You don’t have to reinstall Windows 10 after upgrading your motherboard if you take a few steps before making the switch. Struggling to find your old product key? Here are a few places you can check to find it! You Don’t Have to Reinstall Windows 10! Input the product key associated with your Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 license and select Next. Under Update product key, select Change product key. Press Windows Key + I, then head to Updates & Security > Activation. If Windows 10 will not activate after installing a new motherboard and you upgraded to Windows 10 via Windows 7 or 8/8.1, you can attempt to activate Windows 10 on the new hardware combination using your old product key. Once you complete the sign-in process, Microsoft will link your Windows 10 license and your Microsoft account. After this, you’ll need to sign into your Microsoft account. Under Add a Microsoft account, select Add an account. The best way to make sure your new motherboard doesn’t require a fresh installation is to link your Windows license and your Microsoft account before making the change. All being well, Windows 10 will reconfigure itself, and you can continue using the operating system.Īs you might expect, it doesn’t always work out like that! For the most part, you’ll encounter issues relating to Windows 10 license activation. After replacing the motherboard, you reconnect the Windows 10 drive. When you switch out your motherboard, you can keep the hard drive or solid-state drive with your Windows 10 installation. How To Replace a Motherboard Without Reinstalling Windows 10 If you have a retail license, you can transfer your Windows 10 installation to a new motherboard easily.

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