How to reuse a HDD or SSD with Win 10 on it

[Momo_4]

What is the fastest way to get a HDD which win is already on it and use it in another PC and install a new Windows on the new PC ?

If I erase everything on it , do I get driver issue for new win 10 installation?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Colif]

if you want to move a licence from one PC to another, follow this before and after moving it: Reactivating win 10 after new hardware

Safest way is to fresh install win 10 on new 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 screen asking for licence, click "I don't have a key" and win 10 will continue to install and reactivate once finished

On the screen where you choose where to install win 10, if it gives you an error about GPT drives, delete all the partitions on the hdd and press next. If it still gives error, cancel out of the installer and restart PC and start installer again, it will accept next on that screen this time (some PC just need a restart here)

 

[ARICH5]

assuming the said win10 was mated to the cpu/mobo. otherwise you cannot take a win10 install from a different mobo/cpu, and apply it to another install.

 

[Colif]

assuming the said win10 was mated to the cpu/mobo. otherwise you cannot take a win10 install from a different mobo/cpu, and apply it to another install.

Yes you can, if he follows the instructions in link I provided, win 10 now lets you move oem copies from one PC to another. IT has since the Anniversary edition was released last year

 

[ARICH5]

since the anniversary edition? really?

 

[ARICH5]

On the screen where you choose where to install win 10, if it gives you an error about GPT drives, delete all the partitions on the hdd and press next. If it still gives error, cancel out of the installer and restart PC and start installer again, it will accept next on that screen this time (some PC just need a restart here)

i dunno....sounds like "workaround" legal issue.

 

[ARICH5]

does tomshardware provide 'WORKAROUND" issues for win10? sketch

 

[Colif]

that isn't a work around, its a solution to a problem. What the GPT error means is he is trying to install to an MBR partition scheme on a System that Win 10 recognises has a UEFI bios and can support GPT. win 10 defaults to GPT if your PC has an UEFI bios and as such the only solution is to delete all the partitions on PC and start from unallocated space.

I didn't make it up, see step 13 here: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1950-clean-install-windows-10-a.html

 

[Deleted member 217926]

does tomshardware provide 'WORKAROUND" issues for win10? sketch

No. And neither does Colif. Did you look at the links he provided? The Micrcosoft.com and tenforums.com kinda give away that they're official.

 

[USAFRet]

does tomshardware provide 'WORKAROUND" issues for win10? sketch

Not sketchy at all. This is a function specifically built by Microsoft.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3164428/windows-build-1607-activation.html

 

[Momo_4]

Thanks for your comments, I will try that for sure.
In the command page I realized that it cannot recognize my HDD at all, HDD cannot be recognized in Bios as well , maybe it is because I wiped out everything with active@killdisk
I need to fix this in the first place , any solution for that? Thank you.

 

[Colif]

if hdd isn't seen in the bios, windows won't be able to use it. Killdisk appears to just format drives, I mean, its name implies it does more but I don't think it exterminates the disks

Have you tried the drive in another PC to see if its seen there either?