[SOLVED] Clone one PC to a second identical PC / Licensing

[tmpc1066]

I've primarily been a Mac user, but added a PC (HP zBook 15" G2) to my music setup a few years ago. I just purchased a second identical PC to use as a backup machine. My plan is to clone the original PC's drive to the second PC using Macrium. I assume that the easiest way to do this is to remove the SSD from the second PC, connect it to the first PC, clone the first PCs drive directly to the SSD, and reinstall the SSD back into the second PC. Is this Correct? However, I then have to install a different Win 10 Pro key on this second machine and am not exactly clear how this works. Can I use this full retail version from Amazon for the second key? Do I somehow use the supplied USB drive to do this? If so, how? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[lvt]

That Amazon USB doesn't mean you can use it on a second computer.

If you buy a second computer, even with the same motherboard model, it's still a different computer and you need another license (you can use the same USB key but you have to buy a separate key).

 

[tmpc1066]

That Amazon USB doesn't mean you can use it on a second computer.

If you buy a second computer, even with the same motherboard model, it's still a different computer and you need another license (you can use the same USB key but you have to buy a separate key).

Hi Ivt. Yes I understand that. I want the two machines to be identical, but I then have to put a unique OS key on the second machine. I'm asking how I go about doing that. If I start up the second machine with the cloned drive, how do I go about inputting the new key? Is it done manualy? Where and how do I do that? If I buy this USB installer from Amazon, do I even know what the key is to manually install it, or is it some how transferred to the new machine? I have only ever installed Windows once in my life and it was a new install.

 

[USAFRet]

Hi Ivt. Yes I understand that. I want the two machines to be identical, but I then have to put a unique OS key on the second machine. I'm asking how I go about doing that. If I start up the second machine with the cloned drive, how do I go about inputting the new key? Is it done manualy? Where and how do I do that? If I buy this USB installer from Amazon, do I even know what the key is to manually install it, or is it some how transferred to the new machine? I have only ever installed Windows once in my life and it was a new install.

You need to purchase another valid license.

That think you linked from Amazon is a bit shady.
$90 for a Win 10 Pro license is a bit on the cheap side to be really valid.

A Win 10 Home license is generally $100, Pro, $130.

But also, all your other software may run into licensing issues.

Doing this via a clone operation is not really recommended, even if the two systems are "identical".
Just install the OS, and then install your applications on this second system.

But....
"I just purchased a second identical PC to use as a backup machine. "
That doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

What are you actually trying to protect against? Unlikely multiple devices in the main system will fail at the same time.
Rendering this second system pretty useless.

 

[tmpc1066]

But....
"I just purchased a second identical PC to use as a backup machine. "
That doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

What are you actually trying to protect against? Unlikely multiple devices in the main system will fail at the same time.
Rendering this second system pretty useless.

Hi USAFRet. Happy 4th! You may remember me from the SSD discussion you helped me out with. This is all part of my quest to make my multi-computer music composition system immune from software companies pulling the rug out from under me. I now have two sets of two Macs (used for different purposes) each with backup SSDs that have all of my licensed software installed and authorized. So if a company goes out of business, or pulls the plug on software I need, I'm immune to it for a very long time.

You need to purchase another valid license.

That think you linked from Amazon is a bit shady.
$90 for a Win 10 Pro license is a bit on the cheap side to be really valid.

A Win 10 Home license is generally $100, Pro, $130.

If it isn't what it claims to be, I'll return it.

But also, all your other software may run into licensing issues.

Actually, it won't. I only use this for music, so the only software I have installed is what came with the OS and the music software I installed. I went through all of this with my Macs and know how to handle that.

Doing this via a clone operation is not really recommended, even if the two systems are "identical".
Just install the OS, and then install your applications on this second system.

That is a lot of work. There are a lot of settings and configuration stuff that would be a PITA to redo by hand. If there was a way to install the new OS and then clone everything else to the new system, that would work. Can that be done?

 

[USAFRet]

You can't install a bare OS, and then clone from Source to Target.

The clone is ALL of the source drive, including the OS.
The clone operation will wipe out whatever is on the drie.
And you can't clone parts of it...ex: "Everything except the OS". Doesn't work like that.

 

[tmpc1066]

UPDATE:

I installed the cloned drive in the second identical machine and it worked perfectly. I had to reauthorize some of my licensed music software (as I did on the Macs), and a few of my computer settings had to be set again, but it essentially just worked. I couldn't believe it.

All I am waiting for now is the new OS key. I returned the first one I purchased on ebay as it was shady, but am waiting for a real, sealed, retail version (it's supposed to arrive today).

Thanks for the help, everybody.

 

[tmpc1066]

As always, one more thing.

I received and installed the new Win 10 Pro retail key. However, although the computer indicated that the key change worked, I would like to verify that it did by looking at installed key and making sure it did. But, I have not been able to find a reliable way to do this.

In looking online, there a bunch of apps you can download and install to read the key, but I'm wary of installing any of them. I then tried tried two methods to read it without an app. One uses the command line, the other a vbs script. Both ran, but returned keys that were different from each other, and neither was the new key I changed it to.

In looking online for an answer to this, I found two different explanations:

1. These methods return the original key for the first OS installed on the computer. Evidently, it is stored forever.
2. The key is stored in encrypted form and that's what is returned.

Do any of you folks know of a way to do this?

 

[SkyNetRising]

Do any of you folks know of a way to do this?

If it says, it's activated, then it's activated.

Settings/Update and Security/Activation
And if your second laptop came with windows pre-installed, then you didn't need a new windows key.

 

[tmpc1066]

If it says, it's activated, then it's activated.

Settings/Update and Security/Activation
And if your second laptop came with windows pre-installed, then you didn't need a new windows key.

Hi, SkyNetRising. The new computer didn't come with an OS. To make the computers identical, I cloned the drive in my original PC to the new one. Although it ran fine and indicated that it was activated, I still wanted it to have its own key. So, I installed one through the Security/Activation window. This is the reason I want to verify which key it is actually using.

 

[USAFRet]

Hi, SkyNetRising. The new computer didn't come with an OS. To make the computers identical, I cloned the drive in my original PC to the new one. Although it ran fine and indicated that it was activated, I still wanted it to have its own key. So, I installed one through the Security/Activation window. This is the reason I want to verify which key it is actually using.

Belarc Advisor should be able to extract the specific license it is using.
https://www.belarc.com/products_belarc_advisor

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Check the activation status as shown above. Microsoft checks the hardware on a pc when windows 10 is loaded and basically logs that on their side. Each set of hardware even if identical would have its own mac addresses serial numbers etc. So if they say the 2nd pc is activated once you changed the key you should be good I think.