Windows Activation

I have a 1TB Western Digital SATA drive w/an activated Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit OS on it.

My computer is self-built & there are a few different problems (software-wise) right now, so I'm planning to wipe the hard drive & do a clean install. I know from past experience (mine & others) that Windows 10 will reactivate w/o any problems.

But I thought, if I'm going to do a clean install, I might as well get a new drive 1st. So my questions are:
1. If I get a new drive (SSD this time) & do a clean install, will Windows 10 reactivate?
2. What component is my digital activation number tied to?
3. How many parts can I change before I have activation problems?

The drive I want to get is at Best Buy.

CJW said:

1. If I get a new drive (SSD this time) & do a clean install, will Windows 10 reactivate?
2. What component is my digital activation number tied to?
3. How many parts can I change before I have activation problems?.

Yes, the hard drive has been stated by Microsoft as playing no part in the hardware ID used to determine activation.

For more details see this from TF member Kari:

The Windows 10 Digital License is based on HWID 3. As long as the Windows edition, motherboard and CPU remain the same, once the computer has been activated, all future clean installs on that computer also will activate automatically. Note that all HWIDs exclude storage media entirely.

Win10.guru | Windows 10 Digital License explained

There is an activation troubleshooter that can be used after a significant hardware change such as a motherboard swap.

Use Activation Troubleshooter in Windows 10

You don't need a 1T SSD. You can buy a 120G SSD (US$25) and install windows and programs on it and use the HDD for data only. It's a way to have the speed of a SSD and the space of a HDD at low cost.
This configuration is what I have on my desktop and laptop. To move C:\Users (SSD) to D:\Users I use Kari tutorial. It is very easy during installation.

Thanks everyone.

Now does anyone know where I can still get the Windows 10 v1909, Build: 18363.535 ISO?


I've been searching around, but cannot find it.

CJW said:

Now does anyone know where I can still get the Windows 10 v1909, Build: 18363.535 ISO?
I've been searching around, but cannot find it.

Select language for Feature update to Windows 10, version 1909 (18363.535) amd64 - UUP dump

NavyLCDR said:

Select language for Feature update to Windows 10, version 1909 (18363.535) amd64 - UUP dump

Thank you Navy LCDR.
But I'm now confused.

I selected my Language <Next>
I selected my Edition <Next>
I selected "Download & convert to ISO" <Create Download Package>
But then I get a .zip file containing strangely named files, but no .iso file.

CJW said:

Thank you Navy LCDR.
But I'm now confused.

I selected my Language <Next>
I selected my Edition <Next>
I selected "Download & convert to ISO" <Create Download Package>
But then I get a .zip file containing strangely named files, but no .iso file.

Extract all the files to a folder. There will be a file in the folder with a .cmd extension. Run that file, and a script will build an ISO file.

NavyLCDR said:

Extract all the files to a folder. There will be a file in the folder with a .cmd extension. Run that file, and a script will build an ISO file.

That's what I tried.
I extracted the files & I ran the uup_download_windows.cmd file.
But then I ran into this problem:

CJW said:

Now does anyone know where I can still get the Windows 10 v1909, Build: 18363.535 ISO?

You can get ISOs of older versions at Heidoc, or TechBench -

Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool

TechBench by WZT (v4.1.1)

Article on both...

Where to Download Windows 10, 8.1, and 7 ISOs Legally

Then, follow this tutorial on creating bootable install media -

Create Bootable USB Flash Drive to Install Windows 10

The ISOs are at the version and build number when they were released.

After Windows Update runs, it will then be current.