Deactivating Windows 10 retail upgrade license before upgrading motherboard

[Joseph DeGarmo]

I want to upgrade from a MicroATX motherboard to an SLI-ready ATX motherboard. The new motherboard will have the same chipset and the CPU will remain the same. According to Microsoft, since I upgraded my Windows 8.1 Pro retail license to Windows 10, I should be able to transfer the license to a new motherboard. I already have the Windows 10 product key and created a bootable DVD. Do I need to deactivate Windows from my old motherboard first? If so, how should this be done? Will this transfer be considered legit or will there be issues activating the product key on the new motherboard?

 

[USAFRet]

There is no actual 'deactivate' that tells MS central that this particular license is now not used.
The commonly quoted cmd function merely tells this registry that it no longer has a OS license.

Now...what does that mean in relation to Win 8.1 upgraded to Windows 10.

From the Win 10 EULA:

According to this, you should be fine.
Since this is uncharted territory, you get to be one of the test cases.

Try it, and let us know how it goes.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

I remembered when I upgraded the CPU and motherboard from an old LGA 1366 setup while using the Windows 8.1 retail license. I only needed to go through a phone automated activation process to activate Windows on the new motherboard last year. So is it safe to say that the same procedure is done on Windows 10? I'm upgrading to a Sabertooth Z97 motherboard, so it will be a different manufacturer.

 

[USAFRet]

"Is it safe to say..."

As noted, this is uncharted territory.
Whole new motherboard probably/usually means a new clean installation. How does this impact the activation? Probably will need to reactivate.
How, exactly? Uncharted territory with Windows 10.

 

[kyllien]

In the license, technically your new motherboard counts as a new computer. Is you purchased a retail copy of Windows 8.1 (not an upgrade) you can move the license to the new computer. Then you can upgrade to Windows 10. If however your Windows 8.1 license is OEM you cannot move it to a new computer and would need to purchase a new license.

If your Retail Windows 8.1 was an upgrade license you would then need to go back to the operating system you originally purchased as a full OS. If your last Full OS was Windows 7 you need to reinstall Windows 7 then upgrade to Windows 10. If your last Full OS was Windows XP you will need to purchase a full Windows 10 license.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

I did a clean install during the previous motherboard swap and I do plan to do a clean install with this one as well. Will I need to format the hard drive and remove all Windows partitions using a Ubuntu installer first? I recently tried a clean reinstall and received an error due to a pre-existing Windows partition.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

In the license, technically your new motherboard counts as a new computer. Is you purchased a retail copy of Windows 8.1 (not an upgrade) you can move the license to the new computer. Then you can upgrade to Windows 10. If however your Windows 8.1 license is OEM you cannot move it to a new computer and would need to purchase a new license.

If your Retail Windows 8.1 was an upgrade license you would then need to go back to the operating system you originally purchased as a full OS. If your last Full OS was Windows 7 you need to reinstall Windows 7 then upgrade to Windows 10. If your last Full OS was Windows XP you will need to purchase a full Windows 10 license.

My previous Windows installation is Windows 8.1 retail and I already upgraded to Windows 10. So will I be fine reinstalling Windows 10 from a bootable DVD? Or do I need to reinstall Windows 8.1?

 

[USAFRet]

My previous Windows installation is Windows 8.1 retail and I already upgraded to Windows 10. So will I be fine reinstalling Windows 10 from a bootable DVD? Or do I need to reinstall Windows 8.1?

You are a test case. Try it and see what happens.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

OK, will do so. If I have issues with installing Windows 10 from the DVD, then I'll install Windows 8.1 first, then upgrade to Windows 10.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

So if I install Windows 10 on my current motherboard, and later buy a new one when Skylake comes out, can I install it again without rebuying?

 

[USAFRet]

OK, will do so. If I have issues with installing Windows 10 from the DVD, then I'll install Windows 8.1 first, then upgrade to Windows 10.

And please let us know how it goes. Several people have asked the same.

The OS has only been out for 3 days. I've not seen any documented cases of anyone Upgrading to 10, and then swapping motherboards.

 

[USAFRet]

So if I install Windows 10 on my current motherboard, and later buy a new one when Skylake comes out, can I install it again without rebuying?

Did you see the above comment about "uncharted territory" ?
Until someone actually does it and reports back, we do not know.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

So if I install Windows 10 on my current motherboard, and later buy a new one when Skylake comes out, can I install it again without rebuying?

Did you see the above comment about "uncharted territory" ?
Until someone actually does it and reports back, we do not know.

According to the EULA, it says you can transfer it to another device. My guess is that if you already installed WIndows 10 on computer A, when you start to install Windows 10 on Computer B, it'll say, "This is already installed on Computer A. Do you want to deactivate computer A and install on this computer (B)?"

But then again, the question remains how it would actually know if you installed on Computer A already, because what if you simply duplicate the ISO and create 2 bootable disks... Like if it writes data to your boot disk/USB that records where it was already installed on what MAC address motherboard. I don't know it gets too complex in my head.

 

[USAFRet]

My guess is...

Until someone actually does it and goes through the process, it is ALL a guess.
We've done this exactly as many times as you have. Precisely zero times.

According to the EULA I copied above, it merely says "you must remove from the prior device". Nothing about 'deactivate'.
And it never has said anything about 'deactivate'. Not in Win 8/8.1/7, whatever. Simply "remove".

 

[turkey3_scratch]

My guess is...

Until someone actually does it and goes through the process, it is ALL a guess.
We've done this exactly as many times as you have. Precisely zero times.

According to the EULA I copied above, it merely says "you must remove from the prior device". Nothing about 'deactivate'.
And it never has said anything about 'deactivate'. Not in Win 8/8.1/7, whatever. Simply "remove".

Hmm, I'm not exactly sure how you "remove Windows" with Windows actually knowing. How will it know if I simply reformat my HDD and zero it out? And I know what you're going to say, "It's all speculation" but yeah that's what people do - speculate.

 

[USAFRet]

My guess is...

Until someone actually does it and goes through the process, it is ALL a guess.
We've done this exactly as many times as you have. Precisely zero times.

According to the EULA I copied above, it merely says "you must remove from the prior device". Nothing about 'deactivate'.
And it never has said anything about 'deactivate'. Not in Win 8/8.1/7, whatever. Simply "remove".

Hmm, I'm not exactly sure how you "remove Windows" with Windows actually knowing. How will it know if I simply reformat my HDD and zero it out? And I know what you're going to say, "It's all speculation" but yeah that's what people do - speculate.

It 'knows' because that particular instance never ever contacts Microsoft again.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Oh so what probably happens is that if you install it on computer B, you won't be able to boot to Windows anymore on computer A. But then again another question revolves around if Computer A does not have Internet access, in which Microsoft may think it is uninstalled for receiving no input, but really is still running. But then again who wants a PC with no Inernet.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

All right, my people, I'm ordering the parts tomorrow. I'll try the motherboard upgrade without reinstalling Windows, then perform a clean install in recovery options. Someone on another thread reported that after replacing the hard drive, Windows 10 would not activate. He had to install Windows 8.1, then upgrade to Windows 10. I'll report back with the results in a few days.