Will I need to buy a new OS after changing hardware

[WillT99]

Hi, I'm about to change almost every bit of hardware in my pc, the psu, cpu, motherboard, ram and hdd. I currently have windows 7 64 bit installed on my hdd, i have the activation key but no disc, how will i go about getting windows 7 onto my new pc without having to pay for another copy?

 

[atljsf]

if the windows 7 license is oem, i think you need a new license, yes, thanks to the mainboard change, the license goes attached to the serialnumber of your mainboard

about the disc, to reinstall you can use a dvd for your exact same version borrowed from someone that has it, what matters is the license key, the 25 letters and numbers is what is unique on the license, the dvd is just a media with files

if the pc is still running press windows key and the r key, this will open the run window

there write cmd and press enter

in there write

slmgr /dlv

this will run a command that later will tell you lots of details about your license, if in no part of that small white windows says anything about retail windows, you will probably need another license for the new mainboard

 

[Zerk2012]

Depending on what parts you use you might need to update to W10 anyhow.
Windows is bound to the motherboard you can download the ISO from here and see if your old code will activate but you might need to purchase a new copy of windows .
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows7
You will need to back up any data you can't replace and do a fresh install.

 

[WillT99]

I do not believe anyone has a disc that i can borrow, is there anyway to download an iso file online and burn it to an empty disc? Also i should've stated that I have changed my motherboard before and only had to re-enter the activation key and it worked fine, but I'm worried that won't work this time if im changing hdd too.
Do you know how much a windows 7 license costs these days?

 

[USAFRet]

I do not believe anyone has a disc that i can borrow, is there anyway to download an iso file online and burn it to an empty disc? Also i should've stated that I have changed my motherboard before and only had to re-enter the activation key and it worked fine, but I'm worried that won't work this time if im changing hdd too.
Do you know how much a windows 7 license costs these days?

If you have the license key (non-OEM), you can download the Win 7 ISO direct from Microsoft.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows7

 

[WillT99]

Fresh install is good, how would I go about upgrading to windows 10 if i needed to, and how would i put a OS onto a new hdd, i have never done this before, I can post my desired build if it would help

 

[atljsf]

if you already changed mainboard, then the key must be retail, you can change everything then, the hard disk doesn't matter

use the link mentioned previously to download the iso

i wouldn't burn a iso, it is simpler to make a usb bootable stick with the iso

many guides on how to do it on internet, simplest way is use diskpart

 

[WillT99]

Awesome! Can a retail version be transferred unlimited times?

Also, my desired build:

Psu - Corsair Cp 9020097 550W
Motherboard - Gigabyte H110M-S2H
Hdd - WD blue 1TB SATA 7200rpm 6GB/S
Cpu - Intel core skylake i5/6500 3.2Ghz
Gpu - Zotac Gtx 1060 3gb
Ram - 16Gb Ddr4 single ranked 2133Mhz
Would these parts all work together and be decently good at running high end games?

 

[atljsf]

retail can be moved many many times without issues

the mainboard only supports the speed you are buying but try to make it a dual channel solution so buy a kit, 2x8gbs kit

also, i would buy tis the 6gb version of that gpu

 

[WillT99]

Okay thanks! Best website ever, so much help and so quickly! Thanks everyone for all the help.

 

[WillT99]

I just used the link previously mentioned to try and download the windows 7 iso but when i entered my product key it said 'error the product key you entered appears to be for software which was pre-installed by the device manufacturer' Even though I have previously used this key to reactivate windows when i replaced my motherboard a few months ago.

 

[USAFRet]

I just used the link previously mentioned to try and download the windows 7 iso but when i entered my product key it said 'error the product key you entered appears to be for software which was pre-installed by the device manufacturer' Even though I have previously used this key to reactivate windows when i replaced my motherboard a few months ago.

OK...that indicates that it IS an OEM license.
The fact that it worked for a motherboard replacement in the past is no guarantee that it will do so again this time.

 

[Ditt44]

And as an example of MS screwy-ness.... I have an OEM version of Windows7-64 I purchased for a new build in 2011. I just upgraded from an AM3+ build to AM4. Everything is new except the GPU. I installed from disc without issue. Once I was running and redoing configs and setting up the machine, I was getting the "unauthenticated" warning and the machine would reboot every few minutes. Once I had things squared away, after a reboot, I was prompted to once again authenticate via the web. I did so and within 30 seconds I was 'authentic' and off and running as normal.

Your mileage may vary, but just a note that OEM *might* actually work, six years later... on an entirely new build.