Changed laptop's HDD to SSD, want to transfer windows 10 key

I'm typing this on the laptop right now. HDD it came with was the slowest hard drive I've ever encountered in my life, so I've swapped it out for a snappy SSD. Rather than cloning it to the SSD, I did a clean install, because I don't want all of acer's bloatware.

I've read that my laptop must have come with a Win 10 OEM key, and that those aren't transferable between different systems. Because this is the same system, with only a different hard drive, will it work? And how do I do it if I can?

I'm using unlicensed windows 10 right now, and I'm wondering if I can use the key that my original hard drive still has on it.

Of course the laptop didn't come with a key on the bottom, or in the manuals, like older versions of windows did.

Thanks

How did you install the unlicensed Windows 10?

Please post the results of showkey plus from this forum. Click on the product keys to blank them out before posting:
ShowKeyPlus - Windows 10 Forums



Also, right click on the start icon, select Command Prompt (Admin). In the Command Prompt window run:

slmgr /dlv

Please post the result that should look like this:

You installed Windows 10 Pro. You are only entitled to Windows 10 Home. That is why it won't activate. You have to reinstall Windows 10 Home. Make sure it is not the single language edition or the N edition. Just plain Windows 10, but Home instead of Pro.

The plain Windows 10 ISO download from Microsoft contains both Home and Pro.

NavyLCDR said:

You installed Windows 10 Pro. You are only entitled to Windows 10 Home. That is why it won't activate. You have to reinstall Windows 10 Home. Make sure it is not the single language edition or the N edition. Just plain Windows 10, but Home instead of Pro.
The plain Windows 10 ISO download from Microsoft contains both Home and Pro.

So if I install home, then when it asks for a key, I use the OEM key that keyfinder gives me, windows will be licensed and working?

JoshieWashua said:

So if I install home, then when it asks for a key, I use the OEM key that keyfinder gives me, windows will be licensed and working?

Yes, it should be.

NavyLCDR said:

Yes, it should be.

Alright, I'll give it a shot. Thank you so much :)

Superfly said:

You won't be prompted for key entry - Windows will auto install Home from an iso file that has Home included.

Which had me wondering the whole time how the OP ended up with Windows 10 Pro installed.... Windows setup should have detected the product key for Home and not gave the choice to install Pro. Unless it was build 10240 Pro they had downloaded.

NavyLCDR said:

Which had me wondering the whole time how the OP ended up with Windows 10 Pro installed.... Windows setup should have detected the product key for Home and not gave the choice to install Pro. Unless it was build 10240 Pro they had downloaded.

You're right, this time it never asked me for a code, or which version, it says that windows home is activated with a digital license linked to my account. Thank you!!