As always, I apologize if this has been asked and answered on this forum, possibly multiple times. If so, could someone just link me to the appropriate thread?

In short, I’m looking to do some upgrades in the near future, both on my rig and my father’s. They will be nearly complete upgrades. Motherboards, CPUs, RAM, and graphics cards.

I haven’t done an upgrade since the advent of Windows 10, and I’m not sure how to do it given the digital nature of the OS. In the past, I would have just purchased a new physical copy of the latest OS, be it Windows 95, XP, 7, whatever.

So my question is, essentially, how? Is there a way I can reinstall Windows 10 on my upgraded PC without purchasing a new copy. Do I have to purchase two new copies, one for each PC.

Any resources that you can guide me to would be helpful. Thank you in advance.

@irishranger: You can just go to the Microsoft site and download the Windows 10 boot file to put on a usb stick or burn to a disc. No purchase necessary. Once you do install the OS, it will technically be unauthorized until you purchase a license, but as far as I can tell the only thing that this affects is the desktop wallpaper, which cannot be changed. Aside from that, it’s a fully functional Windows 10 install.

If you do want a full license, I’d recommend grabbing one from eBay, which will be a fraction of the cost of buying one from Microsoft.

just to add- i forget the exact criteria, but if you're doing minor upgrades you can generally transfer your existing win10 license (new SSD/GPU/RAM for example).

however for upgrades that get closer to full rebuilds (mobos, cpus, etc) microsoft recognizes those changes as requiring a new license.

at least, that's my perception.

@navster15: Thank you

@mellotronrules: Thank you for this. I had read something about how if you have a Microsoft account, the license will transfer, but I didn’t know what that covered and couldn’t find a solid answer for it.

I believe only retail licenses will cover. So if you bought a HP or Dell, that license will not transfer.

Open a command prompt and type in "slmgr -dli"

A window will pop up with information on your licensing. If you see "Retail", that will transfer. If it says OEM, it will not.

Also, quick edit: If you are a student with a .edu address, you may be eligible for a free Edu license of Windows 10. To my knowledge, it's pretty much just Windows 10 Enterprise though they scaled some features back, it's still more feature rich than standard.

@navster15: "No purchase necessary ... the only thing that this affects is the desktop wallpaper, which cannot be changed. Aside from that, it’s a fully functional Windows 10 install."

It's the wallpaper and any personalization stuff.

And for a while it showed a pretty unobtrusive "Activate Windows" watermark in the bottom right corner of your screen, but in newer versions, it's much more in your face. A bar across the middle of your screen.

@irishranger: granted this was about 3 years ago but I had done a complete rebuild - new Motherboard, ram, cpu, graphics card, SSD. I simply reinstalled windows and it transferred everything over using my MS account. Now I can’t really remember if I used some usb boot up or if I managed to get into my previous install and initiate a clean wipe from there but I can say that I didn’t have to buy a whole new copy of Win10 even though my entire PC changed from the ground up. I think you get a set amount of “transfers” where you bind the license to the new hardware but it’s been a while.

My solution is the one that is probably not the cost effective way to go. I have always bought the full full O.S. with a provided USB key. And I have recently used it for full upgrade (Motherboard, CPU etc.).

Always seemed like a hustle.....

Just chiming in to say I replaced my motherboard and processor a couple of months back after my old Mobo died on me and was able to easily just create a boot media usb stick with the Microsoft tool and everything transferred over seamlessly through my MS account credentials.

I did upgrade to windows even did a Windows installation,but Microsoft did not reply to me in time, so getting its help is always delayed.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/get-windows-10

https://www.passgeeker.com/upgrade-windows-7-to-windows-10-free.html

This is how i got Windows 10 on my computer,everything is DIY,download the Windows iso file,burn it to the USB and finally install Windows 10.

cheapdigitaldownloads has digital keys for Win10 ranging from 10-$20

Only use sites that offer Paypal for payment.

When I did a full upgrade a year ago, I called MS support and told them I had a key (kinda true - it was an OEM copy), but it wasn't working anymore. After the bare minimum of verification attempts, they gave me a pro license and sent me on my way.

The truth is MS doesn't care if you pay for Windows anymore. It's now a data mining platform. They just want you to use it.

I think you can still do the free upgrade through microsoft's site according to this article.

Over the next three-plus years, I have repeated those steps on test PCs at regular intervals and confirmed that the free upgrade tool still works. As of late November 2020, I continue to receive email messages every day from readers offering firsthand reports that their free upgrades were successful, with no purchase or product key required.

Totally agree with you.

It's not a super simple process but there's no need to buy a new licence, you can transfer it over to a new drive.

Source: have not purchased a new windows licence since I originally bought my PC in 2013, have since swapped out the GPU (X2), CPU, Motherboard, RAM, PSU, boot drive

First and foremost, you don't need to purchase a new copy of Windows 10 as you can upgrade from an older version without any additional cost. All you need to do is go to the Microsoft website and download the Windows 10 installation tool. From there, you can follow the step-by-step instructions to install the OS. Or you can use cheap windows keys https://www.reddit.com/r/cheapwindowskeys/comments/wjvsae/cheap_windows_keys/ to upgrade your Windows programs and fix any system bugs. These keys can be bought from reputable online stores and can save you a lot of money compared to buying a new copy of the OS. Plus, with these keys, you have access to all the latest features and security updates. It's a great way to ensure that your PC is running optimally.