How to Upgrade Win 10 to Win 11 after Motherboard Upgrade

optimxr · Dec 11, 2021

I have a Windows 10 machine(Ver 21H1,build 19043.1348) with a Asus P8P67 MoBrd and am upgrading to ASUS Prime Z590-P MoBrd before I attempt to upgrade to Win 11. Will this make the Win 11 upgrade fail? The new CPU is i5-11600K(10th Gen) which I believe supports Windows 11 and TPM.

glasskuter · Dec 11, 2021

The OS is tied to your motherboard in Microsoft servers. Whether it be 10 or 11 once the mobo is changed it may no longer be activated. Read this BEFORE you change the motherboard and before you upgrade. It is imperative that you be using a Microsoft account before you change hardware as is described in the article Need to reactivate Windows 10 after a hardware change? Here's how..

optimxr · Dec 11, 2021

Thanks Glasskuter, good advice and at the right time. I checked and I do have a digital license that is linked to my Microsoft account so I will reactivate win 10 before and after I change out the MB and then I should be able to install Win 11 with no problems(I hope). I will report back in either case. Thanks again.
Optimxr

Scramjet · Dec 11, 2021

Hi optimxr, My motherboard crashed and I bought a new z590. The SSD that was attached to that motherboard would not work for some unknown reason. The new build would not even pick it up. I installed Windows 10 new on a new M.2 drive and after installation I went and done the hardware change option. Within a min it activated the Windows 10 Pro. The one thing I did do though was install the same graphics card to the new build. Maybe that could have triggered a piece of hardware that was attached to the old board. I then upgraded to Windows 11 Pro. All went well. Hope you have the same good luck.
OOPS I left out that I used my Windows 8 key to activate the new install. The Windows 8.1 would not work for some reason.
Cheers

glasskuter · Dec 11, 2021

@optimxr Although you did not state your intentions, I am assuming you are planning to move your current hard drive along with your current windows installation. Even though modern operating systems reconfigure themselves to the new hardware at boot, it doesn't always go smoothly and you may run into blue screen because you are changing so much of the hardware. (Mobo,chipset,cpu, gpu, possibly sound.) I am old school and have a firm belief in doing a clean install of the OS when so much hardware is changed, but many technicians disagree with me. I've always believed it can save your trouble on down the road. I'm not saying it can't be done, because others do it successfully. It's just my opinion.

That said, if you choose to resuse your current windows installation I have a few suggestions that might keep you from having problems.

Uninstall your display driver before you change the mobo. (.If you use a discrete graphics card and are moving the same graphics card to the new mobo it is not necessary)

Backup your current install using one of the free backup programs. I use Macrium. Make recovery media for the backup software.

Get your windows 10 install running smoothly on the new hardware and windows activated before you upgrade to Windows 11. Make sure all the drivers for the new mobo are installed. The cleaner your Windows 10 install is, the smoother upgrading to 11 will be. Don't jump to 11 right off the bat.

Good luck

glasskuter · Dec 11, 2021

Something else, I checked the specs on that new mobo and it did not mention that TPM 2.0 is included, which surprised me. Did you have to buy TPM module separately?

zbook · Dec 11, 2021

This is a Microsoft link for the hardware change:

Reactivating Windows after a hardware change - Microsoft Support

Learn how to prepare your Windows device for a hardware change and find help reactivating Windows after a hardware change is complete.

support.microsoft.com

Run the Windows 11 compatibility checkers:

How to Get Windows 11 for Your Compatible PC

Find out how to get Windows 11 from Microsoft. Check your PC’s compatibility against the system requirements to see if you can upgrade to Windows 11.

www.microsoft.com

Windows 11 Compatibility Check

Windows 11 Compatibility Check This resource is now available on GitHub! Win11CompChk uses CMD, PowerShell, WMIC and more Built-in Windows tools to provide accurate results if your PC can run Windows 11. No installation or setup required! (In...

www.elevenforum.com

Consider making free backup images before the motherboard change and upgrade.

bobkn · Dec 11, 2021

glasskuter said:
Something else, I checked the specs on that new mobo and it did not mention that TPM 2.0 is included, which surprised me. Did you have to buy TPM module separately?

The board has PTT (platform trust technology), firmware TPM 2.0. ASUS Prime Z590-P

Dru2 · Dec 11, 2021

optimxr said:
I have a Windows 10 machine(Ver 21H1,build 19043.1348) with a Asus P8P67 MoBrd and am upgrading to ASUS Prime Z590-P MoBrd before I attempt to upgrade to Win 11. Will this make the Win 11 upgrade fail? The new CPU is i5-11600K(10th Gen) which I believe supports Windows 11 and TPM.

In directly answering the question without all the rocket science of what if, maybe so, and yeah buts....

If you used your Microsoft Account to activate and log into Windows, your key is already stored in your Microsoft account. In that, you can do as many builds as you like. Simply install Windows, and when you get to the screen where you input your key, simply check the I don't have one box, continue the install, and when you sign in, the OS will be activated. I've done at least 5 different builds this way

The ONLY caveat here is the key cannot be an OEM key as those are tied to the PC (and hardware) it came on. Also you cannot switch versions - Home to Pro. If you do that you will need to provide a key for the new OS version.

Good luck.

glasskuter · Dec 11, 2021

Dru2 said:
key cannot be an OEM key

That's their rule, BUT several times in the past, I have changed a mobo in an OEM machine with a different model mobo. The activation troubleshooter did not work to activate so I called MS at 888-725-1047. They weren't a$$e$ about it when I explained what I had done. They helped me activate. So guess they're not complete sticklers about their rule all the time. Or maybe I just got a sympathetic rep when I called.

glasskuter · Dec 11, 2021

Thanks @bobkn. for correcting me. The page I went to never mentioned TPM...or I overlooked it.

Dru2 · Dec 11, 2021

Again, what ifs, maybe so's and yeah buts.... let's see what key the OP has before we cross that bridge

bobkn · Dec 11, 2021

glasskuter said:
Thanks @bobkn. for correcting me. The page I went to never mentioned TPM...or I overlooked it.

Correcting? Nah. More like adding info.

optimxr · Dec 13, 2021

Thanks again, glasskuter, for the additional info and advice. BTW, I have had the same experience with Microsoft support and trying to reactivate a
Windows XP(OEM) machine back in the day. They put me thru the ringer initially but then assisted me at the end. Regarding the display driver since I won't be using the same GPU card(too old), I hope to initially use the onboard display driver which Windows 11 should detect automatically. I haven't explored the M.2 option yet, still waiting for the MB,CPU and Memory to show up at my front door. It's been 3yrs since my last build so I am anticipating some challenges. I'm looking for a stable M.2, 1TB module for this build, any suggestions?

zbook: Thanks for the Microsoft links on activation and hardware changes. Much appreciated. BTW, I did download the compatibility checker and it did state that my current CPU was not supported for Win 11. The MB is vintage 12yrs, so it would fail the test also I'm sure.

Scramjet · Dec 13, 2021

optimxr said:
Thanks again, glasskuter, for the additional info and advice. BTW, I have had the same experience with Microsoft support and trying to reactivate a
Windows XP(OEM) machine back in the day. They put me thru the ringer initially but then assisted me at the end. Regarding the display driver since I won't be using the same GPU card(too old), I hope to initially use the onboard display driver which Windows 11 should detect automatically. I haven't explored the M.2 option yet, still waiting for the MB,CPU and Memory to show up at my front door. It's been 3yrs since my last build so I am anticipating some challenges. I'm looking for a stable M.2, 1TB module for this build, any suggestions?

zbook: Thanks for the Microsoft links on activation and hardware changes. Much appreciated. BTW, I did download the compatibility checker and it did state that my current CPU was not supported for Win 11. The MB is vintage 12yrs, so it would fail the test also I'm sure.

I have been using Samsung M.2 drives for 2 builds now and they work awesome. I currently have the Samsung 980 1TB Gen 3 ( I bought this on sale before my older MB crashed)and it is very fast but my new Z590 MB supports the Gen 4 also so I will be upgrading to the Samsung 980 Pro 1TB gen 4 in the new year.

cheers

glasskuter · Dec 13, 2021

optimxr said:
I hope to initially use the onboard display driver which Windows 11 should detect automatically.

All the more reason to remove the graphics driver in current windows installation before you replace the mobo. Uninstall it from device manager and check the box to remove the driver package. Also make sure any additional manufacturer software for the old GPU is uninstalled. Graphics drivers are notorious for causing bsod's at boot as well as other weird issues. Your integrated graphics with the new cpu will be Intel® UHD Graphics 750. I would not use the windows graphics driver. Instead, you can find updated Windows 10/11 intel graphics drivers for your new Rocket Lake cpu using the link in this tutorial.

Dru2 · Dec 13, 2021

glasskuter said:
All the more reason to remove the graphics driver in current windows installation before you replace the mobo.

Why do you need to remove a driver before replacing a motherboard?

glasskuter · Dec 13, 2021

Dru2 said:
Why do you need to remove a driver before replacing a motherboard?

Precautionary. Drivers, especially graphics drivers, can cause a lot of crap. He has a discrete card that he's not going to be using with the new mobo anyway. Since he plans on using his existing hard drive with his existing windows install rather than clean install, why take a change some old driver on the drive will give a blue screen when he fires it up. With all the hardware he's swapping out, that eliminates one more thing if he encounters a BSOD. At least, that's the way I look at it. Some of that old school left in me, I guess.

Dru2 · Dec 13, 2021

glasskuter said:
Precautionary.

Again, as a PC builder for over 22 years with my last build in 2019 and in my system specs, there's absolutely no need for that.

And, if "precaution" is a concern the better option would be a clean install. In fact, it's pretty much the prevailing thought amongst builders, especially whenever there's a major change. Here you can't get anymore "major" then a motherboard change.

And for the contrarians, I've done builds both with and without an OS reinstall, usually they'll work, but sometimes issues develop over time where there's comfort and relief in a clean install

glasskuter · Dec 13, 2021

Dru2 said:
it's pretty much the prevailing thought amongst builders, especially whenever there's a major change.

Yes, I believe that was my own opinion mentioned in post #5

How to Upgrade Win 10 to Win 11 after Motherboard Upgrade

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