windows 11 upgrade + hardware upgrade

daniels471 said:

does anyone have any info on getting my product key out , i have used jelly bean key finder which i have used in the past for win 7 , but with this digital license activation , does anyone know if this key its giving me is indeed the correct one ( not going to post it here before anyone asks )

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If it's YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7 (Home) or VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T (Pro) then it's the a generic key and quite safe to post. Generic keys cannot activate Windows.

If the machine was supplied with Windows 8/8.1/10/11 pre-installed by the OEM then a real key is embedded in the bios firmware. You can read this key with ShowKeyPlus.

ShowKeyPlus - Windows 10 Help Forums

Yeah, I have a generic key for Windows 10 Pro (now upgraded to 11)

For those that have it AIDA64 (both Extreme & Engineer) can also show keys, but AIDA64 is a paid program.

i was just worried that what if it doesnt activate and i need to contact support with it , would rather have the key out before wiping my current disk

Bree said:

If it's YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7 (Home) or VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T (Pro) then it's the a generic key and quite safe to post. Generic keys cannot activate Windows.

Generic Product Keys to Install or Upgrade Windows 11 Editions Tutorial

Generic keys (aka: "default keys") for Windows 11 from Microsoft will allow you to install or upgrade to a specific Windows 11 edition you want, but will not activate it. Using a generic key can be helpful if you wanted to install or upgrade to a specific Windows 11 edition for evaluation or...

www.elevenforum.com

If the machine was supplied with Windows 8/8.1/10/11 pre-installed by the OEM then a real key is embedded in the bios firmware. You can read this key with ShowKeyPlus.

ShowKeyPlus - Windows 10 Help Forums

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yes that is what im getting , so it is the generic key

glasskuter said:

Keep in mind you will have to buy new ram as well. Something else. Not that it won't work, but if you use your old HDD, you won't be utilizing one of the best features new mobos offer...an M.2 drive. I'm of the opinion that unless one is going to build some super duper gaming rig, buying all these new components just to run 11 is a big waste of money. If what you have is running well with 10, use it for 4 1/2 more years. I can't understand why anyone would do all this when with a little searching, especially during sales, you can find a fully equipped prebuilt machine with 11 already on it for around $600. An extra bonus, you will have a modern case as well.

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to be honest this system is due an upgrade, it was really strugging the other day just to do a teams call and edit some files

daniels471 said:

to be honest this system is due an upgrade, it was really struggling the other day....

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If you are going to upgrade the motherboard and cpu, then first link the digital licence to your Microsoft account. After the hardware upgrade sign in with your MS account and it should transfer the digital licence to the new hardware. If it doesn't then you should be able to do so by running the Activation Troubleshooter. If that too fails, then a call to MS support, explaining that it's still the same machine but with an upgraded motherboard, usually results in them activating it for you.

Were you able to run Belarc Advisor?

Open administrative command prompt and copy and paste:

wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey

daniels471 said:

i was just worried that what if it doesnt activate and i need to contact support with it , would rather have the key out before wiping my current disk

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If you're looking for us to give you a 100 percent guarantee nothing will happen, that's not possible, especially since we're not in front of your machine. This is also why I mention backing up before doing anything.

And if the license is already tied to his account, it doesn't need to be first done, and then done again...

daniels471 said:

its not oem as far as im aware , i did just check and it does say its activated and lined to a MS account , so i should just be able to change the hardware, do a clean install of win 11 and sign in to activate?

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Dru2 said:

Yes, in theory, that should be all that's needed. Just need to make sure the OS isn't OEM.

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Navy said, OEM is no longer an issue, so that's even better. Simply place the drive in the new system. log into Windows with Microsoft Account and Windows should activate. If not, and Windows nags you, use the current generic key you have. I've done this countless times as I build a new system every 3 years (MB, CPU, sometimes RAM). This is why I love the Microsoft Account with the digital license tied in.