is Windows install machine-specific? Or can I pre-prepare a boot drive for someone?

[supernova87a]

Hi all -- quick question:

Is a Windows installation on a hard drive specific to the machine that configures and does the installation? Or can it be swapped machine to machine?

I ask because I would like to pre-configure a boot hard drive that I could send someone who doesn't know a lot about installing an OS, to upgrade their current setup. And I cannot be there in person to do it. But once installed I can help check and transfer files etc. by remote session.

Or will it fail because Windows will break if the machine running it is not the same one that installed it?

Thanks!

 

[Dahak]

If you create the media after you upgrade then yes, it is machine specific.

If you use the tool to download the media
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

It makes generic isos. They had a discussions in this tread
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2440928

Where you can use this to install, skip the product key entry, then once installed and on the internet you can
activate with a ms account associated with the free upgrade

I have not tried this myself yet, so i am not 100% sure

 

[TheELF]

You can pre apply an os installation to a hard drive (or a virtual one like in the article) ,at first boot it will configure itself and download drivers for the specific machine.
Just don't create a VHD and use the disk drive letter of the real drive/partition.
http://www.hyrokumata.com/2014/10/installing-windows-10-technical-preview.html

On a clean disk you will probably have to create a uefi system partition first to boot the other partition.
Do one of the things explained in post #4.
http://www.eightforums.com/general-support/52515-windows-8-cant-start-due-missing-efi-partition.html