I think I can transfer my Win 10 Pro from an old computer to a new Intel NUC that I plan to purchase. This started out as a Windows 7 install that was updated / upgraded continuously as new versions came out. See the attached results from running slmgr.vbs/dlv in PowerShell. Since "Retail" is mentioned in multiple places in the output, I think I can remove it from my old (very old) desktop and put it on the NUC. Correct?
Yes, you should be able to move it. You may want to do so using an image backup program such as Macrium Reflect that will allow you to move to dissimilar hardware.
Also, Windows may refuse to activate on different hardware. In that case, just run through the activation troubleshooter and it should let you specify that you have moved your installation to a new machine and then activate.
Thanks for the quick response and your suggestions.
Retail channel means absolutely nothing as a result of the slmgr /dlv command. What was the origin of the original Windows 7?
Assuming the new hardware is not very different (eg from Intel to AMD and vice versa or from a very old chipset to a newer of the same manufacturer), you should be able to just connect (or clone) the hard disk to the new system and boot Windows. If you see the desktop, then you should update all drivers and re-activate Windows, Office and some other applications.
Ah! Differing opinions. First, I would like to do a clean install and have no problem doing that since I've done many over the years. Regarding moving my existing Windows to the new system, maybe the following will help. I've shown the label on the back of the PC and also the history of upgrades through Win 8.1 which I've continued to update to the current May 2019 version of Win 10.
Hopefully, this will help all to reach a consensus. Thanks in advance.
Your original Windows 7 all this is based upon is OEM and not transferable to a new computer. Don't expect to be able to activate Windows 10 Pro on the NUC unless you buy a license for it.
NavyLCDR is correct. When you had said "Retail" I mistakenly assumed it was a copy purchased via retail, not an OEM version.
My mistake.
I accidentally put a W10 SSD from one computer into another and it did not complain. Different MB's CPU's etc. Just like it belonged there. Activation remained in place.
And was the other computer brand new that never had Windows 8 or 10 on it before? If the other computer came from the factory with Windows 8/8.1 or 10, then Windows will read the product key stored in firmware and if it matches the Windows edition, it will use that to activate. If the other computer ever had the same Windows 10 edition activated on it before, then Windows will contact Microsoft activation servers with the computer's hardware ID and retrieve the existing digital license for that computer and use that to activate.
Last edited by NavyLCDR; 05 Jul 2019 at 20:04.
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