Question Use the same SSD on 2 different systems ?

[Segomiol]

Hi there,
I have 2 AMD PC's that I want the same SSD to work on both.
Is it possible to install Windows 10 on a SSD used by a system powered by a Ryzen 5 3600 & then use this SSD on another AMD system powered by a Ryzen 7 5700X?
AMD Motherboard :
*MSI B550 A PRO
*GIGABYTE B550M AORUS PRO P
*The SSD WD BLACK SN750 ...500GB
Thanks to all

 

[USAFRet]

Is it possible to install Windows 10 on a SSD used by a system powered by a Ryzen 5 3600 & then use this SSD on another AMD system powered by a Ryzen 7 5700X?

That is unlikely to actually work.

A Windows install is not as system agnostic as we'd all like.

Install the OS on the drive, while that drive is in the system it will live in.

 

[dwd999]

The Windows copy protection system links Windows' installation activation to a specific motherboard when Windows is installed. So moving an SSD to another system would require a change in that Windows' installation activation. Refer to activation procedures on Microsoft's website.

 

[USAFRet]

The Windows copy protection system links Windows' installation activation to a specific motherboard when Windows is installed. So moving an SSD to another system would require a change in that Windows' installation activation. Refer to activation procedures on Microsoft's website.

Its not just activation/licensing.

Also, actual operation.
Unless it is the exact same motherboard replacement....problems may arise.

 

[KingLoki]

Maybe, would it work in a dual boot type process?
Partition 1...windows fresh boot install on PC 1
Partition 2...windows fresh boot install on PC2

Then make them Dual Boot when firing up PC 1 or PC 2. and select the correct partition to suit.
One problem would be two seperate instances of windows. Not mirrored.
Of course, you will legally need two valid licences to use both pc's
Haven't tried it but just a thought???

 

[Misgar]

You might find this article entitled "Disadvantages and Limitations of using Unactivated Windows 10/11" interesting:-
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/disadvantages-and-limitations-of-unactivated-windows

Remember, the 25 alpha-numeric key used to activate Windows does not necessarily constitute a valid license to use the operating system. If the key was fraudulently obtained or mis-sold, despite unlocking and activating Windows, you will still be in breach of Microsoft's Terms and Conditions, because you do not own the license associated with that activation key. In effect, the license still belongs to someone else, not you.

Microsoft's Generic Installation keys can be used to install Windows, but I stress these keys do NOT actually activate Windows. They are Installation keys, not Activation keys. Subtle difference. Instead, Windows remains deactivated and unlicensed, but usable. Generic keys can be used by IT staff, to build images for deployment to hundreds of identical computers, which are then activated with a Volume License, or by individual Licenses.
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/generic-windows-10-product-keys-to-install-windows-10-enterprise

According to this article, you can continue to use a copy of Windows that has not been activated and does not have a valid license, but there are disadvantages.
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/how-long-can-you-use-windows-10-without-activation

Next there's the thorny question as to whether or not a super cheap $12 Windows 10/11 Pro activation key purchased from a dubious source is as "kosher" as a $199 key + license purchased on Amazon. Chances are the $12 key is a Volume License or Educational License that's been split and resold, infringing Microsoft's T's and C's.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/is-your-windows-license-legal-should-you-even-care/

Given these hurdles, it is possible to move Windows SSDs around machines, including from Intel to AMD, or AMD to Intel. Although not recommended (a new OS build per computer is best), the OS will detect new hardware at boot up and attempt to install the new drivers. It might need to access the world wide web to download a new graphics driver, but you generally end up with a working machine (with a few caveats). Whether or not all new detected hardware will function properly, is in the lap of the gods.

This is similar to creating a bootable Windows operating system on a USB memory stick.
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/create-a-windows-to-go-version-of-windows-11
https://www.techspot.com/downloads/6475-wintousb.html

The USB memory stick can be used to boot up into Windows on different machines, if you can change the boot order to USB first. Each time a new machine is detected, Windows loads the appropriate drivers from USB.

Windows Installation, Activation and Licensing are three separate terms and even Microsoft employees can't always tell the difference, giving conflicting advice. It's a minefield of legal arguments with proponents on each side, all of whom are 100% sure they're "correct".

I am not condoning the use of suspiciously cheap $12 Activation keys that probably don't include a valid License. Nor am I condoning the use of entirely free KMS hacks. As for Generic Installation keys, I leave the legitimacy of their use at home to the legal fraternity

 

[USAFRet]

Maybe, would it work in a dual boot type process?
Partition 1...windows fresh boot install on PC 1
Partition 2...windows fresh boot install on PC2

Then make them Dual Boot when firing up PC 1 or PC 2. and select the correct partition to suit.
One problem would be two seperate instances of windows. Not mirrored.
Of course, you will legally need two valid licences to use both pc's
Haven't tried it but just a thought???

Dual boot in one system is completely different than what you state in the original question.

 

[Misgar]

I have 2 AMD PC's that I want the same SSD to work on both.

By "same SSD to work on both" do you mean the same physical Windows SSD moved from one AMD computer to the other, or do you want an identical Desktop interface and the same programs on both machines?

If so, this could be achieved by cloning the Windows OS to another SSD, then moving the cloned SSD to your second machine. You'd need to reactivate Windows in the second machine with a new key+license, to remain within Microsoft's T's and C's.

Maybe, would it work in a dual boot type process?

I used to be a proponent of dual boot hard drives, e.g. with Windows 98 + Windows XP and I still have a working NC10 laptop from 2009 with XP and Windows 7. But, these dual boot drives were only used in one machine, not swapped between motherboards and different hardware. During the transistion phase from one OS to another, I liked to retain compatibility with old printers and scanners, not supported by the new OS.

I no longer build dual boot drives, now that 120GB and 240GB SATA SSDs are so cheap. If I want a backup version of my much larger Windows M.2 NVMe drives, I clone the OS partition to a SATA drive using Macrium Reflect. If Windows on the M.2 drive gets corrupted, I can reboot into the SATA drive and access all my data files stored on other physical disks in the PC.

Is it possible to install Windows 10 on a SSD used by a system powered by a Ryzen 5 3600 & then use this SSD on another AMD system powered by a Ryzen 7 5700X?

Unless you are seriously strapped for cash, I recommend using two separate Windows SSDs, one in each machine, not one Windows SSD moved back and forth. If you need to access the same files on both computers, there are better ways of sharing data, e.g. USB thumbstick, Ethernet or WiFi sharing, Cloud storage, etc.

It takes me around 15 minutes to install Windows 10 with a Local Account on a new SSD. Another 30 minutes tweaking all the Privacy settings and Power Options. Then 3 to 4 hours installing all my favourite programs. It should be possible to start from scratch and configure two machines in a day. Two SSDs, one in each machine, is a much better solution than needlessly swapping one drive around. You might end up corrupting the SSD with such antics, with the attendant risk of data loss.

Keeping data folders on two machines synchronised is relatively easy, using software such as Free File Sync.
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/file-folder-synchronization-freeware

 

[stuff and nonesense]

Swapping a drive to a new hardware set is unlikely to cause problems if you do it once, the licence if it is OEM will be invalid and a new activation/install key is likely to be required.

Swapping back and forth will mean windows finding your hardware against the last boot, seeing things are different and checking to see that things can run, each time will look like it’s being done for the first time. Things can go wrong, if they can they probably will at the worst time.

Much more reliable is to get a boot drive and a install a copy of windows for the second pc. As suggested by @Misgar synchronisation software is available.
A quick and dirty solution to the keeping the data good between the two drives (systems) is to put in a shared folder (local network share) on the main PC and use the data from the shared folder if the need for speed isn’t critical.