Tips & Tricks Windows 10 Licensing & Changing Motherboards

[Huskydog88]

Windows 10 Licensing & Changing Motherboards​

Will changing your motherboard cause you to loose your free windows 10 upgrade? If your like me and wanted to know the answer to that question before you cash your current windows key in for a free windows 10 key then keep on reading.

The answer is that it really depends on the type of license that you had upgraded from.

When you upgrade a preinstalled (OEM) or retail version of Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 license to Windows 10, does that license remain OEM or become a retail license?

If you upgrade from an OEM or retail version of Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 to the free Windows 10 upgrade this summer, the license is consumed into it. Because the free upgrade is derived from the base-qualifying license, Windows 10 will carry that licensing too.

If you upgrade from a retail version, it carries the rights of a retail version.

If you upgrade from an OEM version, it carries the rights of an OEM version.

Full version (Retail):

- Includes transfer rights to another computer.

- Doesn't require a previous qualifying version of Windows.

- Expensive

Upgrade version (Retail):

- Includes transfer rights to another computer.

- Require a previous qualifying version of Windows.

- Expensive, but cheaper than full version

OEM:

OEM versions of Windows are identical to Full License Retail versions except for the following:

- OEM versions do not offer any free Microsoft direct support from Microsoft support personnel

- OEM licenses are tied to the very first computer you install and activate it on

- OEM versions allow all hardware upgrades except for an upgrade to a different model motherboard

- OEM versions cannot be used to directly upgrade from an older Windows operating system

What happens if I change my motherboard?

As it pertains to the OEM licenses this will invalidate the Windows 10 upgrade license because it will no longer have a previous base-qualifying license, which is required for the free upgrade. You will then have to purchase a full retail Windows 10 license. If the base-qualifying license (Windows 7 or Windows 8.1) was a full retail version, then yes, you can transfer it.

From the Windows 10 end user license agreement:

b. Stand-alone software. If you acquired the software as stand-alone software (and also if you upgraded from software you acquired as stand-alone software), you may transfer the software to another device that belongs to you. You may also transfer the software to a device owned by someone else if (i) you are the first licensed user of the software and (ii) the new user agrees to the terms of this agreement. You may use the backup copy we allow you to make or the media that the software came on to transfer the software. Every time you transfer the software to a new device, you must remove the software from the prior device. You may not transfer the software to share licenses between devices.


Summing it all up:

To sum it all up in my opinion, if your upgrading to Windows 10 using a retail version of either Home or Pro, chances are that when you change motherboards later on down the track due to it either being old or having died; you’ll retain your Windows 10 activation either without doing anything or by telling it to re activate assuming Microsoft doesn’t detect that you have just cloned your hard drive and have thrown it into another system while that original system is still being used. This being said I think you have to have your Free Windows 10 upgrade key tied to a Hotmail account. So those who sign in using there account and that used a Retail key to upgrade or do a fresh install to Windows 10 should not need worry about if there recent hardware failure or motherboard upgrade has cost them their Free copy of Windows 10.

For those who buy 10 it’ll be treated as a retail version so you can reinstall to new hardware over time, as you would like with Windows 7; using an online or phone system to activate windows once you have finished reinstalling. Again logging into your Hotmail account associated with that serial key may also automatically activate windows as it does with the newer versions of office.

I am curious to know that if people have upgraded to Windows 10 using their retail key is it possible for them to ever go back to there old version of windows if 10 is not for them, or is there key now rendered useless after migrating it to Windows 10?

If I have missed anything or you’d like to add to this please feel free to comment below.

If I have posted this is the incorrect section please let me know and or move it to the proper category.

 

[GoofySpyLORD]

Well , it is a very nice one

Keep it up

 

[SiteWizard]

nice info Huskydog88 thanks for the lecture

 

[SornoQ]

Good tips thank you Huskydog88

 

[Wind in the Air]

thanks. Saves me a ton of searching about this topic ^_^

 

[Huskydog88]

I can confirm that when using a retail key that it does indeed bind it to the Hotmail account that you sign in with. If you accidentally use a OEM key such as a key from a laptop or desktop example; Acer, Dell, HP Ect. it will be bound to the hardware more so than the email account but you can simply change the key to a retail one via "change key" reactivate and then format and reload and windows will then show as being activated to a digital license using the Hotmail account. I have been formatting and reloading several systems today and I will be doing the same tomorrow to claim as many free keys as I possibly can. I will also try throwing the hdd into or reinstalling windows to different hardware and see if by logging into a Hotmail account that windows 10 has been activated on before automatically activates when being done so on different hardware.

I'll update the main post to show off my findings when I have a bit more to add