a problem with windows activation after replacing a HDD. Take backup image from old HDD and restore to new one. Simple - as easy as that.

Cheers
jimbo

 

Hello Sean,
Windows 10 uses digital entitlement method for activation where Your Hardware ID+Product key is stored on MS Activation servers.As soon as you install a hardware, the ID might change and your copy might be unactivated.Then you have to use Telephone activation to activate your copy.Chances are less that it should be inactivated, but you always have the option of offline activation *Smile
More details here:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/w...-in-windows-10

 

Yup, but there are hardware tolerances built-in - such that motherboard has the highest weighting, then CPU, GPU, RAM, H/SDD etc...

The former will in most cases use up the tolerance completely (although there have been instances where like-for-like replacement did not) but a combination of these 'weightings' may well. The actual weighting of each component has long been a closely kept secret tho'

 

I expect you will be fine. Two weeks ago I had Windows 10 upgraded from Windows 8.1 activated on the HDD in my Dell laptop but with some niggling problems. I installed a new SSD and did a clean install of Windows 10 (latest build). The first thing I did on logging on for the first time was to check the activation and it was already activated! *Smile

You might want to keep the old Windows 10 installation on the HDD for a while. I've bought a USB 3.0 disk caddy for mine to use it as an external drive.

 

I've done clean installs on new SSDs installed in two different laptops recently. No problems...activation was very quick. When you do the clean install, click the option for "I don't have a Product Key," or it may give you a "skip for now" option.