[SOLVED] Cloning windows drive for old pc

kingbowcat

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Oct 9, 2019
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If I clone my windows 10 to a new ssd and use in my old pc will the two versions conflict? Like with updates or you allowed to do this. Also the hardware is all different if that makes a difference?

Thanks.
 
Solution
But say if i change extensive hardware how do I keep the windows 10? or do I have to reinstall windows?
A major hardware change generally indicates a clean install.

3 possibilities:
  1. It boots up just fine
  2. It fails completely
  3. It boots up, but you're chasing issues for weeks

I've seen all 3.

With new hardware (motherboard) a clean install is always recommended, often required.
Basically if you bind a microsoft account to your windows 10 you can skip the whole cloning part and just install windows 10 normally and use your account to activate windows 10 on the old system.
As USAFRet already mentioned you might get problems when using the same activation on two different systems.
Since MS is really trying hard to get windows on as many machines as possible while giving legal users as little trouble as possible the chance is pretty slim but it's still possible.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
 

DSzymborski

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Moderator
Basically if you bind a microsoft account to your windows 10 you can skip the whole cloning part and just install windows 10 normally and use your account to activate windows 10 on the old system.
As USAFRet already mentioned you might get problems when using the same activation on two different systems.
Since MS is really trying hard to get windows on as many machines as possible while giving legal users as little trouble as possible the chance is pretty slim but it's still possible.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change

Microsoft is being quite liberal with upgrades and licensing of even OEM versions, but they're still quite strict about not having the same Windows license being used on two systems simultaneously.
 

USAFRet

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Moderator
But say if i change extensive hardware how do I keep the windows 10? or do I have to reinstall windows?
A major hardware change generally indicates a clean install.

3 possibilities:
  1. It boots up just fine
  2. It fails completely
  3. It boots up, but you're chasing issues for weeks

I've seen all 3.

With new hardware (motherboard) a clean install is always recommended, often required.
 
Solution

kingbowcat

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Oct 9, 2019
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And the install is a whole different concept than the licensing.
2 separate concepts you need to deal with.

Ok thank you, I will re install. I linked a microsoft account with my activated code so when i'm reinstalling it will ask me for the microsoft account and when I log in it will see my code? And to reinstall windows can I use my windows restore flash drive? which I had in case windows broke somehow. Or is there a proper way to do it?
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
For the reinstall, NOT your restore thing.

This: