How to install Windows 8 from an old hard drive onto a newer hard drive with Windows 10 on it

[Mason Methot]

After my recent PC build, I put on the Windows 10 trial and am using it until I can buy Windows 7 or something. I took out my old hard drive from my laptop and put it in the new pc to have a couple hundred GB more of storage, when I realized I can make it a boot device (which has windows 8). It's great to use it like that but since it's from an HP laptop, everything on it is HP, and ask's constantly for AMD drivers (old laptop had AMD).

What I want to do is, (if possible) out Windows 8 from the old hard drive onto the new one, so that the new one is the boot device, and primary and all that. I don't know how, of any way to do it, or if what I am specifically asking for is even possible without downloading 50 other programs and using 5 USB's just to make it work right.

Anyone have any ideas on what I'm talking about and how to do it?
(Doesn't matter if it can't be done right, I can just use the 200GB on it for photos)

 

[USAFRet]

What you're asking cannot be done, for multiple reasons.

1. Laptop drive with Windows 8 won't work right in a new desktop, as you have seen. Clean install of the OS

2. Licensing. The Win 8 license on that laptop drive is applicable to only that laptop. You can't use that same license in a new desktop

3. You can't just move the OS install from the laptop drive to the new desktop drive. See #1.

 

[Mason Methot]

What you're asking cannot be done, for multiple reasons.

1. Laptop drive with Windows 8 won't work right in a new desktop, as you have seen. Clean install of the OS

2. Licensing. The Win 8 license on that laptop drive is applicable to only that laptop. You can't use that same license in a new desktop

3. You can't just move the OS install from the laptop drive to the new desktop drive. See #1.

Alright then, but what do you mean the laptop drive won't work right in the desktop?

 

[USAFRet]

What you're asking cannot be done, for multiple reasons.

1. Laptop drive with Windows 8 won't work right in a new desktop, as you have seen. Clean install of the OS

2. Licensing. The Win 8 license on that laptop drive is applicable to only that laptop. You can't use that same license in a new desktop

3. You can't just move the OS install from the laptop drive to the new desktop drive. See #1.

Alright then, but what do you mean the laptop drive won't work right in the desktop?

The physical drive works no problem. It's just another drive, although a bit slow.

The OS on that drive will almost certainly not boot up in the desktop hardware.
And if it does, the licensing won't allow it to activate.

 

[Mason Methot]

What you're asking cannot be done, for multiple reasons.

1. Laptop drive with Windows 8 won't work right in a new desktop, as you have seen. Clean install of the OS

2. Licensing. The Win 8 license on that laptop drive is applicable to only that laptop. You can't use that same license in a new desktop

3. You can't just move the OS install from the laptop drive to the new desktop drive. See #1.

Alright then, but what do you mean the laptop drive won't work right in the desktop?

The physical drive works no problem. It's just another drive, although a bit slow.

The OS on that drive will almost certainly not boot up in the desktop hardware.
And if it does, the licensing won't allow it to activate.

When I set it as a boot device, it worked no problem for me. Booted as Windows 8, had all the files working. Problem is, is I don't know because the pc runs on it, if my computer will be used to its full potential. Using the 8GBs of ram I gave it, run games like it should. (I'm sure it will, but, I'm not the biggest computer geek in the world, but am getting there)

 

[USAFRet]

What you're asking cannot be done, for multiple reasons.

1. Laptop drive with Windows 8 won't work right in a new desktop, as you have seen. Clean install of the OS

2. Licensing. The Win 8 license on that laptop drive is applicable to only that laptop. You can't use that same license in a new desktop

3. You can't just move the OS install from the laptop drive to the new desktop drive. See #1.

Alright then, but what do you mean the laptop drive won't work right in the desktop?

The physical drive works no problem. It's just another drive, although a bit slow.

The OS on that drive will almost certainly not boot up in the desktop hardware.
And if it does, the licensing won't allow it to activate.

When I set it as a boot device, it worked no problem for me. Booted as Windows 8, had all the files working. Problem is, is I don't know because the pc runs on it, if my computer will be used to its full potential. Using the 8GBs of ram I gave it, run games like it should. (I'm sure it will, but, I'm not the biggest computer geek in the world, but am getting there)

Then you have found one of the few cases where it actually works.
As a trial, disconnect all other drives, and see if it boots properly.

 

[Mason Methot]

What you're asking cannot be done, for multiple reasons.

1. Laptop drive with Windows 8 won't work right in a new desktop, as you have seen. Clean install of the OS

2. Licensing. The Win 8 license on that laptop drive is applicable to only that laptop. You can't use that same license in a new desktop

3. You can't just move the OS install from the laptop drive to the new desktop drive. See #1.

Alright then, but what do you mean the laptop drive won't work right in the desktop?

The physical drive works no problem. It's just another drive, although a bit slow.

The OS on that drive will almost certainly not boot up in the desktop hardware.
And if it does, the licensing won't allow it to activate.

When I set it as a boot device, it worked no problem for me. Booted as Windows 8, had all the files working. Problem is, is I don't know because the pc runs on it, if my computer will be used to its full potential. Using the 8GBs of ram I gave it, run games like it should. (I'm sure it will, but, I'm not the biggest computer geek in the world, but am getting there)

Then you have found one of the few cases where it actually works.
As a trial, disconnect all other drives, and see if it boots properly.

It boots properly, just like it should. Starts quick, loads quick, opens applications....well...not at the best speed.
Is there any chance something might happen to my new hard drive? Like...I don't know...somehow things get erased from it? Or something like that?

 

[USAFRet]

What you're asking cannot be done, for multiple reasons.

1. Laptop drive with Windows 8 won't work right in a new desktop, as you have seen. Clean install of the OS

2. Licensing. The Win 8 license on that laptop drive is applicable to only that laptop. You can't use that same license in a new desktop

3. You can't just move the OS install from the laptop drive to the new desktop drive. See #1.

Alright then, but what do you mean the laptop drive won't work right in the desktop?

The physical drive works no problem. It's just another drive, although a bit slow.

The OS on that drive will almost certainly not boot up in the desktop hardware.
And if it does, the licensing won't allow it to activate.

When I set it as a boot device, it worked no problem for me. Booted as Windows 8, had all the files working. Problem is, is I don't know because the pc runs on it, if my computer will be used to its full potential. Using the 8GBs of ram I gave it, run games like it should. (I'm sure it will, but, I'm not the biggest computer geek in the world, but am getting there)

Then you have found one of the few cases where it actually works.
As a trial, disconnect all other drives, and see if it boots properly.

It boots properly, just like it should. Starts quick, loads quick, opens applications....well...not at the best speed.
Is there any chance something might happen to my new hard drive? Like...I don't know...somehow things get erased from it? Or something like that?

At this point, probably not.
But with completely new hardware, a clean install is recommended.

Go through a round of Windows Updates, and see if it is still activated. It may come up Unactivated when the activation servers figure it out.

 

[Mason Methot]

What you're asking cannot be done, for multiple reasons.

1. Laptop drive with Windows 8 won't work right in a new desktop, as you have seen. Clean install of the OS

2. Licensing. The Win 8 license on that laptop drive is applicable to only that laptop. You can't use that same license in a new desktop

3. You can't just move the OS install from the laptop drive to the new desktop drive. See #1.

Alright then, but what do you mean the laptop drive won't work right in the desktop?

The physical drive works no problem. It's just another drive, although a bit slow.

The OS on that drive will almost certainly not boot up in the desktop hardware.
And if it does, the licensing won't allow it to activate.

When I set it as a boot device, it worked no problem for me. Booted as Windows 8, had all the files working. Problem is, is I don't know because the pc runs on it, if my computer will be used to its full potential. Using the 8GBs of ram I gave it, run games like it should. (I'm sure it will, but, I'm not the biggest computer geek in the world, but am getting there)

Then you have found one of the few cases where it actually works.
As a trial, disconnect all other drives, and see if it boots properly.

It boots properly, just like it should. Starts quick, loads quick, opens applications....well...not at the best speed.
Is there any chance something might happen to my new hard drive? Like...I don't know...somehow things get erased from it? Or something like that?

At this point, probably not.
But with completely new hardware, a clean install is recommended.

Go through a round of Windows Updates, and see if it is still activated. It may come up Unactivated when the activation servers figure it out.

Alright, thanks for the help. I guess everything else is pretty straight forward for me from there.

Have a good night!