Bought used E6440 and then used SSHD from different laptop. What next?

[fox_alive]

Hi everyone,

I have a used laptop, a Dell E6440 and used 500GB SSHD that I'm 99% has not been wiped.

Basically, what can I do to make this operational without spending any money?

I have an older Studio 1558 with Windows 10 on it so if it is possible to put that on this E6440 that be great but if not, I'm happy if I can just use it with Linux. I have all my files I want off my 1558.

Lastly, I have a computer at work I use for important things and grad school work so this will just be a computer for playing music ect. at home.

 

[Colif]

if the studio 1558 was originally installed with 7 or 8, you can move that licence onto other PC. This page shows what you need to do - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change

On another PC, download the Windows 10 media creation tool and use it to make a win 10 installer on USB

change boot order in BIOS so USB is first, hdd second
boot from installer
follow this guide: http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1950-windows-10-clean-install.html
when you reach the screen asking for licence, click "I don't have a key" and win 10 will continue to install and then you need to follow a 2nd part of the reactivating link I showed above to link PC to licence. If you use the username linked to email address licence is attached to as user on PC, it might speed up activation on new one.

If studio had Win 10 on it originally, then you can't move the licence as Dell have special licences that only work on their hardware.

win 10 will deactivate on studio once licence is moved, don't use it again or it will confuse the activation servers and may deactivate new PC.

 

[fox_alive]

Hi thanks so much Colif. Once I pick the USB first will I be able to use that as my storage until I am able to wipe the hdd on the laptop?

 

[Colif]

Hi thanks so much Colif. Once I pick the USB first will I be able to use that as my storage until I am able to wipe the hdd on the laptop?

What do you want to store on USB? If you boot off the USB created by Media creation tool, ir will create a ram disk on your PC until you show it which drives you want to fresh install win 10 on to. IT will then copy itself onto the boot drive and ask for a restart. from here on it uses the boot drive.

Whether you can use USB for extra storage is up to you, i think the current installer is only 3.9gb so if you use a large USB it will have plenty of blank space.I normally just have installer on the USB but i have a few spare USB 2 drives lying around.

 

[fox_alive]

I don't really want to store anything I just didn't know it would be possible to do all of this without a hardrive physically in the laptop. I'm assuming it is?

 

[Colif]

well, you do need the hdd in laptop or a hdd in laptop to actually install windows onto.