I have a Lenovo X230 running Win 10
If I buy a new (second hand) X230 can I swap the HD from my current laptop into the new machine and Win 10 will not object?
I have the license activation for this copy of Win 10 synchronised with my Outlook email account which might make re-activation easier in the event of any issues.
You can swap out hard drives with no problems regarding licensing. The small snag might be if Windows has copied part of itself onto the drive being replaced.
If you get your new one with Windows 7 on you should keep the old disk for a bit.
If you have problems with license after swapping the disks you should be able to enter the key on the COA sticker on the back of your new laptop. If that doesn't work you can put the old disk back in and use this procedure to get a free Windows 10 license.
Clean Install Windows 10 Directly without having to Upgrade First Windows 10 Tutorials
Then you can swap the disks back again.
I did the same replacing my old X201 with a new (second hand) X201. The second hand one had 7 Pro so I upgraded it and then swapped disks and there was no issue at all.
The only thing to consider is if both you old and new laptops are running/eligible for 10 Pro or 10 home. They should be the same version else you may have to transfer your license through your MS account.
^Thanks
The reason I was asking is that the 2nd hand machines on ebay (I am thinking about getting one since the case on my machine is cracked) are all running Win 7.
I thought the free upgrade to win 10 was finished so I thought I could swap the drives to get win 10 (plus all my software) onto the new machine.
So is it still possible to upgrade Win7 to Win10 for free?
My current machine has Win10 Home.
The machines on ebay are running various versions of Win7.
Yes, absolutely it is.
I got a new X201 as I sat on the old one and cracked the case and screen. From ebay it was €100. I wanted to keep using docking station, cellular card, extra RAM I'd bought etc so bought the same model.
If you are running Win10 Home then a 7 Pro key will not activate it. What you could do (if you buy one with 7 Pro) is upgrade that to get a 10 Pro digital license, swap the disks and then put in the 10 Pro generic key (VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T)
You will then be activated without having to reinstall your software.
If you buy one with 7 Home/Home Premium you can just type in the number on the COA sticker.
You'll have no problem either way but ask if you get stuck.
^Thanks
I actually have an X201 also (as well as the X230).
Both were upgraded from Win7 to Win 10 for free before the 'deadline' for free upgrades in July 2016.
So did that deadline get scrapped or deferred?
I thought after July 2016 people had to pay to upgrade to Win 10.
They just stopped bugging you if you were on 7 after that. There was another "deadline" for accessibility users in Jan this year but that passed with no change.
All methods (enter key, upgrade, create genuineticket.xml etc) still work and give you a digital license as long as the underlying license is valid.
Guess they want as many on 10 as possible.
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