Transferring Windows 10 to a newly built PC.

21stCentury

Hi, H/A. I'm building a new PC and i'm wondering if i can transfer my Windows 10 license somehow. I was told that was a possibility.

I had Win7 and got the free upgrade to Win10 when that was a thing. My License is linked to my Windows account and, after looking a bit, i think that means i don't have an activation key, correct? How would I go and transfer the license, though? I saw ways that work when you know your product activation key but i don't think i have one anymore since i upgraded.

Thanks in advance!

Phoenix-D

You call MS and hope. They'll probably say no.

Mugsley

There are some utilities you can grab that can dig up your activation key, I just don't remember them.

All you need to do is log into your MS account on the new Win10 install and it should activate. Windows will ask during install, and you can do it then or defer until after install is done.

Rius

If you had a retail copy of Win7, install Win10 on the new machine and when prompted for a license key, use your Win7 key. That's what I did when I built my new PC and it worked just fine.

If you had an OEM license of Win7, that's another story.

21stCentury

Rius wrote: »

If you had a retail copy of Win7, install Win10 on the new machine and when prompted for a license key, use your Win7 key. That's what I did when I built my new PC and it worked just fine.

If you had an OEM license of Win7, that's another story.

Fffuck, i lost that one i'm pretty sure.

Jebus314

A quick google search suggest ShowKeyPlus is probably what you are looking for. It should display your current activation key and hopefully your original windows 7 activation key. Be careful with the windows 10 key as it may be just a generic one that indicates you updated from a previous legitimate version of windows.

If ShowKeyPlus fails to find your old product key I would do the Microsoft account thing. Which is to say link your current computers account with a Microsoft account. That will tie your legitimate copy of windows to your account. Then use the same account when installing windows 10 on the new computer. At which point it may complain about new hardware, so you call Microsoft and ask them to transfer the license.

This should all be above board unless you last version of windows came with the computer rather than being bought separately. In which case Microsoft might not allow you to transfer the license, but I’ve heard they are pretty lax on that.

Coconut Monkey

Agreed with Mugsley, no fussing around required. Just install Windows 10 on the new PC, login with your linked MS account, and voila, activated.

Confirmed working when I switched from my old i7-920 build to a new i5-8600K setup (and thus, the massive hardware change that entails).

zepherin

Phoenix-D wrote: »

You call MS and hope. They'll probably say no.

Actually Microsoft is really solid on their support here. If you call them they are pretty great.

Shadowfire

Coconut Monkey wrote: »

Agreed with Mugsley, no fussing around required. Just install Windows 10 on the new PC, login with your linked MS account, and voila, activated.

Confirmed working when I switched from my old i7-920 build to a new i5-8600K setup (and thus, the massive hardware change that entails).

Note on this: it's not just any account, it has to be a Microsoft account. If you don't already have one set up on your computer now as a login, do it before you build the new computer.

Phoenix-D

zepherin wrote: »

Phoenix-D wrote: »

You call MS and hope. They'll probably say no.

Actually Microsoft is really solid on their support here. If you call them they are pretty great.

*shrug* Personal experience is they told both my SO and I no.

21stCentury

I logged in using my Microsoft account and it's not letting me activate windows.

i'll call Windows tomorrow but i feel like i'm almost scamming them "Yeah, i rebuilt my computer from the ground up, that counts as a hardware change"...

On a related note, when did Windows get so expensive???

bowen

What license was your Windows 7? You can just activate with the Windows 7 key when it asks for one. I used my Windows 8 key to install windows 10 a few months ago.

21stCentury

bowen wrote: »

What license was your Windows 7? You can just activate with the Windows 7 key when it asks for one. I used my Windows 8 key to install windows 10 a few months ago.

I don't remember and i lost the original product key... it was in my mom's house when that burned down. :[

bowen

Ah shit sorry.

You should be able to call up and say you've rebuilt the pc and had to reformat. Most of the system is automated and it'll probably ask you "are you sure you aren't using this on another PC?" and if you say no it should let you through... or it least it used to for things below windows 10.

21stCentury

bowen wrote: »

Ah shit sorry.

You should be able to call up and say you've rebuilt the pc and had to reformat. Most of the system is automated and it'll probably ask you "are you sure you aren't using this on another PC?" and if you say no it should let you through... or it least it used to for things below windows 10.

i'll sleep on it. Thanks for the help, Bowen.

Shadowfire

21stCentury wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

What license was your Windows 7? You can just activate with the Windows 7 key when it asks for one. I used my Windows 8 key to install windows 10 a few months ago.

I don't remember and i lost the original product key... it was in my mom's house when that burned down. :[

Do you have the old PC still? Produkey might be able to dig up the license key.

zepherin

Shadowfire wrote: »

21stCentury wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

What license was your Windows 7? You can just activate with the Windows 7 key when it asks for one. I used my Windows 8 key to install windows 10 a few months ago.

I don't remember and i lost the original product key... it was in my mom's house when that burned down. :[

Do you have the old PC still? Produkey might be able to dig up the license key.

Might also be on a sticker on the back or bottom.

21stCentury

zepherin wrote: »

Shadowfire wrote: »

21stCentury wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

What license was your Windows 7? You can just activate with the Windows 7 key when it asks for one. I used my Windows 8 key to install windows 10 a few months ago.

I don't remember and i lost the original product key... it was in my mom's house when that burned down. :[

Do you have the old PC still? Produkey might be able to dig up the license key.

Might also be on a sticker on the back or bottom.

No, i never stuck the sticker on the PC.... i thought it safer to keep it separate........ that's why i lost the key in that fire i mentioned.

Jebus314

@21stCentury did you get the windows key transferred? Always curious how these things shake out.