I plan to buy a laptop with preinstalled Windows 10. The model comes without an SSD, but I want to immediately buy it separately.

Question: what problems can I encounter when installing and activating Windows 10 on SSD and formatting the main HDD with the pre-installed OS.

After these actions, I do not lose the license?

And in general, in what form is it activated, just as before, by entering a key, or how is it attached to the gland?

PS : this is how I imagined the sequence:

  • I bought a laptop, ssd;
  • day, two looked whether everything is normal in terms of quality;
  • I download the win10 image on the USB flash drive;
  • I put ssd;
  • I format the main hdd;
  • I run win10 installation from flash drive on sdd;
  • after this how is it supposed to be activated?
  • in my experience - if the second disk is not used for "illegal installation", then there should be no problems. In the worst case, during installation you will have to call the support and just confirm the installation. - KoVadim
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    @droid there are no stickers yet with 8 Windows on the laptops, I bought a laptop with 8 Windows in the summer of 2015 - no stickers - tCode
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    On one laptop, I transferred the working system with gparted (though it later turned out that she didn’t really want a grub there, I had to calm down the Windows). On the second, just copying the disk. Without flash drives. - KoVadim
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    I would do the transfer even if there is no information of my own. Still, now on the laptop is an OEM version of the system, made by the manufacturer for it. We'll have to look for the exact same version somewhere. And this is either buying a box, what you will not do, or downloading images from the Internet from nowhere, because Microsoft themselves is not officially distributing them for nothing. - Zefick
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    It depends on what is meant by copying. Just through the clipboard, of course, it does not roll, because the system is not just a set of files that can be safely dragged. There are surprises in the form of at least symbolic links to files that are copied incorrectly, or will generally point to files from the old disk and after formatting everything will stop working. Disk cloning programs, such as akronis or a program from an SSD manufacturer's disk, take into account all the details. - Zefick

1 answer 1

It became very interesting. I called the support service 8-800-200-8001. They suggested that the OEM license for the "top ten" is tied to the motherboard, everything else can be changed. Activation, most often, passes automatically, the key is removed from the non-volatile memory chip (BIOS / UEFI?). You can view it using a special program from the MS website or the command line. If the automatic activation did not work, then we call to MS via the hotline and by this key we activate. Those. You can safely make an image from the disk, roll it onto the SSD, and the activation should not even go off. You can download the original image of the 10-ki (the same edition) from the MS website and install it on the SSD. They promise that in most cases the activation will take place automatically.

Confirmation in the Microsoft FAQ :

My device came preinstalled with Windows. Can I download and install a disk image from this site?

Before using copies of the operating systems presented on this site to install, reinstall, or repair on devices with preinstalled operating systems, familiarize yourself with customizable drivers and applications created specifically for your device on the manufacturer’s website and reseller. Using copies of the operating systems on this site to install, reinstall, or repair may void your support agreement with the manufacturer and reseller. All drivers and software installed by the device manufacturer or reseller may be removed during installation.

I understand the risk. Will the disk image from this site be correctly installed on the device that came with the pre-installed operating system?

Devices with pre-installed Windows 8.x and Windows 10 operating systems. You can download and use a disk image from this site on your device, and it will be installed correctly. In most cases, you will not need to enter the product key during installation, as it is embedded in the motherboard. However, after installation, the device will NOT contain pre-installed specialized drivers and manufacturer software. * If you are prompted to enter the product key during installation, refer to the "How to find your Windows product key?" Section above.

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    actually what I talked about. - KoVadim
  • (такой же редакции) means home / ultimate, etc.? - droid
  • by the way xs xs at the expense of the motherboard, I remembered that in the summer I changed my mother and the Windows felt normal after the change, although the motherboard of the BU was ... - tCode
  • @tCode well, the key may have been cached somewhere in the system, and if you reinstall the OS, it will not be activated), although it’s unlikely) I’ll love it as it is to their account the binding goes - droid
  • By the way, if the HDD was in the laptop, it is possible that the manufacturer did not even stint on leaving a hidden recovery partition, from which, if desired, you can restore the system to a new disk already activated. True, the default recovery script may be stupid and restore the system to the original disk without asking anything. So this is also a trouble. - Zefick