Moving a Windows 10 install to a new laptop

mrcheez

I have 2 partitions on my PC, Windows 7 and Windows 10 (it was Windows 8 but I got it upgraded to Windows 10 as part of the free upgrade).

I know I *SHOULD* but I don't use the Window 10 partition due to laziness and the fact that I only ever use the Windows 7 partition for Steam gaming.

I'm planning on getting a new laptop and to purchase a copy of Windows 10 Pro will set me back about €100, so can I remove Windows 10 from my desktop and use the license key on my new laptop instead?

How do I go about doing this?

Capt'n Midnight

Sorry , against the charter to talk about moving OEM windows licences.

any new laptop will have non-pro windows

for short term use you can look at using a server trial setup as a workstation for some features.


If it was a full retail windows licence (and not an upgrade of an OEM) then you can re-move and install again on the other box.

mrcheez

It wasn't OEM.

Did I mention OEM? Sorry bout that.

So moving license straightforward? The build laptop won't have any OS installed.

mrcheez

mrcheez wrote: »

It wasn't OEM.

Did I mention OEM? Sorry bout that.

So moving license straightforward? The build laptop won't have any OS installed.

Was the Windows 8 licence you upgraded on the desktop a retail or OEM one? If OEM, then the Windows 10 install is tied to the desktop. If retail you can move it without issue. May need to call Microsoft but probably not.

mrcheez

It's weird. I'm not sure where everyone is getting the OEM reference from.

My question is not related to an OEM install as I said before. I didn't buy the machine with an OS installed on it as I had my own retail copy.


The question is: how do you move it to a new computer

Most machines do come with Windows preinstalled, so the assumption of OEM isn't entirely unreasonable.

You should be able to do a clean install of Windows 10 but don't enter any product keys during setup. Once installed, go to the Settings app or run "slui 3" and enter your Windows 8 key. That's definitely the cleanest way of doing it.

But, I don't know if the terms of the upgrade offer allowed it to be transferred. In theory it should because upgrades usually inherit the prior licence, but Windows 10 has changed so much of what used to work previously.

mrcheez

Karsini wrote: »

Most machines do come with Windows preinstalled, so the assumption of OEM isn't entirely unreasonable.

You should be able to do a clean install of Windows 10 but don't enter any product keys during setup. Once installed, go to the Settings app or run "slui 3" and enter your Windows 8 key. That's definitely the cleanest way of doing it.

But, I don't know if the terms of the upgrade offer allowed it to be transferred. In theory it should because upgrades usually inherit the prior licence, but Windows 10 has changed so much of what used to work previously.

ok thanks, and the laptop is a custom build so will just have BIOS and no OS on it, so I assume I need to get a bootable USB stick ?

Also my key was for Window 8.1 ... I then upgraded to Windows 10, but the key I have is Windows 8.1.

Been a while since I installed an OS

mrcheez

mrcheez wrote: »

ok thanks, and the laptop is a custom build so will just have BIOS and no OS on it, so I assume I need to get a bootable USB stick ?

Also my key was for Window 8.1 ... I then upgraded to Windows 10, but the key I have is Windows 8.1.

Been a while since I installed an OS

You can download a media creator for Windows 10 from here. Just provide a flash drive (8GB at least): https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

dazberry

Karsini wrote: »

But, I don't know if the terms of the upgrade offer allowed it to be transferred. In theory it should because upgrades usually inherit the prior licence, but Windows 10 has changed so much of what used to work previously.

Even if the 8.1 was a retail license, the 10 upgrade is tied to the hardware it was upgraded on and can't be transferred unfortunately.

Q: What happens if I change the hardware configuration of my Windows 10 device?
A: If the hardware configuration of your Windows 10 device changes significantly (e.g. motherboard change) Windows may require re-activation on the device. This is the same experience as prior versions of Windows (e.g. Windows 7 and Windows 8.1). The free upgrade offer will not apply to activation of Windows 10 in such scenarios where hardware changes reset Activation.

link

That covers it alright. The OP is only licensed for Windows 8.1 in this case.

mrcheez

ah nuts... I guess I can transfer the Windows 8.1 over then