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Windows 10 reactivation after new hard drive
Slimy38 - 11/9/15 at 09:42 PM

I've seen a cheap SSD so I want to take the plunge, but I'm unsure what happens with reactivation. Some places say that hardware changes can be tolerated, but others suggest a hard drive or motherboard change constitutes a new PC (and therefore a new activation).

Anyone out there replaced a hard drive? I should mention this is on a laptop, so there is only one hard drive (it's not an additional drive).

gremlin1234 - 11/9/15 at 10:07 PM

hd change on its own should be fine.

MP3C - 11/9/15 at 10:25 PM

It's not, the windows activation doesn't work. You need to install/update to windows 10 first on your old hard drive to activate it then re-install on your new hard drive. We did it at work on two computers with new SSDs but had to activate them through the original windows first (make sure they are connected to the internet, it needs it for activation). might be different for other computers but it was the same for the Dell ones we have at work.

Matt

Slimy38 - 11/9/15 at 10:37 PM

It's running and active on the existing drive now, I've been using it pretty much from the first week. It'll be a reactivation on the new ssd drive that I'm unsure about.

If you were able to reactivate after swapping drives then that should be good for me too.

Thanks both.

craig1410 - 11/9/15 at 11:52 PM

It amazes me how Microsoft still put paying customers through this ridiculous dance when other OS vendors give the OS away for free. It's like the trailers and FBI warnings at the start of DVDs that paying customers have to endure but non-paying customers can avoid and just watch the movie.

Welcome to the 90's

britishtrident - 12/9/15 at 06:09 AM

If you clone the original drove using Clonrzills there should be no problkem you are allowed X number of hardware changes per year.

britishtrident - 12/9/15 at 08:00 AM

quote:
Originally posted by craig1410
It amazes me how Microsoft still put paying customers through this ridiculous dance when other OS vendors give the OS away for free. It's like the trailers and FBI warnings at the start of DVDs that paying customers have to endure but non-paying customers can avoid and just watch the movie.

Welcome to the 90's


What gets me is Microrob charge PC manufacturers based on total number built including Linux and Chrome units.

craig1410 - 12/9/15 at 08:05 AM

quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
quote:
Originally posted by craig1410
It amazes me how Microsoft still put paying customers through this ridiculous dance when other OS vendors give the OS away for free. It's like the trailers and FBI warnings at the start of DVDs that paying customers have to endure but non-paying customers can avoid and just watch the movie.

Welcome to the 90's


What gets me is Microrob charge PC manufacturers based on total number built including Linux and Chrome units.


Fortunately the Windows PC manufacturers have such healthy profit margins...must be at least 3% (or is that -3%)

coozer - 12/9/15 at 10:18 AM

Can I hijack this thread please as there seems to be some good knowledge here...

As you may be aware I tested the global shipping v very cheap Chinese tablet recently....

Its 12" and as a phone is the most ridiculous thing to have on your ear. Its dual boot and the windows 8.1 bing version updated to 10 pretty simple, but, its all in Chinese...

I followed the instruction to reinstall 10 with English native language version using a USB stick but it gets so far then asks for a product key. I don't have one, I've tried some programs that say they can reveal it and 3 times I get a different number, very random, none of them are valid..

Any advise for me please?

Ta,
Steve

britishtrident - 12/9/15 at 10:40 AM

quote:
Originally posted by coozer
Can I hijack this thread please as there seems to be some good knowledge here...

As you may be aware I tested the global shipping v very cheap Chinese tablet recently....

Its 12" and as a phone is the most ridiculous thing to have on your ear. Its dual boot and the windows 8.1 bing version updated to 10 pretty simple, but, its all in Chinese...

I followed the instruction to reinstall 10 with English native language version using a USB stick but it gets so far then asks for a product key. I don't have one, I've tried some programs that say they can reveal it and 3 times I get a different number, very random, none of them are valid..

Any advise for me please?

Ta,
Steve


Unlicensed copy, upgrades from 8.1 to 10 on consumer PC's shouldn't need the product key entered.
It is likely the Chinese manufacturer rip off a corporate copy of 8.1.

Upgrading from 8.1 to 10 even on recently model big name PC's isn't as painless as is made out. Using links provided by the manufacturer HP I recently upgraded a brand new notebook, the result was a whole list of exclamation marks in the Device Manager, after hours spent tracking down device driver there is still one I can't find.

JeffHs - 12/9/15 at 11:36 AM

I reserved 10 on Dell laptop and it failed to load 7 times. Tracked problem down to failing HD that caused loss of connection. Installed new HD with clean reinstall of 7then reserved 10 again. Downloaded next day and installed OK.
Last year my motherboard failed on desktop. Found an exact replacement from China reinstalled 7 and it wouldn't activate. I rang MS help desk and very helpful reactivated my copy of the OS

40inches - 12/9/15 at 12:30 PM

If you already have 7 or 8, then 10 is a free upgrade

cerbera - 12/9/15 at 03:20 PM

I changed to a SSD hard drive after upgrading to Windows 10. I had no issues with validating the install when I put a fresh copy of Windows 10 on the new drive. Be sure to copy down your Windows 10 key first. You can find it using software called Belarc Advisor.
HTH.

ragindave - 13/9/15 at 05:50 PM

Why we are on the subject....Installing a Kingston SSD with a clean install of windows 10, PC was previously upgraded from windows 7 on a standard hard drive the clean install on the new SSD should not need the Windows key but did I used speccy to find the serial key as I did not have one with my Windows 7 I was using.
Then the windows 10 failed to load as I had not changed the H/D setting to AHCI in the BIOS.
Second attempt clean installing Windows 10 it failed to load again telling me the drive was partitioned as a GPT and it was unable to load the OS on the drive this is far as I got as I went and cut the grass! Any ideas or help would be appreciated.

cerbera - 13/9/15 at 08:31 PM

I can't say what for sure is the problem but what I'd do is when you get to the part of the install where you choose a partition, try deleting all partitions and then create a new one. It's pretty straight forward and hopefully when Widows 10 creates a new partition it will do so to suit its install.

HTH.

gingerprince - 14/9/15 at 06:27 AM

quote:
Originally posted by coozer
Can I hijack this thread please as there seems to be some good knowledge here...

As you may be aware I tested the global shipping v very cheap Chinese tablet recently....

Its 12" and as a phone is the most ridiculous thing to have on your ear. Its dual boot and the windows 8.1 bing version updated to 10 pretty simple, but, its all in Chinese...

I followed the instruction to reinstall 10 with English native language version using a USB stick but it gets so far then asks for a product key. I don't have one, I've tried some programs that say they can reveal it and 3 times I get a different number, very random, none of them are valid..

Any advise for me please?

Ta,
Steve


I did the same with a Chinese 10". Even ran a program on my win8 install to extract the product key but it didnt work.

In the end and during the install i just kept saying "later" wjen it asked for key. When it had all done installing it activated itself. At some point during the process it must have recognised thr hardware ID and processed the license upgrade at the MS servers so i didnt need to input a code even though it kept asking.

britishtrident - 14/9/15 at 07:55 AM

I solved the missing driver issue on the HP Notebook it required installing the Intel Chipset Setup Utility rather than the Intel Chipset Update Utility.

If HP, Micro$oft and Intel can't make the process painless on a brand new "Windows 10 ready" notebook ...........................................

My Verdict on Windows 10 is it is stable but still needs Classic Shell installed for the interface to be usable.
There is another brand new PC running 8.1 in the house (an Asus all in one) it is mission critical and runs a fairly complex set up I reckon switching it 10 and getting setup again would take at least a full day.

coozer - 14/9/15 at 10:40 AM

quote:
Originally posted by gingerprince


I did the same with a Chinese 10". Even ran a program on my win8 install to extract the product key but it didnt work.

In the end and during the install i just kept saying "later" wjen it asked for key. When it had all done installing it activated itself. At some point during the process it must have recognised thr hardware ID and processed the license upgrade at the MS servers so i didnt need to input a code even though it kept asking.


That's what I read, thought it would have a skip button but it doesn't on my Onda...

Slimy38 - 14/9/15 at 11:41 AM

quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident

My Verdict on Windows 10 is it is stable but still needs Classic Shell installed for the interface to be usable.


I would put that the other way round, I find the interface quite usable (dare I say it even better than 7 in some respects?), but I've found many instances where processes have basically 'run away' with the hard drive. Hence the SSD switch to reduce the overhead. Google searches related to these activities talk about processes that are now mandatory, compared to their 7 counterparts which are optional.

prawnabie - 14/9/15 at 12:10 PM

Ive just built a mid level gaming pc after years of mac ownership (windows 7 was my last windows). I purchased an OEM win7 key and finished the build lastnight. If i am eligible for the upgrade I will upgrade and then do a clean install using the win 10 ISO. Hopefully its better than people are making out!

britishtrident - 14/9/15 at 01:53 PM

quote:
Originally posted by prawnabie
Ive just built a mid level gaming pc after years of mac ownership (windows 7 was my last windows). I purchased an OEM win7 key and finished the build lastnight. If i am eligible for the upgrade I will upgrade and then do a clean install using the win 10 ISO. Hopefully its better than people are making out!


It isn't bad (once Classic Shell is installed) it just has zero advantages over Win 7 except it will be maintained for longer into the future.
From the users view point Windows really hasn't improved since NT 4.1 which they killed off prematurely by withdrawing support.