Hi,
On my laptop I had W8 and I updated to W10, now I wanted to replace the HD with an SSD, I downloaded the W10 ISO from the Microsoft site, during the boot installation for the license what should I enter?
Does it take it automatically from the Bios or do I have to save it before changing the HD?
Thank you
You don't need to do anything.
When you upgraded your laptop to Win10, Windows registered its then-current Windows license with MS license servers as a "digital activation". You can verify that this is the case by opening "System Settings" and searching for "Activation settings". It should open a window which, among other information, includes the statement "Windows is activated with a digital license" near the top. Essentially the license is tied to your motherboard's unique features (manufacturer, serial number, etc). You can replace and upgrade disks and memory, plus install Windows from scratch (including Win11 if your hardware supports it) without needing a new license activation key.
so if i have to sell the laptop, should the new buyer have my MS codes?
Yes, original Win 8 license but not Win 10 license.
As explained above, when you upgraded from Win 8.x to win 10, when activated, M$ saved your computer specs on their servers.
Now when you do a clean install, you skip entering a license key and it will install Win 10. On the first time it is able to access the internet it will ask to M$ servers if it has a "Digital License". As it does from the upgrade, it will activate.
Your current Windows 10 Product Key is the generic retail product key that matches the edition you have installed:
Generic Product Keys to Install Windows 10 Editions
That is as simple as it gets.
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