[SOLVED] Do I need to re-purchase windows?

[thetartfart]

I had taken apart a prebuilt computer and had the parts sitting around for a while, I got a brand new hard drive in it and took the old one out, all of the other parts are the same, but now my computer doesn't have windows. Do I need to repurchase it for over $100, or just download the installation media?

 

[USAFRet]

I had taken apart a prebuilt computer and had the parts sitting around for a while, I got a brand new hard drive in it and took the old one out, all of the other parts are the same, but now my computer doesn't have windows. Do I need to repurchase it for over $100, or just download the installation media?

This system had Win 10 originally?
If so, no new purchase needed.

Create a WIn 10 USB.
Here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Put the new drive in, and:

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[thetartfart]

Yes, It had windows ten before. But, I took the old hard drive from that computer into my new one, and used that one, hence why there is a new hard drive in this one. I reactivated windows in the new PC, so do I reactivate in the other PC too?

 

[USAFRet]

Yes, It had windows ten before. But, I took the old hard drive from that computer into my new one, and used that one, hence why there is a new hard drive in this one. I reactivated windows in the new PC, so do I reactivate in the other PC too?

You had/have ONE OS license.
You can't use that in 2 systems.

2 systems = you need to buy another license.
Or, leave it unactivated with the small restrictions an Unactivated Win 10 has.

 

[thetartfart]

So another license is only ~25$, not over $100? Therefore I install the free version, and then activate it for ~$25?

 

[USAFRet]

So another license is only ~25$, not over $100? Therefore I install the free version, and then activate it for ~$25?

No, a valid license is not $25.
Windows costs what it costs. And $25 is not it.