[SOLVED] Would I need to buy another Windows 10 copy?

[FinalReckoning]

Main question

I'm looking to upgrade my CPU and Motherboard (to the Ryzen 7 3700x/ASUS AM4 X570-plus), and I am unsure if I would need to purchase another Windows 10 key. Can't seem to find the old one and also wondering if I keep everything else the same but the motherboard and CPU, would the PC just work?

Extra info

I am looking to give my old Motherboard and CPU to my brother and was wondering if he upgrades just those two parts will he come into the same issue as I am with Windows 10? His PC is pre-built and not built from scratch like mine is.

Thanks for reading and answering!

 

[rocktalkrock]

If you register your current PC on a Microsoft account, your new build should activate automatically.

As for your brother, Windows is normally tied to the computer hardware, not the owner. If your old motherboard is already running an activated copy of Windows, it should still be activated for him.

 

[Colif]

One of you will have to buy a new licence.

What does it say in settings/update & security/activation, next to activation now? That will tell us what next logical step is.

if it says "Windows 10 is activated with a digital licence linked to your Microsoft account", it means your licence is linked to an email address.
If it says something else (I forget what it is) it means the licence is still linked to your old motherboard.

If it is still linked to your motherboard,

you can either attach your licence to an Email address via this - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change - and then move it to the new install by following steps further down the page.

Or you can leave the licence linked to the motherboard its on now and give it to your brother, and then you just buy a licence and use it on new PC.
If he installs win 10 all he needs to do when he gets to screen asking for licence and PC should reactivate itself since that PC has a previous activation.

 

[FinalReckoning]

One of you will have to buy a new licence.

What does it say in settings/update & security/activation, next to activation now? That will tell us what next logical step is.

if it says "Windows 10 is activated with a digital licence linked to your Microsoft account", it means your licence is linked to an email address.
If it says something else (I forget what it is) it means the licence is still linked to your old motherboard.

If it is still linked to your motherboard,

you can either attach your licence to an Email address via this - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change - and then move it to the new install by following steps further down the page.

Or you can leave the licence linked to the motherboard its on now and give it to your brother, and then you just buy a licence and use it on new PC.
If he installs win 10 all he needs to do when he gets to screen asking for licence and PC should reactivate itself since that PC has a previous activation.

So thus far, my Windows 10 is active with a digital license linked to my Microsoft account and his is just active with a digital license (we could link it to a Microsoft account I believe, didn't want to link his just in case before we moved forward), if both were link to the microsoft account, would that allow a smooth swap of parts, or still at that point one of use will have to still buy a copy of Windows 10?

 

[rocktalkrock]

I replaced the motherboard, CPU and RAM in my PC and Windows still activated automatically without any problem.

If your computers have 2 different Windows Product ID's, you should not need to buy a new copy of Windows. Just to be safe write down the 20 digit Product ID so you have it on hand if you need to enter it later.

 

[USAFRet]

So thus far, my Windows 10 is active with a digital license linked to my Microsoft account and his is just active with a digital license (we could link it to a Microsoft account I believe, didn't want to link his just in case before we moved forward), if both were link to the microsoft account, would that allow a smooth swap of parts, or still at that point one of use will have to still buy a copy of Windows 10?

You'll have 2 systems, but only one license key.
They each need their own license.

 

[Colif]

His PC, if its a pre built, what did it have on it when he got PC?
If its an upgrade from win 7 or win 8, he can link that to his email address and have a licence to move to the motherboard.
If it came with Win 10 and is from a big OEM, He may not be able to move the licence to the new motherboard. They have special licenses that only work on the PC it comes with.

There is also a complication. It doesn't happen often but it could here.
Because you want to use licence on the new PC, Microsoft still have a record of that licence linked to your old PC. So if your brother installed win 10 on your old motherboard/CPU without entering his own key and just chose "I don't have a key" on install there is a chance win 10 would activate based on the old licence.

The only way to avoid that would be to remove the device from your account after you install it on new one. https://www.howtogeek.com/250631/how-to-remove-a-device-from-your-microsoft-account/ as that will make sure the licence doesn't get used when brother installs. If he uses his own new key, it shouldn't.