Moving Windows 10 to new hard drive

[svellocido]

I was wondering if it was possible to copy the Windows 10 OS to another hard drive and still be able to use the old one. I have an old laptop, mainly used for videos and internet use, and I would still like to be able to have it for mobility purposes. I'm in the process of building a gaming PC, so of course, I'll need an OS for that as well.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

If you mean use the same license on 2 different machines then no, you cannot do that.

 

[R_1]

you can move windows from one drive (A) to another drive (B) in the same system. then you can format drive A and use it as blank storage. all in the same system.
you cannot copy a working windows drive and put it another computer, this will not work.

 

[Sumo999]

Windows 10 license locks to the motherboard, the cheapest way to do it would be to buy Windows 7 <redacted by moderator>. Install that then do a free upgrade to Windows 10.

<Do not promote non-legit sources of license keys here>

 

[svellocido]

you can move windows from one drive (A) to another drive (B) in the same system. then you can format drive A and use it as blank storage. all in the same system.
you cannot copy a working windows drive and put it another computer, this will not work.

Thanks. I just needed to see if I needed to budget in an OS for one of my computers. Honestly, if I can transfer the OS over and install Windows XP or 7 on my laptop, I'd be happier overall. I like Windows 10, but I like the overall look and user friendliness of XP or 7(More XP, tbh).

 

[R_1]

you can move windows from one drive (A) to another drive (B) in the same system. then you can format drive A and use it as blank storage. all in the same system.
you cannot copy a working windows drive and put it another computer, this will not work.

Thanks. I just needed to see if I needed to budget in an OS for one of my computers. Honestly, if I can transfer the OS over and install Windows XP or 7 on my laptop, I'd be happier overall. I like Windows 10, but I like the overall look and user friendliness of XP or 7(More XP, tbh).

have you tried mint linux with cinnamon? I installed it as a second OS months ago and haven't booted windows since. FREE.

 

[svellocido]

you can move windows from one drive (A) to another drive (B) in the same system. then you can format drive A and use it as blank storage. all in the same system.
you cannot copy a working windows drive and put it another computer, this will not work.

Thanks. I just needed to see if I needed to budget in an OS for one of my computers. Honestly, if I can transfer the OS over and install Windows XP or 7 on my laptop, I'd be happier overall. I like Windows 10, but I like the overall look and user friendliness of XP or 7(More XP, tbh).

have you tried mint linux with cinnamon? I installed it as a second OS months ago and haven't booted windows since. FREE.

For my laptop? I've never tried it out honestly. I haven't done anything outside of Windows. How user friendly is it?

 

[R_1]

http://arstechnica.co.uk/information-technology/2015/12/review-mint-17-3-may-be-the-best-linux-desktop-distro/
here ya go, they go in depth pretty well and very informative.

once the system is setup, easier than win 10 to get around. IMHO

from the article "If you don't want to think about the OS you're using—that is, if you want to click a button that says "Menu" to launch an app or open a folder named "Documents" to find your files—Cinnamon is going to make you happy."

 

[svellocido]

http://arstechnica.co.uk/information-technology/2015/12/review-mint-17-3-may-be-the-best-linux-desktop-distro/
here ya go, they go in depth pretty well and very informative.

once the system is setup, easier than win 10 to get around. IMHO

from the article "If you don't want to think about the OS you're using—that is, if you want to click a button that says "Menu" to launch an app or open a folder named "Documents" to find your files—Cinnamon is going to make you happy."

That definitely sounds like my kind of OS. I'm guessing that it doesn't have much support for the gaming community though? Either way, I still won't be paying a dime outta pocket for an operating system. Mahalo for the advice.

 

[R_1]

http://arstechnica.co.uk/information-technology/2015/12/review-mint-17-3-may-be-the-best-linux-desktop-distro/
here ya go, they go in depth pretty well and very informative.

once the system is setup, easier than win 10 to get around. IMHO

from the article "If you don't want to think about the OS you're using—that is, if you want to click a button that says "Menu" to launch an app or open a folder named "Documents" to find your files—Cinnamon is going to make you happy."

That definitely sounds like my kind of OS. I'm guessing that it doesn't have much support for the gaming community though? Either way, I still won't be paying a dime outta pocket for an operating system. Mahalo for the advice.

if you like steam you can game on mint too. CS:go