Can i use my laptop hdd in my desktop?

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abdullahnauman1

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Jun 23, 2014
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So im building a new desktop pc for gaming and i am purchasing a 1tb hdd and 120gb ssd. Now i was wondering if i could use my current laptop hdd and perhaps even keep the os and data and just use the other 2 drives as extra storage and use the laptop hdd as the main drive. Maybe even drop the ssd because thats suppose to be a boot drive. Is this possible? Is it safe?
 
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Rogue Leader
If your laptop OS is Windows 7,8, or 10 you cannot swap it into something else and use it. They tie themselves to the hardware. It very likely won't even boot and if it does it will give you activation issues. You can use the drive as your boot drive (if you format it and install a new copy of Windows) or an extra drive if you want.
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Apr 16, 2015
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You can use the drive, yes. You may need a 2.5" adapter to fit it inside a desktop.

As far as maintaining the OS, it's likely OEM and can;'t be activated if transferred. It's unlikely your system would even run with the OS install anyway, as it's installed all appropriate drivers for the laptop motherboard, not your desktop.

In short, you can use it - but not "as is", you would need to clean install & buy a new OS license.
 
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Rogue Leader

Rogue Leader

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Dec 22, 2014
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If your laptop OS is Windows 7,8, or 10 you cannot swap it into something else and use it. They tie themselves to the hardware. It very likely won't even boot and if it does it will give you activation issues. You can use the drive as your boot drive (if you format it and install a new copy of Windows) or an extra drive if you want.
 
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