I have two laptops, both are Dell Inspiron model 5558 with identical hardware configurations. Both are Win 10 version 1903.
Due to a hinge issue with the primary machine, I want to move the hard drive from the one with the damaged hinge to the one without the hinge problem. Once I do that, are there any issues I should expect with Windows Validation? If so, what can I do to resolve any of those issues?
Thanks.
It's likely the Windows are OEM which are married to the motherboard.
If they are retail then you can move the SSD.
Run these links to see what each computer has installed:
Activation troubleshooting
As long as the same edition of Windows 10 (ie: Home or Pro) was previously activated on the target computer you won't have any problems.
Each drive was activated on their respective computers, so the hard drive currently on the source was activated on the source. Same with the destination. So if the activation is tied to the motherboard, then that might cause a problem.
I haven't swapped the drives yet. Just trying to look for any issues I might run into.
Just a suggestion. Create an image of both drives as a backup should anything go belly up. On the Dell you want to replace the drive reinstate the image of the broken Dell's hard drive to see if it will activate, making sure the broken Dell is offline of course.
I second the image backup idea. In fact, if you have an extra hard drive, I would clone the original hard disk to the spare hard disk and then install the cloned hard disk in the laptop. This should work, but I always:
1. Make the image backup.
2. On the broken hinge laptop (ideally with the cloned hard drive in it), go to Command Prompt (admin).
3. Type slmgr -upk to uninstall the product key.
4. Install the old laptop hard drive in the new laptop
5. Boot the laptop and activate the product key
BTW, I've had some luck repairing broken hinges with super glue and baking soda combined with plexi glass squares.
It is not very pretty, but it beats throwing away a working laptop.
I broke a hinge on my Dell laptop by trapping a pencil when I closed the lid! This also partly dislodged the GPU cable rendering the PC not bootable which fooled me a while. I used Dell's service manual available online to gain access to the hinge which I fixed by bonding the broken plastic parts with epoxy resin and reconnected the GPU cable. All has been OK for a year.
The hard drive play no part in the hardware ID used to check if there is a digital license for this machine held on the MS activation servers. Kari explains it here:
Windows 10 Digital License explained – Win10.GuruKari Finn said:
From the activation point of view, swapping in a hard drive with W10 already installed is treated the same way as a clean install. If the edition (Home or Pro) matches the digital license linked to this machine's hardware ID it will activate.
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