Windows 10 "Free upgrade" after hardware change?


  1. Posts : 6
    Windows 10
       #1

    Windows 10 "Free upgrade" after hardware change?


    So, I am planning on buying a new hard drive for my computer, and since Windows 10's activation is based on hardware, will I still have the free upgrade?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #2

    Yes. It's tied to the motherboard, not a specific hard drive.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 6
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    NavyLCDR said:
    Yes. It's tied to the motherboard, not a specific hard drive.
    Alright, Thanks!
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 14
    Windows 10 pro
       #4

    hmmm would cpu be tied in like the motherboard or is it just the motherboard?
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  5. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #5

    eddiethc said:
    hmmm would cpu be tied in like the motherboard or is it just the motherboard?
    Past posts indicate just the motherboard.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 3,453
       #6

    This is probably the only activation area that I have yet to master... so by hear-say (Ya, I know it's old):
    The actual algorithm that Microsoft uses is not disclosed, but we do know the weighting of components is as follows, from highest to lowest:

    • Motherboard (and CPU)
    • Hard drive
    • Network interface card (NIC)
    • Graphics card
    • RAM

    If you just add a new hard disk or add new RAM, there is no issue. If you create an image of your Windows 7 installation on another hard disk and swap that hard disk into the system and boot from it, or if you replace all your RAM and reboot, WAT gets triggered and checks to see whether you must reactivate Windows 7.
    In theory, chances that you'll get stung by any of this are not great. It was widely expected that the only users who'd need to worry about reactivation would be users who'd buy a preinstalled system, image the hard disk or try to move the hard disk to a newer, faster computer, or perform a motherboard upgrade using a preinstalled copy of Windows 7.
    Unfortunately, in practice users have been forced to reactivate after relatively modest hardware changes. In one Vista example, a user who changed from a DirectX 9 -- to a DirectX 10 -- compatible graphics card had to reactivate his installation. But wait, it got worse: Another Vista user had to reactivate Windows after upgrading to a newer version of the Intel Matrix Storage driver for his motherboard. Essentially, WGA mistook a driver upgrade for a significant hardware upgrade. Users who missed the three-day reactivation window (it's easy to do) found themselves needing to make a phone call to reactivate. Users who were hearing-impaired found that difficult to do.
    Source: How Windows 7 hardware upgrades affect licensing
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