I have just built a new computer and i am wondering if it is possible to use my old windows 7 OS on a hard drive on the new computer. old computer was a HP pavilion elite-141f and the new computer has AMD fx-8350 , asus GTX 660 TI and a gigabyte motherboard
If the OS was pre-loaded on the HP machine it will probably balk when it sees a different motherboard. If you installed a retail OS then you can move it as much as you want as long as it runs only on one machine. But you may want to search "license" to get more in depth description. I'm not an attorney. I've never even played one on TV. :)
If it's the HP preinstalled OS then you'd have to buy a license for the same version to activate it on a new motherboard, and you wouldn't want it anyway since HP has the worst load of bloatware in the industry which throttles Win7. You'd want to Clean Install Windows 7
If you have a retail version installed then you can move it anywhere you want as often as you please. However if it's an Upgrade it requires having a qualifying XP or Vista retail copy on hand though it doesn't have to be installed. If upgrade key is rejected during install, leave it blank and then afterwards do the quick Option 3 workaround given in Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version to activate Upgrade version on a new or wiped HD.
Last edited by gregrocker; 02 Jan 2013 at 19:23.
Hmm, specs lists Windows 7 Ultimate as OS. So I suspect it's a retail version. Unless you upgraded when you bought the machine off the shelf. I guess the short of it is, if they gave you a Retail Windows disc you're golden. If not, then you're not. :)
Legally no as mentioned in the previous answers...but technically it's viable. And this is based on some conditions; cpu fried and needs to be replace, and the same for hard drive and mobo. If this is the case just plop in the old hard drive and rest of new hard ware and boot up system...it should fire up. If not then a call to MS to explain what happened and MS should verify and activate it over the phone.
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