Moving an OEM HDD from Pre-built.

[Tigerwarrior1]

Hello Community!

So I have just built a new gaming rig and I was wondering if it is possible to move my old OEM HDD from my pre-built HP-Pavilion from 2013 and install it into the new PC. And if so, how can I execute this process?

The HDD came with Windows 8 and I took the free Windows 10 upgrade route.


-Thank you for your time.

 

[jay32267]

It's possible to move it....but I would wipe it clean at some point.

You don't want to install it as a boot drive as is. The Windows 10 that is on there is expecting your Pavilion hardware and I think there's a good chance that won't end well.

I would either wipe it and install an OS on it and use it as your boot.....or.....wipe it....and use it as a backup.

 

[Tigerwarrior1]

It's possible to move it....but I would wipe it clean at some point.

You don't want to install it as a boot drive as is. The Windows 10 that is on there is expecting your Pavilion hardware and I think there's a good chance that won't end well.

I would either wipe it and install an OS on it and use it as your boot.....or.....wipe it....and use it as a backup.

So once I've wiped it and installed it into the new PC, will it still be considered an OEM HDD and be attached to the new build until I wipe it again?

 

[jay32267]

I'm not sure I understand that.

It will be an HDD.
It can be your main C Drive HDD or you can use another drive as your C drive and use that as your D Drive.

 

[Snipergod87]

The license will not transfer over as the OEM license is tied to the old motherboard.

 

[Tigerwarrior1]

The license will not transfer over as the OEM license is tied to the old motherboard.

If I were to wipe the drive, can I still move it to a new computer without the licence? And would I just have to get a new licence then?

 

[Tigerwarrior1]

MERGED QUESTION
Question from Tigerwarrior1 : "Wipe OEM drive and just buy a new license?"

Hello Community!

I'm thinking about using my old OEM HDD as the boot drive for my new computer and I figured that the OEM license for Windows won't carry over. So I would like to know if it's possible if I can just wipe the OEM drive and buy a new Windows licence for it since the OEM license won't carry over?


Thank you for your time!

Yes, you can do that. The OEM license will be keyed to the motherboard, not the drive. In fact, I recently wiped and re-installed Windows on a couple of HP machines, and in both cases Windows activated based on the motherboard.
In your case, with a new motherboard, you'll need a new Windows license. Microsoft is often willing to manually reactivate Windows if you replace your motherboard, but probably would not in this case.

Something else to consider, if your budget permits. Using a SSD as your boot drive will give dramatically better performance. Furthermore, since spinning hard drives are mechanical devices, they do have an expected lifespan before physical failure. If the drive is more than three or four years old, it may be a risk to continue using it.
If you are able to get a SSD, I would suggest a minimum size of 250GB, although 512GB would be better; unless you only have limited uses for this system. After installing Windows on it, you can add a mechanical drive for additional data storage where the speed isn't as important but you may need high capacity.

what version of windows is it? is the licence from a brand name PC or a custom built?

what version of windows is it? is t:lol:he licence from a brand name PC or a custom built?

Well it comes from a pre-built Hp-Pavilion from 2013 and it originally started on Windows 8, then I took the free Windows 10 Home upgrade route.

what version of windows is it? is t:lol:he licence from a brand name PC or a custom built?

Well it comes from a pre-built Hp-Pavilion from 2013 and it originally started on Windows 8, then I took the free Windows 10 Home upgrade route.

right, because its a HP (brand name) PC you won't be able to reuse it.

if this was an OEM version of windows 7 or 8 you bought on your own then took the free upgrade to 10 you would be able to transfer it over but MS doesn't allow it for a licence that came from pre-built PC's

Assuming you will proceed with wiping and a new Windows license, here's a suggestion. Simply Formatting or even re-Partitioning the HDD will clean off most old stuff, but not all. Instead, do a Zero-Fill operation. To do that you need a utility suite like DBAN, which includes this tool. This process will do two things for you. One is that it over-writes with all zeroes EVERY Sector of the HDD so it is completely empty like a new drive. But secondly the process triggers an internal self-diagnostic routine on all those Sectors. Any that are found weak or failed will be replaced from a stash of known-good Sectors. When it is finished, the HDD will appear to have NO Bad Sectors just like a new drive, and you can be confident that all Sectors are reliable. THEN you proceed with the normal Install of new windows.

The Zero Fill operation takes a long time - often hours - so just be patient and do something else while you wait.

what version of windows is it? is t:lol:he licence from a brand name PC or a custom built?

Well it comes from a pre-built Hp-Pavilion from 2013 and it originally started on Windows 8, then I took the free Windows 10 Home upgrade route.

right, because its a HP (brand name) PC you won't be able to reuse it.

if this was an OEM version of windows 7 or 8 you bought on your own then took the free upgrade to 10 you would be able to transfer it over but MS doesn't allow it for a licence that came from pre-built PC's

Okay thx so much!

 

[USAFRet]

MERGED QUESTION
Question from Tigerwarrior1 : "OEM HDD Windows activation on another motherboard?"

Hello Community!

So I already know that an OEM Windows license won't carry over to another PC, but I've heard that you can re-activate it if you had to replace a motherboard due to damages.

So if you were to say to the automated phone conversation that your motherboard broke so you had to replace it, even though in reality you've placed it into a whole different PC, would the activation process go through with it? Or would there be more than just a motherboard that the OEM key is tied to?


Thank you for your time!

First, Falsifying a statement to get activation is considered as fraud, and is illegal. (Legal disclaimer)

If you removed the copy of windows from a brand name pc such as a DELL, HP, Etc....you can not. Those manufacturers produce what is called a propitiatory motherboard for their computers, which means is its VERY specific to THEIR specifications, and you can not purchase a replacement unless through them. If you did that, they would have a licensed support person do it for you. They don't usually give instructions to an end user on replacement.

tldr....If you got the windows from an HP or Dell, you likely can't and shouldn't use that on another computer, since it has specific drivers.

Hello Community!

So I already know that an OEM Windows license won't carry over to another PC, but I've heard that you can re-activate it if you had to replace a motherboard due to damages.

So if you were to say to the automated phone conversation that your motherboard broke so you had to replace it, even though in reality you've placed it into a whole different PC, would the activation process go through with it? Or would there be more than just a motherboard that the OEM key is tied to?


Thank you for your time!

Which OS is this, and where did it come from?

However, we will not help you with falsifying information just so you can save a couple of $$ on a whole new PC.

 

[bignastyid]

Please stick to 1 thread.