# Windows 10 pro activation after replacing C: w/SSD



## JohnG (Mar 1, 2019)

Hi all,

Anyone know how to reactivate Windows 10 if you replace the C: hard disk with an SSD? I'm cloning the C drive now.

Under "Activation" in Settings, it says "Windows is activated with a digital license." But there appears to be no way I can discover, online or in my computer, to find out where that license is.

I've had enormous headaches with this in the past but must have blotted out the memory, as I can't recall how to solve it. Apart from the normal whining / groveling.

Any suggestions?

Thank you,

John


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## Jdiggity1 (Mar 1, 2019)

JohnG said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Anyone know how to reactivate Windows 10 if you replace the C: hard disk with an SSD? I'm cloning the C drive now.
> 
> ...



There are a number of free 3rd party apps you can use to find your serial numbers (I use Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder because it has the funnier name), but you likely won't need to re-authorize.
The activation process is usually pretty clever these days. I've changed all sorts of components, including my OS drive, and Windows still recognized it as *my *machine.
On the odd occasion where it tells me something's wrong with the license, following the "activation by phone" method fixes it.


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## whiskers (Mar 1, 2019)

nowadays, isn't it tied in the UEFI on motherboard memory somewhere @tack ?

With older version, e.g. 7, you could use a key grabber tool like Belarc...not sure on 10. I think it's usually tied to your MS account email. So if the only thing you swapped is the drive, you should be good?

Have you tried having windows update or System Info detect the license again? or do you just want to know the serial?


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## DavidY (Mar 1, 2019)

JohnG said:


> Under "Activation" in Settings, it says "Windows is activated with a digital license." But there appears to be no way I can discover, online or in my computer, to find out where that license is.


It's "in the cloud" somewhere. You can't get a helpful product key form the computer any more.

When Windows 10 activates, it sends a signature of the hardware to the Microsoft activation servers. When you install Windows 10 again on the same machine, it should check against the hardware signature and reactivate it automatically if it recognises the hardware against that particular edition of Windows 10. (But if you change from eg. Home to Pro, or change the base language, it won't activate.)

I've "clean installed" machines many a time and it just activates itself if nothing has changed.

Some hardware changes are tolerated to the point where W10 will still think it's the same machine. I believe in theory a disk change would be OK, and I seem to remember it has been when I've changed disks. Something like a motherboard change would be more likely to upset it though.

However what you might want to do is set up a new admin-level Microsoft account on that machine while it's still running on the old disk. Then your licence is linked to that MS account, and there are additional ways you can use to relink it if the auto activation fails - see here for instance:
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/55383-use-activation-troubleshooter-windows-10-a.html


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## DavidY (Mar 1, 2019)

whiskers said:


> nowadays, isn't it tied in the UEFI on motherboard memory somewhere @tack ?


Sorry I forgot that in my post above. 
If the machine came from new with that edition of windows 10, then probably yes it is. 

If you upgraded from a different edition or windows 7/8 then no it won't be.

Couple of other links might help:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/12440/windows-10-activation


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## JohnG (Mar 1, 2019)

DavidY said:


> If you upgraded from a different edition or windows 7/8 then no it won't be



I know it's nutty, but I really can't remember whether I upgraded (when it was free) or bought it for this particular machine. I'm my family's IT guy and I've bought so many copies of Windows -- should have bought the stock instead.

Thanks for the links and advice, everyone!


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## elpedro (Mar 1, 2019)

Replacing the HD should not trigger a reactivation, as windows is locked to the motherboard.you can check the license in the Microsoft account that’s used to log in


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## JohnG (Mar 1, 2019)

just talked w/MSFT. If you don't have the original Windows license key, you have to buy another copy of Windows. If it says, "Windows is activated with a digital license" that apparently doesn't do the trick anymore.

Weird.


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## JohnG (Mar 1, 2019)

elpedro said:


> Replacing the HD should not trigger a reactivation, as windows is locked to the motherboard.you can check the license in the Microsoft account that’s used to log in



Apparently that's no longer the case -- they are telling me it's the _combination _ of the disk and the mobo now.


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## DavidY (Mar 1, 2019)

I don't always have 100% faith in what MSFT support say! 

I've certainly cloned to a different disk before, and I'm pretty sure it just worked both times.

But as a precaution you could follow the steps in the first link here, which is to basically setup a Microsoft account on the machine.



DavidY said:


> https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change


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## JohnG (Mar 1, 2019)

DavidY said:


> But as a precaution you could follow the steps in the first link here, which is to basically setup a Microsoft account on the machine.



good advice; alas it gives me an error message. bonkers


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## Quasar (Mar 1, 2019)

Did you try the Magical Jellybean? I've used it on W10 before with success. Although if the license itself is tied to the HW (OEM) then MS might not like it. But it will at least give you the key.


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## JohnG (Mar 1, 2019)

I'm postponing this exercise for a bit -- thanks to everyone but I have to write.

In days of yore it was easier.


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