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Could I do this with my HDD instead of buying another OS?

S

Stevenw1234

Junior Member
Hello, so I have am building a new PC, and currently am upgrading from an 2 year old Dell PC, and I am going to reuse the Hard Drive in it, and I know that the OS wont work because it's formatted for the old PC , but could I put the old HDD in and then put in the Dell OS reinstallation disc and will that work? Or will I just have to wipe the drive and get a new OS?
 
The drive should still work if you plug it into the new computer. There will just be a bunch of useless drivers and other software installed. I wouldn't really recommend using the Dell recovery disc since that will install all of that unnecessary software I mentioned. You could get an image of your version of Windows off the net and burn it to a disc, and then use the CD key printed on your computer to install it. I believe this should work, but I could be wrong about the key working for a vanilla Windows copy.

Have you looked at SSDs? It's definitely something worth considering for a new build. You could use your old HDD as a storage drive and use the SSD as your boot drive. I suppose it's probably not in your budget since you're reusing your HDD, but I'm definitely glad I invested in one.

birthdaymonkey said:
It won't work (will require re-activation), and using the OEM license that came with your Dell would be illegal anyway.
Click to expand...
Is it really illegal or against Microsoft's terms of service to transfer a copy to a new computer? I've upgraded every component in my computer over time, which is sort of like having a new computer.
 
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It may work, is the more appropriate answer. The drivers and registry keys in the kernel of the OS may not be compatible with the new hardware: anywhere from blue screens and crashes, to the random instance of a program error.

It isn't recommended to do what you're asking, but it is possible. I've done it personally several times, but it always leads to problems down the road. In regards to OEM licenses, I believe any changes that aren't made by the company themself is considered breaking the EULA.

The best thing to do - if you're moving to a new MoBo/CPU - is fresh wipe and install. It sucks, but it is what it is. This is one reason I hate doing upgrades. :/

In your situation, I'd recommend to start doing manual backups of your data to another HDD, take note of the programs you have and make sure you have their installation software/discs, and do a fresh install once you have all of your new hardware if you plan on using the same HDD. It's a painful process, but you'll be glad you did it right the first time instead of having to deal with the random issue that crops up, or major issues that may ensue even. 🙂
 
Simple solutions...
1. Think of an OS as a "component" of the finished, working PC.
You spend $$ on a CPU, PS, memory, HD, etc... count the OS as just another "part".
2. Install a Linux distro OS for $0.00
 
I just reinstalled Win 7 Home Premium OEM on my girlfriend's Dell 1545 laptop. Pulled the OEM .iso from off the net and installed and activated it with the Security Key on the PC. Worked fine. Had to go through an extra online 'Genuine' verification that I haven't seen before but it is activated and much quicker without the Dell bloatware.
 
thats not how a OEM key works smitbret.

that key shouldnt of worked.. u got lucky.

OEM are most of the time single activation.
A system restore image, skips the MAK activation process.

You probably got lucky when microsoft felt really generous..
There was a time when microsoft said if u want to pirate.. pirate us and not the little guys.. so they were very liberal.
But now microsoft is trying to be the new apple... so im 1000000000000000% this route will FAIL present time.
Especially when microsoft is geared at making us all metro, and forcing users to adopt windows 8.
 
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aigomorla said:
thats not how a OEM key works smitbret.

that key shouldnt of worked.. u got lucky.

OEM are most of the time single activation.
A system restore image, skips the MAK activation process.
Click to expand...
I've done "clean" installs on three different OEM machines, that shipped with Win7 HP 64-bit OEM, using a retail 7 64bit HP SP1-U image downloaded from DR and burned to a DVD, and used the key printed on the license sticker, and activated online, with no issue.

So either I've been "really lucky" (three times), or this is in fact a supported installation scenario for Win7.
 
I don't see how it was luck. Since the laptop came with an OEM version of Win 7 Home Premium and that's exactly the OS installed on it. No hardware changes. Doesn't the activation system just recognize the version and key match with the same hardware?
 
yup google mydigital life slic windows 7

hp pretty much used one key (per version of 7) for every desktop.

and maybe a few for various 'tops.

the bios rom slic21 matches to the oem file (hp puts it in \windows\system32\ and the key jives all 3 together - half of the key in the bios, half in the oem file, key then validates (offline no internet/phone required). the honor system says you won't swap in an ultimate key for home basic of course. that would be illegal. don't even think about that!
 
Not a shared key, as far as I'm aware. It's the unique key for this OEM installation for the laptop. I don't see where the issue might be since the key is unique to this computer, the only one it's ever been used with. It did have to connect to the internet to activate. It just had an additional step where it said it was checking that the key was Genuine. Never had that happen with my Win 7 Pro that I have put on my homebrews.
 
You would be able to reinstall using a Digital River OEM image. But the Dell OEM key wouldn't work. You'd have to call MS and hope that they allowed you to reactivate it, which they would have no obligation to do. Technically, by the terms of the license, an OEM copy of Windows is tied to the machine it came with. Since OP said he's "building a new PC", the Dell OEM license isn't valid for use with the new PC.
 
Woah, so much wrong information in this thread.

According to Microsoft themselves (I can't remember where the article is now), OEM licence keys are tied to the motherboard. Microsoft believe that while you can change CPUs, HDDs and whatever else the computer is not the same if the motherboard changes. Contrary to the advice above, OEM licence keys are not single activation, you can activate them as many times as you like on that motherboard. I regularly format OEM PC's and use OEM Windows installation discs I have along with the licence key on the machine and activation works every time and is perfectly legal. It's been this way since at least XP.

The article also said that if you build a whitebox PC and buy and install an OEM version of Windows and your motherboard fails, as long as you replace it with the same motherboard they will allow you to ring up and reactivate.

OP - The answer to your question is no, this will not work. The licence key has nothing to do with the HDD and while you are free to move this and use it in another machine, your OEM Windows licence is still part of your old machine.

If you are a power user or someone who changes PC's every 1-2 years (like me), take the plunge and buy a retail copy of Windows. Retail copies are not tied to a system component like OEM licences and can be moved from machine to machine, as long as you only have one machine running it at one time.
 
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I'm not sure why people are saying it won't work... It WILL work, yes it will require reactivion, so you activate, yes you'll need drivers, you use the disk that came with the board or download them.

Is it legal? No. Will it "work" from a technical perspective? Yes.
 
My understanding matches Coup27's great explanation.

The OEM computers like Dell and HP should check the motherboard/BIOS physical components and confirm it's able to run an OEM key of Windows.

If you take that windows installation and try to run it on a custom build computer, the verification should fail when it sees your motherboard is not a Dell or HP or whatever it is tied to.

My understanding is that if you try to re-activate, it will fail on a custom computer.

However, there is a procedure to 'reset' a windows installation so that it's fresh and not trying to use your old hardware drivers. check this:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/135077-windows-7-installation-transfer-new-computer.html

I would suggest trying that out on the hard drive before you disassemble the old dell computer. Then, when you transfer the hard drive to the new computer, the 'sanitized' version of Windows will newly detect all your new hardware and not be cluttered up with any of the old drivers.

The killer benefit here is by using the built-in windows preparation method ("Type to Command Prompt: %windir%\System32\Sysprep\Sysprep.exe, and hit Enter"), your hard drive will be freed from unecessary drivers, *AND* all your installed software will still work.

It's just orders of magnitude easier to do this, compared to re-installing windows and all your software. But it makes the computer run like new.
 
Stevenw1234 said:
Hello, so I have am building a new PC, and currently am upgrading from an 2 year old Dell PC, and I am going to reuse the Hard Drive in it, and I know that the OS wont work because it's formatted for the old PC , but could I put the old HDD in and then put in the Dell OS reinstallation disc and will that work? Or will I just have to wipe the drive and get a new OS?
Click to expand...

MS will activate an OEM license for you when your computer was repaired due to a broken motherboard. You'll prob need to call in and explain the situation.

If your computer motherboard was replaced a bunch of times then they may tell you to take a hike.
 
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