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#1
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How much hardware can I change...
... without needing to buy a new license?
I have a DIY machine on which I had Retail Win7 Pro, and I got the free upgrade to Win10 Pro. If I replace the motherboard by one that takes the same CPU and RAM but allows that RAM to run at a higher speed -- and move the CPU and RAM and disks to that new motherboard -- will I have to buy a new license? The chipset is the same on both motherboards, so the disk and graphics interfaces are the same. I was not using the onboard NIC, so the different MAC address on the replacement board should not be a factor; I'll disable the onboard NIC on the new motherboard anyway. Or, since it was a Retail version of Win 7 Pro, is there even any need to switch the original (identical -- except for Serial#, I assume) CPU to the new motherboard? Perce |
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#2
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How much hardware can I change...
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
.. without needing to buy a new license? I have a DIY machine on which I had Retail Win7 Pro, and I got the free upgrade to Win10 Pro. If I replace the motherboard by one that takes the same CPU and RAM but allows that RAM to run at a higher speed -- and move the CPU and RAM and disks to that new motherboard -- will I have to buy a new license? The chipset is the same on both motherboards, so the disk and graphics interfaces are the same. I was not using the onboard NIC, so the different MAC address on the replacement board should not be a factor; I'll disable the onboard NIC on the new motherboard anyway. Or, since it was a Retail version of Win 7 Pro, is there even any need to switch the original (identical -- except for Serial#, I assume) CPU to the new motherboard? Someone here was able switch an HDD from an old PC to a new build without needing to get a new licence. I'm not sure he even needed re-activate. I don't think you need to worry. |
#3
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How much hardware can I change...
On Fri, 3 Aug 2018 11:58:12 -0400, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote: .. without needing to buy a new license? I have a DIY machine on which I had Retail Win7 Pro, and I got the free upgrade to Win10 Pro. If I replace the motherboard by one that takes the same CPU and RAM but allows that RAM to run at a higher speed -- and move the CPU and RAM and disks to that new motherboard -- will I have to buy a new license? The chipset is the same on both motherboards, so the disk and graphics interfaces are the same. I was not using the onboard NIC, so the different MAC address on the replacement board should not be a factor; I'll disable the onboard NIC on the new motherboard anyway. Or, since it was a Retail version of Win 7 Pro, is there even any need to switch the original (identical -- except for Serial#, I assume) CPU to the new motherboard? Since it was a retail version, you can change all the hardware you want. You can even replace the entire computer. The only restriction on hardware is on OEM versions. |
#4
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How much hardware can I change...
On 08/03/2018 02:16 PM, Ken Blake wrote:
.. without needing to buy a new license? I have a DIY machine on which I had Retail Win7 Pro, and I got the free upgrade to Win10 Pro. If I replace the motherboard by one that takes the same CPU and RAM but allows that RAM to run at a higher speed -- and move the CPU and RAM and disks to that new motherboard -- will I have to buy a new license? The chipset is the same on both motherboards, so the disk and graphics interfaces are the same. I was not using the onboard NIC, so the different MAC address on the replacement board should not be a factor; I'll disable the onboard NIC on the new motherboard anyway. Or, since it was a Retail version of Win 7 Pro, is there even any need to switch the original (identical -- except for Serial#, I assume) CPU to the new motherboard? Since it was a retail version, you can change all the hardware you want. You can even replace the entire computer. The only restriction on hardware is on OEM versions. I knew that was true of Retail versions of earlier generations of Windows, but I didn't know whether the free Win10 upgrade still had the "Retail" characteristic of the original. Perce |
#5
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How much hardware can I change...
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
.. without needing to buy a new license? I have a DIY machine on which I had Retail Win7 Pro, and I got the free upgrade to Win10 Pro. If I replace the motherboard by one that takes the same CPU and RAM but allows that RAM to run at a higher speed -- and move the CPU and RAM and disks to that new motherboard -- will I have to buy a new license? The chipset is the same on both motherboards, so the disk and graphics interfaces are the same. I was not using the onboard NIC, so the different MAC address on the replacement board should not be a factor; I'll disable the onboard NIC on the new motherboard anyway. Or, since it was a Retail version of Win 7 Pro, is there even any need to switch the original (identical -- except for Serial#, I assume) CPU to the new motherboard? I was told by others here that since the Anniversary version of Windows 10 the product license no longer need to be stored in a Microsoft account. When I did the Win7 to Win10 free upgrade (after first saving a backup image of Win7, do the Win10 upgrade, save a backup image of that, and restore back to the Win7 image), I was prompted to save the license into my Microsoft account (I already had a Hotmail account which means I had a Microsoft account). The idea is that the license was tracked by your account, so you could reinstall using THAT license. https://www.zdnet.com/article/micros...ersary-update/ This new feature doesn't change the fundamental way that Microsoft's activation servers work. The process of activating Windows relies on a unique installation ID, which is based on a hash of information taken from the hardware on which Windows is installed. That hash is reportedly not reversible and is not tied to any other Microsoft services. It identifies a specific device, not a person. What folks here were stating differed since the Anniversary edition was Microsoft started using "entitlement" scheme. That tracked the hardware fingerprint aka hardware ID aka hardware hash to the digital license. Well, it seems without an account for tracking to *whom* a license was assigned means the hardware ID to license tracking scheme allows only reinstallation of the license on the same hardware. All they've got is a fingerprint of your hardware at the time of activation and nothing about to whom the license was assigned. If you wipe that hard disk completely, boot from Windows 10 installation media, and install a clean copy, Windows tries to activate automatically, using an installation ID that it sends to the Windows activation servers. Because the underlying hardware hasn't changed, the installation ID is identical to one stored in the activation database, and the digital license is activated automatically. If all you have for registering your license is via their entitlement scheme, you're stuck with that license on THAT hardware (with some minor changes allowed, like memory, disks, and video card but mobo or CPU changes will generate a new fingerprint). Apparently you can use Microsoft's Activation Troubleshooter to move a Windows 10 license to new hardware; however, the licenses must be associated to a Microsoft account so they can track *who* has which license (along with the hardware fingerprint). https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...troubleshooter With entitlement where only the hardware ID and license are associated to each other, I can't see how Microsoft could tell *you* were moving the license to different hardware because they wouldn't know who you are. They won't know you, so they won't know you have a license. The "who" isn't recorded in an entitlement. When the license is associated to a Microsoft account is when they know who you are for a which license. They'll allow moving the license if they know who you are even if the hardware fingerprint changes; i.e., if the licensee is known, they'll allow an update to the hardware fingerprint associated to the license. If you are unknown, then the license is locked to the original hardware fingerprint. Perce Not Percy or Val? |
#6
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How much hardware can I change...
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
.. without needing to buy a new license? I have a DIY machine on which I had Retail Win7 Pro, and I got the free upgrade to Win10 Pro. If I replace the motherboard by one that takes the same CPU and RAM but allows that RAM to run at a higher speed -- and move the CPU and RAM and disks to that new motherboard -- will I have to buy a new license? The chipset is the same on both motherboards, so the disk and graphics interfaces are the same. I was not using the onboard NIC, so the different MAC address on the replacement board should not be a factor; I'll disable the onboard NIC on the new motherboard anyway. Or, since it was a Retail version of Win 7 Pro, is there even any need to switch the original (identical -- except for Serial#, I assume) CPU to the new motherboard? Retail shouldn't be a problem, but it might ask you to reactivate though. I think I read that you might have to call MS if you do it too many times? OEM won't let you swap hardwares like that from what I was told. -- Quote of the Week: "The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." --Proverbs 30:25 (Bible) Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly. /\___/\Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.home.dhs.org / http://antfarm.ma.cx / /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail privately. If credit- | |o o| | ing, then please kindly use Ant nickname and URL/link. \ _ / ( ) |
#7
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How much hardware can I change...
On 3 Aug 2018 11:16:49 GMT, Ken Blake wrote:
Since it was a retail version, you can change all the hardware you want. You can even replace the entire computer. The only restriction on hardware is on OEM versions. I have a few machines which are hand me downs where they all started life as Windows something else other than 10. I'm sure they're all the "free upgrade" of some sort. Is there an easy way to tell if they're retail versions or not? |
#8
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How much hardware can I change...
Arlen Holder wrote:
On 3 Aug 2018 11:16:49 GMT, Ken Blake wrote: Since it was a retail version, you can change all the hardware you want. You can even replace the entire computer. The only restriction on hardware is on OEM versions. I have a few machines which are hand me downs where they all started life as Windows something else other than 10. I'm sure they're all the "free upgrade" of some sort. Is there an easy way to tell if they're retail versions or not? There's this one. I've not used it. https://www.thewindowsclub.com/showk...uct-key-finder Paul |
#9
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How much hardware can I change...
On Fri, 3 Aug 2018 11:58:12 -0400, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote: .. without needing to buy a new license? I changed everything except the case, power supply and the HDD with the OS on it. Before it settled down it asked if I had changed components. Answering yes the system was activated on my digital entitlement. |
#10
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How much hardware can I change...
On 3 Aug 2018 20:17:56 GMT, Paul wrote:
Is there an easy way to tell if they're retail versions or not? There's this one. I've not used it. https://www.thewindowsclub.com/showk...uct-key-finder Thanks Paul, ShowKeyPlus https://www.tenforums.com/software-apps/2577-showkeyplus.html Running Showkeyplus on two handmedown machines, I get this: ================================================== ShowKeyPlus - Windows Product Key Information Product Name: Windows 10 Pro Product ID: 00330-80000-00000-AA310 Installed Key: VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T OEM Key: OEM key not present in firmware ================================================== ShowKeyPlus - Windows Product Key Information Product Name: Windows 10 Pro Product ID: 00330-80000-00000-AA655 Installed Key: VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T Original Key: This seems to show an original key Original Edition: Windows 7 Ultimate Retail OEM Key: Windows 7 OEM marker present in firmware ================================================== Googling that information, I found this rather nice chart: http://www.carriereducation.com/Windows_Help_10/Windows_Help_01_PK.html x. Product-ID,Product-Key,Product-Name,Computer-Name,Windows10-Version 1. 00359-031-3496312-85598,XT7RD-2K8YT-H7D99-VDC7V-B94TR,Windows 7 Home Premium,STUDIO-PC,unknown 2. 00371-OEM-9045485-63219,C622Q-FH6G4-RYT34-TMK6Q-VV3JK,Windows 7 Pro,INTREX3-PC,Windows 10 Pro 3. 00359-OEM-8992687-00057,6B88K-KCCWY-4F8HK-M4P73-W8DQG,Windows 7 Home Premium,TOSHIBA7-PC,unknown 4. 00330-80000-00000-AA138,VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T,Windows 7 Pro,SURFACE3-PC,Windows 10 Pro 5. 00359-OEM-8992687-00010,4FG99-BC3HD-73CQT-WMF7J-3Q6C9,Windows 7 Home Premium,STUDIOB-HPB,Windows 10 Home 6. 00359-OEM-8992687-00118,7JQWQ-K6KWQ-BJD6C-K3YVH-DVQJG,Windows 7 Home Premium,ASUS7-PC,unknown 7. 00359-OEM-9817433-34700,3YPBP-RM767-KK9DD-CQ73G-99HHJ,Windows 7 Home Premium,STUDIO3-PC,Windows 10 Home 8. 00359-031-3496321-85012,B24KB-WXY6G-YQC2D-MBDFY-QKTKY,Windows 7 Home Premium,OVERTURE5-PC,Windows 10 Home 9. 55041-090-4543147-86121,unknown,Windows 7 Pro,TOSHIBA-PC,Windows 10 Pro 10. 55041-090-4543147-86046,BFGKY-WHFTC-YGHB2-FVT76-47V33,Windows 7 Home Premium,LENOVO1-PC,unknown 11. 55041-091-9407447-86088,QJNXR-YD97Q-K7WH4-RYWQ8-6MT6Y,Windows 7 Pro-32bit,OVERTURE99-PC, unknown 12. 00359-OEM-8992687-00007,2QDBX-9T8HR-2QWT6-HCQXJ-9YQTR,Windows 7 Home Premium,ASUS1-PC,unknown 13. 00362-10000-06502-AA715,8N67H-M3CY9-QT7C4-2TR7M-TXYCV,Windows 10 Pro Insider Preview,ASUS3-PC,Windows 10 Pro Do you concur with my assumption that the first handmedown likely has the free upgrade on an OEM installation, while the second handmedown seems to have a free upgrade on the full retail version of Windows 7 Ultimate Retail? If so, does the second handmedown give greater rights to me for reconfiguration of the motherboard/memory/discs, etc., as someone alluded to elsewhere in this thread? |
#11
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How much hardware can I change...
Arlen Holder wrote:
If so, does the second handmedown give greater rights to me for reconfiguration of the motherboard/memory/discs, etc., as someone alluded to elsewhere in this thread? Original Key: This seems to show an original key Original Edition: Windows 7 Ultimate Retail I presume so. It suggests the OS can be moved from machine to machine, as long as only one copy runs at a time. The 3V66T key is generic, and doesn't tell you anything about what Windows 10 understands about the qualifying OS. The details would be recorded on the Microsoft end. Paul |
#12
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How much hardware can I change...
On 8/3/18 1:13 PM, Chris wrote:
.. without needing to buy a new license? I have a DIY machine on which I had Retail Win7 Pro, and I got the free upgrade to Win10 Pro. If I replace the motherboard by one that takes the same CPU and RAM but allows that RAM to run at a higher speed -- and move the CPU and RAM and disks to that new motherboard -- will I have to buy a new license? The chipset is the same on both motherboards, so the disk and graphics interfaces are the same. I was not using the onboard NIC, so the different MAC address on the replacement board should not be a factor; I'll disable the onboard NIC on the new motherboard anyway. Or, since it was a Retail version of Win 7 Pro, is there even any need to switch the original (identical -- except for Serial#, I assume) CPU to the new motherboard? Someone here was able switch an HDD from an old PC to a new build without needing to get a new licence. I'm not sure he even needed re-activate. I don't think you need to worry. I simply transplanted the drive into the new machine and everything is fine. Perce |
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