Hi Zach, big fan. I have a lot of questions for you but this one is on topic... If the system install SSD retains the activation key when put in a new mobo, can you carry one with you and say, use it as a portable boot drive for other computers? For example going to your friends house, plugging in your SSD, setting it as the boot drive - would that essentially give you access to your regular system, just with different specs?
Hey @ZachsTechTurf i have 3 windows keys on 3 different ssd drives, and i can boot fomr any of them. I dont think ive had a problem changing from motherboard to motherboard. unrelated is there a easy way to transfer a key to a new ssd since the once they are on is quite old and only 250 gbs
@@escapetherace1943yeah, unless you want to use Photoshop or not have to go through hoops to play some games and run some software. I love Linux, but saying it's a perfect alternative is a lie. It can do a lot of things that windows can't, but it goes the other way, too
Just to clear up some stuff. When switching parts, the key will eventually not work because the key is assigned to the activated pc and changing parts can cause it to deactivate. You can call up Microsoft support and they'll transfer over the key or reactivate it (not sure since I've never done it) but they will only do this for a few times before they just say "buy a new key"
I just swapped out every single part when I went from am4 to am5 except the aio and case fans which I transfered to the new case, the OS drive was also. Installed a fresh copy of windows 11 I downloaded from Microsoft and put on a thumb drive. Windows activated as soon as I logged into my Microsoft account. I've also upgraded the cpu once and gpu twice with the same key when I was on am4. So no idea what it would take to require the purchase of a new key.
Switched mobos and it actived on the new Mobo on 10, then upgraded that one to 11. Then built the old Mobo with crappier parts and it was also activated on 10 and upgraded to 11 and both work fine... Shrug
You don’t. All long as it’s the same account You can activate it and somewhere there’s a setting under “I changed my hardware” that lets you choose your old pc’s license. I went from AM4 to 5 and kept my license
Here in Austria you can get a windows 11 key for 3 Euros (3.25$) So the PC building shops in Germany and Austria are booming. My Windows 11 Pro key costed 3 Euro and worked as normal
It is simply because Win 7 keys generally stick on the case of enterprise PCs is valid. And most companies had their own enterprise KMS. So most of those keys were never being used over its whole life cycle. Those keys can be used for Windows 10 until very recently that MS states that they official ceased free win7 upgrade. So moving forward, those super cheap win 10 keys would be over. But those roughly costs 10~15 euro might possibly stay forever as I believe those were actually wholesale price of keys and MS knows that you cannot get official tech support. So although those are legit, it is pretty much no cost for MS but still a profit to sell some.
The answer is simple, but the internet won't tell you it straight for some reason. You can just transfer your old storage device, or use minitool partition wizard to clone all of your data to a new one, then use it on a new motherboard and it will just simply work since the active key is within windows itself, not the motherboard.
That is not entirely true, the key is definitely in the bios as well, as long as it is a UEFI bios, if it is a laptop, even legacy bios stores it. That’s how when you reinstall OS after formatting the drive, windows stays activated, even without logging into MS account. But as the video explained, there are many dimensions to reactivation, if you move the old drive to another system, there is a high chance you will lose activation if too many hardware changed, usually cpu+MB, it had happened to me many many times.
happened to me, build a whole new pc which was more than 10 years old, swapped the ssd to the newly build pc but still had to buy a windows key. managed to buy one for 4 bucks tho so it's all good.
I've always been able to just re-enter the key and it activates. You can also just click "my hardware has changed" while signed into your MS account and it will give you a list of every Windows key you have on your account. Just pick one and it will activate.
@@madmatt2024 not always. in my case I had reactivated it after swapping a ram stick, then when my motherboard died I tried to reactivate with a new motherboard and it refused in every way possible. none of the steps you or anyone else listed would work. I even called MS to fix it and they were the most useless customer service I have ever encountered. I had to cannibalize another digital activation I had on an old laptop to make my desktop version work again
@@Plssubscribe379even if it is don’t use it when you can just run a command, look up mass grave windows activation and you should be able to find the steps to activate it, and this method is completely trustworthy even Microsoft uses this when people are having activation issues
Makes me remember an old video where Linus get crazy at Microsoft because he keep constantly changing pc part (SSD, mainboard, CPU) until one time the key doesn’t activate anymore.
You can also find the windows key in the registery editor if windows was included with your system, look up a tutorial on how to do that if you need it.
It used to be, back in the sticker days, the license key was applied to the computer's case, not its contents. So as long as you used the same case, you didn't need to get a new license. OEM licenses weren't transferrable whereas Retail Box licenses were. In this age of digital keys, all that goes out the Window(s).
Thank you for finally explaining this. I had a version of windows on my Microsoft account from a crappy laptop I noticed on the pc I built that I could activate windows. Turns out that $60 laptop I bought wasn't a waste after all
@@nostrum6410 its tied to the motherboard bios which sucks if your motherboard dies but barring that I feel it's fair......you pay for windows not once its once for every system u own....all the companies that build computers include windows in the total price for the most part but u still pay for it
@@ronjones3977 I refuse to pay for the same software twice, especially as there's no real reason to get a key at all. had a video card died and needed a new key
@@rnin0723for real, used that command line in like 4 of my builds. Back story behind that command, Microsoft Support Agents used it to fix a customer’s legit key that wouldn’t activate properly
@@v7xgaming sometimes you just have a task that can be done way much easier on windows 😅 That's the only reason I use windows the rest of my daily tasks are done in Xubuntu
I have been using the say key I bought from my copy of Windows Vista in 2009. It’s been getting free upgrades for all these years. It’s tied to my Microsoft account. That method is such a great tool.
I didn’t know about any of that when I built my pc a few years ago it turned out fine and the only original part from a previous pc was the hdd with a windows key. It worked just fine
Just to clear a few things up here regarding the activiation keys. It's crucial here to know which type of key you've bought when discussing compatibility with hardware changes. If you have an OEM key, it's directly linked to your motherboard. This essentially means that you can use the key as many times as you want, swapping out parts etc, but the motherboard has to stay as is. On the other hand, if you've bought a retail key, the flexibility here is a bit different. You're free to change all parts without limit, including the motherboard, without encountering an activation issues. Although, instances of encountering problems here is relatively uncommon, should you face any issues, reaching out to MS Support is the only solution.
You can also just type a few commands into command prompts and it "activates" windows. It unlocks all settings and gets rid if the water mark. Its worked several times for me and its literally A PART OF WINDOWS.
If you were logged into a Microsoft account and are using the same or a new drive, you can reattach your key by logging in. If it’s a prebuilt, that key goes with that board everywhere.
I just upgraded my PC and switched to a different motherboard manufacturer. From ASUS to MSI. My Windows 10 was on my M.2. I had to reinstall Windows after reactivation because programs took minutes to load.
You can also get the license key via a command on powershell and apply that to your new system. Activation will fail at first, but immediately when given the option to troubleshoot, windows allows you select an option that basically says "I've changed some hardware on my system." It then asks which system had the license which windows will then re-assign to the new system. For my recent build I did this year, I just took the license key from a factory reset Lenovo Thinkcentre. These always come with an activated copy of Win 10 Pro right off the bat. Assuming you don't abuse the system, Microsoft isn't really a stifler when it comes to activation.
“The older way…” boy this is the new way, lol I recall the old days of typing in keys, failing activation, calling Microsoft, phoning in a generated code, typing in the reply code. I remember Windows taking a hardware profile and if you swapped your CPU Windows you force a new activation. I remember activating windows over dial up. And I remember typing in the code from the CD case wondering why some PC’s with Win98 required a code and others didn’t (like a prebuilt Compaq). Psssht, storing the code in BIOS is the “old” way, please lol. 😂
Please can you make a video on the fact that the i5-12400F is currently on sale for $130 on Amazon? (I am from the UK so this could possibly not be available on US Amazon)
I still using the digital key that registered to my microsoft account and this key was from 2012 when I purchased windows 8 key and I use this account to activated windows 10 on my notebook (Asus & HP) and also windows 11 on my newly build custom PC this years, so totally worth it with just $15 I can use this key for about 14 years now
I found like 50+ old office PC's in a dumpster a few years back. They where all early 2000's Windows 7 machines so the hardware was useless. But every single one had a OEM Win 7 Pro key on the case. So I went around snapping a pic of the key with my phone then carefully peeling off the stickers. Most ripped that is why I also took a pic. So needless to say I have all the Pro keys I could ever want...
the thing is sometimes they linked that key to the motherboard and cpu combo, especially when it's an OEM key. One time i upgraded my BIOS and lost my license key.
It's still much cheaper to buy a Windows 11 Pro key tor like 3€ instead of buying a like 200€ license for your Microsoft account. Even when you replace your motherboard 50 times it's still only 150€.
Just remember that there are no guarantee that the license you buy for 3€ isn't sold to a bunch of people and then gets blocked by Microsoft for piracy
The key I am using was originally a Windows Vista key. I have both replaced parts and entire systems, upgrading the key eventually to Windows 11 currently, so I can say that changing parts and systems rarely requires a new key unless you are making a 2nd system.
Its so much better now, man I remember the days when your windows died you couldnt even back shit up you gotat format windows didnt make an OLD folder, nothin... it took forever back in the 2000s
Microsoft activation ID is a combination of multiple hardware components serial number, depending of the license type, for example mine, I change till now several PC's with the same key, as long as you don't use two pc's at the same time, the key can be ported from a pc to another and you don't do it to often, need to at last create an impression of an upgrade even if is entirely another PC.
Account linked activation key is goated Bought a cheap windows 10 key and since it was linked to my windows account it got carried over to my windows 11
The problem is that recently MS has invalidated all win7 and 8 keys. So if you upgraded to win 10 or 11 from 7 or 8, and change mobos ( as I recently did when mine died), it will no longer activate, even if you had a previous legitimate Windows activation on this PC and/or drive. I found this out the hard way, but luckily I was able to get a very cheap grey market key.
When I built a gaming PC for my son I reused a windows 7 key that was on an old HP pavilion computer (with an AMD Athlon X2 😂 ) and it worked. That key was for an upgrade from XP to win 7 that I bought a long time ago. And it gave him a licensed Win 10 Pro 🎉
It also depends on the type of key you purchased. A retail key can be activated on a limited number of motherboard/CPU combinations, but you can (or used to be able to) revoke previous activations to activate new ones. An OEM key, however, is usually much cheaper but can only be activated once - it lives and dies with the motherboard/CPU combo it was initially activated on. I'm not sure what Windows 11 licensing has introduced that changes this.
Microsoft want you to believe you need to buy a new key, but you can use the same key on multiple computers just fine. There is no issue with just activating it again if it for whatever reason gets deactivate. They key is not a one time use. Its just a very simple anti piracy measure.
I transfered over my OEM Key (the one assigned to the motherboard) from my old laptop to my custom PC. That worked like a charm. But since it was W10H, i upgraded it to W10P with a key i bought for like 3€. Just make sure to only buy RETAIL Keys! Those are meant for customers to carry over to new pcs. OEM Keys are assigned to Hardware and Volume Licenses are for big companys to control the licenses from a central point. So a big no to Volume & OEM Keys!
Yeah I have it on my MS Account so I don't need to worry about it. But once I tried logging in on a fresh W11 install and it said my account was locked due to too many login attempts. Someone unsuccessfully tried to get in. Fortunately the setup does let you automatically continue with an offline account and I was able to change my PW. Good on Microsoft for thinking about it.
Windows 11 home is free on their official website. Every 'home' version is free. You can make a bootable pendrive to install windows. And the installed windows in the new pc will have windows activated already (even without any account login).
It depends, I had different issues when formatting or changing the motherboard. Twice I had to contact Microsoft support for them to erase my registered hardware.
If you have an old windows laptotop you can link the windows to your account and rip the windows from the laptop, it doesnt work on newer ones though as the key is hardware locked.
Windows is funky with their activation servers. As I said in one if your previous shorts, you can get lucky with fully changing the rig and keeping the activation, but you can get unlucky and never be able to activate with that previously used key. Microsoft account nullified the chances of you ever losing the license, at the cost of privacy. Over the last 4.5 years, I've changed HDD's, SSD's, and motherboards, but my license carried on. Only thing that I didn't swap out was the GPU. On the other hand, my sister's laptop did not carry the license over with swapping HDD for SSD, so we had to activate it, and still have to do because the license did not carry on.
Yeah, I don’t do the whole “log in with Microsoft account”. I don’t trust them with any more than I absolutely have to. Most product keys for Windows are good for 5 uses. You buy one key and can apply it to 5 units. If you’ve bought a key from one of the cdkey websites, that’s exactly how you “get around” having a hardware change. And, it’s usually the CPU being changed that causes the most problems. I upgraded my brother’s machine with a new CPU and had to tank another use of the cd key for it. Worked like a charm!
OEM KEY: linked to hardware profile (cheap, meant for 1 time build, sometimes transferable 2 or 3 times at Microsoft's discretion) RETAIL KEY: linked to ms account (Expensive, normally used for your own machine, buy if you plan to upgrade)
I just transferred my NVMe SSD to my new mother board. I didn't want to lose any of my apps and installed an additional 1TB NVMe for increased storage space since my MB can handle 4 of them. Easiest way to do that.
I use a custom version of windows that has all the good features of active windows but doesn't need a key, no water mark either but I remove d things like Microsoft edge so I include a copy of opera gx instead
Brother I managed to transfer a windows 10 license from an OEM motherboard to a PC that is different in every single way from motherboad to case even the PSU is different! The only thing that is same is the installation drive, every other part has been changed. No issues either, just worked.
I've been using the same windows license that i got off my Alienware prebuilt for every single iteration of my pc and has gone through 3 motherboards with no issues , i have never needed to buy a windows key with all my builds . all i had to do was grab the windows key straight from the bios and keep the key safe incase i move onto another pc
You could always get a windows 10 key for a lot less and update it to window's 11, but its not guaranteed to give you the update, which would require downloading the update files manually
not always the case, depends on the install media, OEM is tied to the motherboard, retail you can transfer, just replaced a board for someone after fail with the exact same model all other components are the same and it wont activate so had to get a new key.
My custom PC was running in an old HDD I had lying around from like 20 years ago, I haven't had any issues with my windows key despite the fact I have a new MB and SSD
It's a really easy answer, if you have a windows account all your licenses are link to it. If you change pcs completely you can activate it. No longer ms restricts it to one motherboard
I always use the same account, and when I transfer the same SSD to a NEW motherboard I ALWAYS have to buy a new key. The digital OEM keys are registered to your account AND unique motherboard serialnumber. This is standard knowledge
There's a very easy process for transfering the license within your Windows settings. I've done it half a dozen times, and it doesn't require you to call support lol
Had a gaming laptop, then the mobo died. Months later i built a desktop and moved my ssd over to it and it literally booted right away and gave me zero issues. Saved everything i had and allowed me to run as if nothing changed. Of course I did go back and immediately uninstall intel/nvidia drivers and stuff for the old cpu/gpu and added the new amd ones
You should mention the keys you're advertising do not apply to the "newest methods Microsoft is doing" (Activating with your account) as you mentioned, and can only be activated on 1 PC.
www.keysfan.com/windows-11-professional-key.html?ksf=vzac88
(Code: ZAC50
first
Win 11 🤢🤢🤢
@@davidman0AFAIK most likely stolen keys. Which have the potential to be deactivated by microsoft at a later point
Hi Zach, big fan. I have a lot of questions for you but this one is on topic...
If the system install SSD retains the activation key when put in a new mobo, can you carry one with you and say, use it as a portable boot drive for other computers? For example going to your friends house, plugging in your SSD, setting it as the boot drive - would that essentially give you access to your regular system, just with different specs?
Hey @ZachsTechTurf i have 3 windows keys on 3 different ssd drives, and i can boot fomr any of them. I dont think ive had a problem changing from motherboard to motherboard. unrelated is there a easy way to transfer a key to a new ssd since the once they are on is quite old and only 250 gbs
Digital key is goated until you forget which account you have it on
You won't forget it if you don't have it 😈
then you use MAS to activate for free
Why do you need more than one Microsoft account tho?
@@gwop827 exactlly
@@kendsplainingwhat is MAS?
"(KMS)" *Laughing at the corner* 😂
Ahahaha
“Your PC as a node of several botnets” Laughing at the corner
@@Osukaris this proven? I’ve heard that the GitHub project is legit and used by tens of thousands of people and no issues have been found.
@@Osukarluckily the most popular scripts are opensource and posted on github, so no botnets
@@OsukarAgreed. Piracy is guaranteed security issues on your system.
“Do what you want cause a pirate is free, you are a pirate”
or you use FOSS software like Linux which is better than windows
@@escapetherace1943 I use Arch, btw.
@@escapetherace1943yeah, unless you want to use Photoshop or not have to go through hoops to play some games and run some software. I love Linux, but saying it's a perfect alternative is a lie. It can do a lot of things that windows can't, but it goes the other way, too
@@escapetherace1943 linux is better than windows in every way but gaming
@@escapetherace1943 linux user try not to say they use linux challenge (impossible)
Just to clear up some stuff. When switching parts, the key will eventually not work because the key is assigned to the activated pc and changing parts can cause it to deactivate. You can call up Microsoft support and they'll transfer over the key or reactivate it (not sure since I've never done it) but they will only do this for a few times before they just say "buy a new key"
I'm not sure what the limit is, but yeah, they just activate it on the new computer.
switched videocards and they wanted me to buy another. now I rarely use windows and will never buy a key again
I just swapped out every single part when I went from am4 to am5 except the aio and case fans which I transfered to the new case, the OS drive was also. Installed a fresh copy of windows 11 I downloaded from Microsoft and put on a thumb drive. Windows activated as soon as I logged into my Microsoft account. I've also upgraded the cpu once and gpu twice with the same key when I was on am4. So no idea what it would take to require the purchase of a new key.
Switched mobos and it actived on the new Mobo on 10, then upgraded that one to 11.
Then built the old Mobo with crappier parts and it was also activated on 10 and upgraded to 11 and both work fine... Shrug
You don’t. All long as it’s the same account You can activate it and somewhere there’s a setting under “I changed my hardware” that lets you choose your old pc’s license. I went from AM4 to 5 and kept my license
Here in Austria you can get a windows 11 key for 3 Euros (3.25$) So the PC building shops in Germany and Austria are booming. My Windows 11 Pro key costed 3 Euro and worked as normal
It probably use an OEM key
In my country online marketplace, you can even get a Windows 10 key for a dollar
Bei welchem shop hast du windows 11 gekauft
Are they grey market or whatever you call them keys?
It is simply because Win 7 keys generally stick on the case of enterprise PCs is valid. And most companies had their own enterprise KMS. So most of those keys were never being used over its whole life cycle. Those keys can be used for Windows 10 until very recently that MS states that they official ceased free win7 upgrade. So moving forward, those super cheap win 10 keys would be over. But those roughly costs 10~15 euro might possibly stay forever as I believe those were actually wholesale price of keys and MS knows that you cannot get official tech support. So although those are legit, it is pretty much no cost for MS but still a profit to sell some.
The answer is simple, but the internet won't tell you it straight for some reason. You can just transfer your old storage device, or use minitool partition wizard to clone all of your data to a new one, then use it on a new motherboard and it will just simply work since the active key is within windows itself, not the motherboard.
Nirsoft produkey
Can confirm as I just did this to a blown up HP
Or if you have an Samsung ssd you can use their Tool
That is not entirely true, the key is definitely in the bios as well, as long as it is a UEFI bios, if it is a laptop, even legacy bios stores it. That’s how when you reinstall OS after formatting the drive, windows stays activated, even without logging into MS account. But as the video explained, there are many dimensions to reactivation, if you move the old drive to another system, there is a high chance you will lose activation if too many hardware changed, usually cpu+MB, it had happened to me many many times.
@@patrickchen2878 nirsoft produkey
Google it, memorise it and never struggle again
Zach can you do the thug shaker?
no
@@vijayakumarikumar3920gangnam style
Shut up
Not funny kid
@@maxboskeljon6440who pissed in your cereal
happened to me, build a whole new pc which was more than 10 years old, swapped the ssd to the newly build pc but still had to buy a windows key.
managed to buy one for 4 bucks tho so it's all good.
I just used a pirating software called MAS or skethkng
I've always been able to just re-enter the key and it activates. You can also just click "my hardware has changed" while signed into your MS account and it will give you a list of every Windows key you have on your account. Just pick one and it will activate.
@@madmatt2024 welp, too late now i gues lol.
Nirsoft produkey
@@madmatt2024 not always. in my case I had reactivated it after swapping a ram stick, then when my motherboard died I tried to reactivate with a new motherboard and it refused in every way possible. none of the steps you or anyone else listed would work. I even called MS to fix it and they were the most useless customer service I have ever encountered. I had to cannibalize another digital activation I had on an old laptop to make my desktop version work again
I never purchased a Windows key in my life and neither should you, look up how to activate Windows with CMD and you're golden
How do you do that?
And do you know if keysfan is legit?
@@Plssubscribe379i can vouch, both my keys (W10 pro) worked perfectly fine
@@Plssubscribe379Look up “massgravel” it is open source and really easy to do
@@Plssubscribe379even if it is don’t use it when you can just run a command, look up mass grave windows activation and you should be able to find the steps to activate it, and this method is completely trustworthy even Microsoft uses this when people are having activation issues
Yaay I love Zach videos without proper sponsor labels!
Makes me remember an old video where Linus get crazy at Microsoft because he keep constantly changing pc part (SSD, mainboard, CPU) until one time the key doesn’t activate anymore.
You can also find the windows key in the registery editor if windows was included with your system, look up a tutorial on how to do that if you need it.
Thug shake or nah?
It's a Thug Shake
Thug shake
Thug shake
Leave the guy alone and quit filling up the comment section of every video.
It's spreading to here.
Quick, get the hazmat suit
Thug shake zach plz 🗣‼️
Based
@@ichisenzy HUGE ANIME BREASTS
It used to be, back in the sticker days, the license key was applied to the computer's case, not its contents. So as long as you used the same case, you didn't need to get a new license. OEM licenses weren't transferrable whereas Retail Box licenses were. In this age of digital keys, all that goes out the Window(s).
Thank you for finally explaining this. I had a version of windows on my Microsoft account from a crappy laptop I noticed on the pc I built that I could activate windows. Turns out that $60 laptop I bought wasn't a waste after all
You can activate Windows by doing the thug shake
*Microsoft is stupid for making this an issue*
Ime its no issue pretty sure my Microsoft key is tied to mobo bios which is fair imo....
@ronjones3977 if you buy windows once, it's fair to make you buy it again?
@@nostrum6410 if you're buying a new motherboard yeah probably not like you get motherboards for free
@@nostrum6410 its tied to the motherboard bios which sucks if your motherboard dies but barring that I feel it's fair......you pay for windows not once its once for every system u own....all the companies that build computers include windows in the total price for the most part but u still pay for it
@@ronjones3977 I refuse to pay for the same software twice, especially as there's no real reason to get a key at all. had a video card died and needed a new key
Microsoft also offers "I have recently changed my hardware" as a troubleshoot Option.
once again, Zach's sponsor integration is flawless and helpful
Nah, I would buy carterpc doing thugshake than buying a windows key
With zach
Or just crack it for free
Some people might be not a fan of piracy or just like to waste money
I'd say, just pirate
Massgravel
@@rnin0723for real, used that command line in like 4 of my builds.
Back story behind that command, Microsoft Support Agents used it to fix a customer’s legit key that wouldn’t activate properly
not paying a dime for that OS, Linux ftw
@@v7xgaming sometimes you just have a task that can be done way much easier on windows 😅
That's the only reason I use windows the rest of my daily tasks are done in Xubuntu
I literally just had this problem and this is saving me.
I have been using the say key I bought from my copy of Windows Vista in 2009. It’s been getting free upgrades for all these years. It’s tied to my Microsoft account. That method is such a great tool.
I didn’t know about any of that when I built my pc a few years ago it turned out fine and the only original part from a previous pc was the hdd with a windows key. It worked just fine
And thanks to this system, I can still use the key from my first custom PC, which was still Windows 7 at the time.
Just to clear a few things up here regarding the activiation keys. It's crucial here to know which type of key you've bought when discussing compatibility with hardware changes. If you have an OEM key, it's directly linked to your motherboard. This essentially means that you can use the key as many times as you want, swapping out parts etc, but the motherboard has to stay as is.
On the other hand, if you've bought a retail key, the flexibility here is a bit different. You're free to change all parts without limit, including the motherboard, without encountering an activation issues. Although, instances of encountering problems here is relatively uncommon, should you face any issues, reaching out to MS Support is the only solution.
And for normal users, the chance of you hitting the max amount of activation's are very small
You can also just type a few commands into command prompts and it "activates" windows. It unlocks all settings and gets rid if the water mark. Its worked several times for me and its literally A PART OF WINDOWS.
Saving this just incase i need it. Planning on doing an upgrade soon and may need it
I did a whole system copy on my laptop and carried it over to my new Desktop and even the "Acer" default programs shit was there with it.
All you can do is "i have changed my hardware recently " option in troubleshooting, in last 6 years, i did it 3 times, and worked like charm
If you were logged into a Microsoft account and are using the same or a new drive, you can reattach your key by logging in. If it’s a prebuilt, that key goes with that board everywhere.
Me whos using cracked windows
Microsoft: you need to pay us
Me: my wallet says otherwise
I just upgraded my PC and switched to a different motherboard manufacturer. From ASUS to MSI. My Windows 10 was on my M.2. I had to reinstall Windows after reactivation because programs took minutes to load.
Did I just see the Montech Sky Two? Underrated PC case
You can also get the license key via a command on powershell and apply that to your new system. Activation will fail at first, but immediately when given the option to troubleshoot, windows allows you select an option that basically says "I've changed some hardware on my system." It then asks which system had the license which windows will then re-assign to the new system.
For my recent build I did this year, I just took the license key from a factory reset Lenovo Thinkcentre. These always come with an activated copy of Win 10 Pro right off the bat.
Assuming you don't abuse the system, Microsoft isn't really a stifler when it comes to activation.
“The older way…” boy this is the new way, lol
I recall the old days of typing in keys, failing activation, calling Microsoft, phoning in a generated code, typing in the reply code.
I remember Windows taking a hardware profile and if you swapped your CPU Windows you force a new activation.
I remember activating windows over dial up.
And I remember typing in the code from the CD case wondering why some PC’s with Win98 required a code and others didn’t (like a prebuilt Compaq).
Psssht, storing the code in BIOS is the “old” way, please lol. 😂
Please can you make a video on the fact that the i5-12400F is currently on sale for $130 on Amazon? (I am from the UK so this could possibly not be available on US Amazon)
I still using the digital key that registered to my microsoft account and this key was from 2012 when I purchased windows 8 key and I use this account to activated windows 10 on my notebook (Asus & HP) and also windows 11 on my newly build custom PC this years, so totally worth it with just $15 I can use this key for about 14 years now
I found like 50+ old office PC's in a dumpster a few years back. They where all early 2000's Windows 7 machines so the hardware was useless. But every single one had a OEM Win 7 Pro key on the case. So I went around snapping a pic of the key with my phone then carefully peeling off the stickers. Most ripped that is why I also took a pic. So needless to say I have all the Pro keys I could ever want...
yep .... and if you are smart you can use them on win 10
@@baronbrummbar8691 They work on any version of windows from Win 7 through Win 11. Plus it's the Pro version of what ever OS you install.
The thumbnail is goated💀💀
the thing is sometimes they linked that key to the motherboard and cpu combo, especially when it's an OEM key.
One time i upgraded my BIOS and lost my license key.
yea for OEMs the license key will be on the motherboard and you cannot move it to another
Nice to know that I can just transfere my SSD, thank you! But just to be sure I will read my key out before anyway
I got a new SSD a month ago and I had no idea where to find the key, so I'm still using Windows without a key 😂
Been on the same Windows key since 2007.
It's still much cheaper to buy a Windows 11 Pro key tor like 3€ instead of buying a like 200€ license for your Microsoft account. Even when you replace your motherboard 50 times it's still only 150€.
Just remember that there are no guarantee that the license you buy for 3€ isn't sold to a bunch of people and then gets blocked by Microsoft for piracy
That's volume licence key it will be deactivated automatically
me plugging in a old disc reader from 10 years ago 🗿
The rated "arrrr" version does good
**deactivates**
**replaces motherboard**
**reactovates**
The key I am using was originally a Windows Vista key. I have both replaced parts and entire systems, upgrading the key eventually to Windows 11 currently, so I can say that changing parts and systems rarely requires a new key unless you are making a 2nd system.
MAS Github project just standing there
The thumbnail 😂 bro got that pc rizz
He looks hot af on thumbnail lol
There's an option within windows activation that says "I changed my hardware" and it activates it for free
the account key feature has been around for years, I’ve been using the same license since 2018 or so
Zach did you really put that eagle on your site? 😂
Its so much better now, man I remember the days when your windows died you couldnt even back shit up you gotat format windows didnt make an OLD folder, nothin... it took forever back in the 2000s
Microsoft activation ID is a combination of multiple hardware components serial number, depending of the license type, for example mine, I change till now several PC's with the same key, as long as you don't use two pc's at the same time, the key can be ported from a pc to another and you don't do it to often, need to at last create an impression of an upgrade even if is entirely another PC.
Account linked activation key is goated
Bought a cheap windows 10 key and since it was linked to my windows account it got carried over to my windows 11
The problem is that recently MS has invalidated all win7 and 8 keys. So if you upgraded to win 10 or 11 from 7 or 8, and change mobos ( as I recently did when mine died), it will no longer activate, even if you had a previous legitimate Windows activation on this PC and/or drive. I found this out the hard way, but luckily I was able to get a very cheap grey market key.
When I built a gaming PC for my son I reused a windows 7 key that was on an old HP pavilion computer (with an AMD Athlon X2 😂 ) and it worked. That key was for an upgrade from XP to win 7 that I bought a long time ago. And it gave him a licensed Win 10 Pro 🎉
It also depends on the type of key you purchased. A retail key can be activated on a limited number of motherboard/CPU combinations, but you can (or used to be able to) revoke previous activations to activate new ones. An OEM key, however, is usually much cheaper but can only be activated once - it lives and dies with the motherboard/CPU combo it was initially activated on. I'm not sure what Windows 11 licensing has introduced that changes this.
TPM security keys is what changes this.
pretty much the same, now the keys you buy are just connected to your Microsoft account instead of being a key you need to enter
Got my key from your code. Thank you!
I can confirm the key transfers with the HDD/SSD, I've transferred to a whole new computer and no problem
Microsoft want you to believe you need to buy a new key, but you can use the same key on multiple computers just fine. There is no issue with just activating it again if it for whatever reason gets deactivate.
They key is not a one time use. Its just a very simple anti piracy measure.
You can also dump the key in command prompt and release it from the old motherboard, then reuse it
I once got Microsoft to activate Windows on my new motherboard. They said they'd only do it once with that key. That was a long time ago.
I transfered over my OEM Key (the one assigned to the motherboard) from my old laptop to my custom PC. That worked like a charm. But since it was W10H, i upgraded it to W10P with a key i bought for like 3€.
Just make sure to only buy RETAIL Keys! Those are meant for customers to carry over to new pcs.
OEM Keys are assigned to Hardware and Volume Licenses are for big companys to control the licenses from a central point. So a big no to Volume & OEM Keys!
Yeah I have it on my MS Account so I don't need to worry about it.
But once I tried logging in on a fresh W11 install and it said my account was locked due to too many login attempts. Someone unsuccessfully tried to get in.
Fortunately the setup does let you automatically continue with an offline account and I was able to change my PW. Good on Microsoft for thinking about it.
Your hardware is also connected to the account so if you have internet it will already be activated.
Windows 11 home is free on their official website. Every 'home' version is free. You can make a bootable pendrive to install windows. And the installed windows in the new pc will have windows activated already (even without any account login).
Just crack windows like my family tradition man
It depends, I had different issues when formatting or changing the motherboard. Twice I had to contact Microsoft support for them to erase my registered hardware.
If you have an old windows laptotop you can link the windows to your account and rip the windows from the laptop, it doesnt work on newer ones though as the key is hardware locked.
Windows is funky with their activation servers. As I said in one if your previous shorts, you can get lucky with fully changing the rig and keeping the activation, but you can get unlucky and never be able to activate with that previously used key. Microsoft account nullified the chances of you ever losing the license, at the cost of privacy. Over the last 4.5 years, I've changed HDD's, SSD's, and motherboards, but my license carried on. Only thing that I didn't swap out was the GPU.
On the other hand, my sister's laptop did not carry the license over with swapping HDD for SSD, so we had to activate it, and still have to do because the license did not carry on.
Yeah, I don’t do the whole “log in with Microsoft account”. I don’t trust them with any more than I absolutely have to.
Most product keys for Windows are good for 5 uses. You buy one key and can apply it to 5 units. If you’ve bought a key from one of the cdkey websites, that’s exactly how you “get around” having a hardware change. And, it’s usually the CPU being changed that causes the most problems. I upgraded my brother’s machine with a new CPU and had to tank another use of the cd key for it. Worked like a charm!
OEM KEY: linked to hardware profile (cheap, meant for 1 time build, sometimes transferable 2 or 3 times at Microsoft's discretion)
RETAIL KEY: linked to ms account (Expensive, normally used for your own machine, buy if you plan to upgrade)
I just transferred my NVMe SSD to my new mother board. I didn't want to lose any of my apps and installed an additional 1TB NVMe for increased storage space since my MB can handle 4 of them. Easiest way to do that.
I use a custom version of windows that has all the good features of active windows but doesn't need a key, no water mark either but I remove d things like Microsoft edge so I include a copy of opera gx instead
Brother I managed to transfer a windows 10 license from an OEM motherboard to a PC that is different in every single way from motherboad to case even the PSU is different! The only thing that is same is the installation drive, every other part has been changed. No issues either, just worked.
I've been using the same windows license that i got off my Alienware prebuilt for every single iteration of my pc and has gone through 3 motherboards with no issues , i have never needed to buy a windows key with all my builds . all i had to do was grab the windows key straight from the bios and keep the key safe incase i move onto another pc
I changed my Mobo a week ago, signed in and the first thing windows asked is if I wanted to activate my copy through my account, 0 hassle
You could always get a windows 10 key for a lot less and update it to window's 11, but its not guaranteed to give you the update, which would require downloading the update files manually
not always the case, depends on the install media, OEM is tied to the motherboard, retail you can transfer, just replaced a board for someone after fail with the exact same model all other components are the same and it wont activate so had to get a new key.
The honest KMS reaction in IR 🦍
There is an option in windows activation that covers activating with new hardware.
That's why I love living where I live. Basically Tortuga.
All of this would have been great to know a month ago 😭
Digital key along with storing my WindowsOS on an SSD means I literally never have to worry about losing access to windows
My custom PC was running in an old HDD I had lying around from like 20 years ago, I haven't had any issues with my windows key despite the fact I have a new MB and SSD
It's a really easy answer, if you have a windows account all your licenses are link to it. If you change pcs completely you can activate it. No longer ms restricts it to one motherboard
or just not bother
Account based key went from a 2080 build to a 4090 0 issues hell my pc even remembered the account Info😂
I always use the same account, and when I transfer the same SSD to a NEW motherboard I ALWAYS have to buy a new key.
The digital OEM keys are registered to your account AND unique motherboard serialnumber.
This is standard knowledge
There's a very easy process for transfering the license within your Windows settings. I've done it half a dozen times, and it doesn't require you to call support lol
I’m surprised people didn’t know this, it’s so simple.
Had a gaming laptop, then the mobo died. Months later i built a desktop and moved my ssd over to it and it literally booted right away and gave me zero issues. Saved everything i had and allowed me to run as if nothing changed. Of course I did go back and immediately uninstall intel/nvidia drivers and stuff for the old cpu/gpu and added the new amd ones
On Amd 7000 the windows key lives inside the soc part of the cpu.
when you have a brother with a hacked key nah im good
You should mention the keys you're advertising do not apply to the "newest methods Microsoft is doing" (Activating with your account) as you mentioned, and can only be activated on 1 PC.
Yes, the key is no longer active with a new CPU, but no problem, call support and the key is reactivated😉
No? You can keep it on the same ssd even with different cpu