Moving W10 to a new computer

Hi all, I'm about to purchase a new PC desktop computer for photo editing, general MS Office and web surfing.

I already have an SSD boot drive with W10 Pro x64 installed and activated and a bootable USB stick. The hardware of the new PC will be completely different to the old one so what is the best way to do the switch over?

Can I plug the existing SSD into the new computer and use the USB stick to provide the new files and drivers that the new hardware will need?

Thanks for any advice :)

You should do a clean install on the new hardware, since you have a usb stick ready to go.

Clean Install Windows 10 | Windows 10 Tutorials

Samuria said:

10 is good at finding new drivers so it may work if hardwareis simliar but then you may have problems with activation as stricly speaking you should by a new copy

Ah, I had a horrible feeling that would be the case. The new hardware is completely different so maybe this isn't such a good idea

SteveGPhoto said:

Ah, I had a horrible feeling that would be the case. The new hardware is completely different so maybe this isn't such a good idea

You can use sysprep to remove hardware drivers. But as you are thinking about doing a clean install, what have you got to lose by putting ssd in new pc and just trying it. Windows 10 is far superior to older versions at sorting out drivers.

My windows are already on third system and every time it booted although on second or third time. It helps if internet connection is available at the time of switching. That usually means a wired connection. It also helps if you sign in with same MS account for easy license transfer but even than it can take some time for it to transfer license. So, patience in any case.

SteveGPhoto said:

Okay, that's not too bad. Can I still use the product key from my current windows to activate the new install?

I don`t think so, but you can link your account, as already mentioned.

Link Microsoft Account to Windows 10 Digital License | Windows 10 Tutorials

Thanks for the help, folks. Looks like I'll try the old SSD first and if that doesn't work a clean install on the new one :)