Using cloned system drive on a different but identical computer

[jeffsteinberg2]

I own two identical Lenovo PCs that I use as HTPCs. One is in Colorado and has a partially corrupted Windows 7 operating system. The other is in Michigan and works fine. My question is, could I just clone the Michigan hard drive and install it in the Colorado computer? I understand that this would give me the same Windows Product ID on both computers. Is there some way I could change the Product ID on the new cloned Colorado hard drive back to the original for that computer? And would this create any other difficult to solve issues?

 

[ss202sl]

OS license?

 

[jeffsteinberg2]

OS license?

Windows 7 that came with the original computer. They were identical Windows 7 computers purchased from Micro Center with Windows 7 installed.

 

[dorito9000]

When you reinstall Windows onto a computer that came with Windows activated, as long as you are installing the same version of Windows, the product key will be automatically applied using what is called a digital license.

More info here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install/how-to-re-install-windows-10-without-a-product-key/523e6231-88bf-4764-8235-412f2bfc257e

 

[ss202sl]

When you reinstall Windows onto a computer that came with Windows activated, as long as you are installing the same version of Windows, the product key will be automatically applied using what is called a digital license.

More info here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install/how-to-re-install-windows-10-without-a-product-key/523e6231-88bf-4764-8235-412f2bfc257e

You're not installing, you're imaging.
http://www.sizzledcore.com/2009/10/26/how-to-change-windows-7-product-key/

 

[jeffsteinberg2]

When you reinstall Windows onto a computer that came with Windows activated, as long as you are installing the same version of Windows, the product key will be automatically applied using what is called a digital license.

More info here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install/how-to-re-install-windows-10-without-a-product-key/523e6231-88bf-4764-8235-412f2bfc257e

You're not installing, you're imaging.
http://www.sizzledcore.com/2009/10/26/how-to-change-windows-7-product-key/

 

[jeffsteinberg2]

Exactly. I'm not using the original hard drive that came with the computer, I'm cloning a hard drive that came with an identical computer. And I believe it's going to report back to Microsoft that the Product ID is the same as the Product ID that came from the computer that was the source of the clone. And there's a chance both computers will be in use at the same time. But I do have a valid second license, the one that came with the computer that is the recipient of the cloned drive. So my question is, how do I transfer that license that came with that computer onto the cloned drive?

 

[ss202sl]

After you clone the drive, and put it in the computer, it should boot up. Go here, and change the license to what the license key is for that computer - it should be on a sticker.
http://www.sizzledcore.com/2009/10/26/how-to-change-windows-7-product-key/

 

[jeffsteinberg2]

After you clone the drive, and put it in the computer, it should boot up. Go here, and change the license to what the license key is for that computer - it should be on a sticker.
http://www.sizzledcore.com/2009/10/26/how-to-change-windows-7-product-key/

I thought this solution would work but the link to change the product key is missing. So on further research I found *this*:
"Computers that come pre-installed with Windows from large manufacturers usually come with two Product Keys.

OEM SLP: This is the key that came in Windows (from the factory). It works by connecting to a BIOS flag (the SLIC table) found only on computers from that Manufacturer. It also checks for the existence of proper matching licenses in the OS itself. Once it sees both, it self-activates every time the machine is rebooted.



COA SLP: This is the key seen on the sticker located on the side, bottom or in the battery compartment of your machine. This key is for use if the OEM SLP self-activation stops working for whatever reason."

So, what I'm going to try is to clone the drive and put it in the other computer. Presumably this will generate some sort of prompt from the OS that the Product Key or the Product ID is incorrect, hopefully with some way to input the COA SLP (the Product Key on the side of my computer). That's gotta be easier than reinstalling Windows.