Many users are concerned about porting Windows 10 to another computer. Most often, in search of a solution to perform such actions, one has to turn to reference materials in those cases when it is necessary to transfer a fully activated and workable OS with all the programs, settings and available user files installed in it to a terminal with a more powerful configuration or when replacing components of its own PC (for example, when replacing the motherboard or hard drive). By and large, this process is very simple, however, when performing basic operations, it will be necessary to take into account some important nuances (at least so that activation does not “fly off” if Windows was purchased officially).
How to transfer activated Windows 10 to another computer: options
Some users ignorant of these issues naively believe that to transfer the system to another PC or laptop in the best case, it is enough to simply copy the contents of the system (and maybe also virtual) partition to another hard drive, and you can end there. The most important misconception is that partitions reserved by the system that are not displayed in file managers and utilities may be lost. It is far from a fact that boot partitions can also be transferred to other media. Among other things, some system components can be protected from copying, so the simplest actions with them will also fail. Finally, do not forget that the operating system has a clear “binding” to the computer hardware, not to mention its activation on a specific terminal in the form of the same pre-installed OEM version.
And how to transfer Windows 10 to another computer in such a situation? As it turns out, there is a solution. Some people recommend immediately starting to create a portable copy of the system, using the capabilities of Windows To Go. But this is not quite what is meant by full transfer. From the point of view of practicality, safety, and simplicity of the actions performed, the method proposed below is the most acceptable, which is, roughly speaking, to reset the hardware on the source PC, create a backup of the existing system, and then deploy it to another terminal (as if to restore it from an image, although in reality there may not be an installed OS on the computer).
What software will be required?
We figured out the main option. But you have to use some kind of software! Which one? In principle, the Sysprep system utility built into Windows will be enough (it is needed in order to remove the “binding” to the hardware resources of the source PC and reset activation, if necessary) and some kind of program for working with images (preferably having the ability to create bootable media). For the simplicity of work, the well-known AOMEI Backupper application will be used as the second utility.
Preliminary information
Now let's start directly transferring Windows 10 to another computer. The first step is to create a backup of the system and reset the hardware, since the target terminal may have completely different components, and it is extremely undesirable to clutter up the hard drive with unnecessary installed drivers.
Before using this tool, it is strongly recommended that you create a recovery checkpoint using the computer’s properties and the system’s protection section, and completely disable the standard anti-virus and, if possible, a firewall.
Steps for creating a bootable Windows 10 flash drive
So, first we need to create bootable media that can later be used to start on the target computer, where the existing OS is transferred.
To do this, we will use the “Beccapper”, in which, in the utilities section, select the item for creating bootable media, and then specify a type for it based on Windows PE. Now there are three options to choose from: either use optical disks or USB-drives, or save the image file. If we need a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 10, select USB. It is only necessary to save the image if the transfer actions are performed for computers with primary UEFI systems, for which Beccapper does not know how to create bootable media. But you can use programs like Rufus or similar utilities to work with the image. However, we assume that the system supports the creation of a bootable USB-drive, and in the process of preparing to transfer Windows 10 to another computer, it will be used.
Reset hardware
A flash drive from which it will be possible to boot onto the target PC has been created. Now it's time to use the Sysprep utility.
You can run it through the "Run" console by typing the command of the same name in the program selection field and specifying the same system preparation file in the "Explorer" window that automatically opens. Now, after it starts, the OOBE preset window appears. It is important to pay attention to the point of preparation for use. If you don’t need to touch the activation, it is not checked (transferring the Windows 10 profile to another computer will be done just with the license). To reset activation, it must be checked. As the final action after the reset, it is better to set the completion of work.
Creating a backup of the system without reference to the hardware
The next step in transferring Windows 10 to another computer will be the usual creation of a copy of a workable system, as already understood, with all installed applications. It goes without saying that you can save it on the same bootable media, but it is especially worth paying attention to the required amount of free space.
To create a copy, we will use the same “Backup”, selecting the backup section in the backup section. Immediately note that the previously created partition with a volume of about 500 MB will be marked as reserved by the system, and the new system partition will be displayed as a “D” disk. We select it at the first step, and at the second stage we specify an external non-system drive, after which we press the button to start the archiving process. Again, in order not to lose time, you can immediately mark the point to turn off the PC when copying is complete. When the computer turns off, a USB flash drive or removable external USB hard drive can be disconnected and connected to the computer on which it is planned to deploy the system.
System recovery on another terminal
After connecting the media to the target terminal, turn on the computer and set the bootable USB flash drive or disk to boot first in the BIOS settings.
After rebooting and starting the Backupper utility, select the rollback section and specify the path to the saved image file on the same medium. At the next stage, we mark the recovery point to another place and specify the hard drive of the target PC, which will be marked as “Disk 0” (if there is unallocated space on it, it's okay). Next, pay attention to the size of the source and target sections.
If the source is smaller in volume, the target can also be reduced using the appropriate settings. Next, we simply confirm the start of the operation, and then, as in previous cases, we note the computer shutdown at the end of the required operations.
What should be considered when working with a new hard drive?
At the previous stage, special attention must also be paid to the hard drive itself, which will be used as the target. For example, if you just bought it and there is no markup on it at all, you must first initialize and format the disk on a running computer, using at least your own operating system tools in the form of a disk management utility (diskmgmt.msc) or third-party programs like that the same Partition Assistant from AOMEI or similar tools from Acronis.
The first start of the system on another computer
Now we assume that all preliminary operations are completed successfully. Now turn on the computer with the transferred system and see something similar to the first installation of Windows. If the activation has been saved, we accept the license agreement and enter the key. In principle, you can skip this step and complete the activation later. Next, go through a few standard steps and skip creating a Microsoft account. Upon completion of the settings, when the “Desktop” appears, we exit the registration created automatically, after which it will be possible to enter the login window under the old “account” and delete the new one if necessary.
License Transfer Issues
As already understood, the Windows 10 license valid in the old system will be saved automatically. However, this applies only to boxed versions of the system that were purchased at retail. If Windows was originally a preinstalled OS, as can be seen on almost all new laptop models, it will have to be registered again. The most basic problem, even if you have a valid product key, is that OEM modifications and their copies can only activate one at a time. In other words, you first need to remove the license from the source OS, and then activate it in the target. To delete the key at the preliminary stage, you can use the marking of the preparation item for use in the Sysprep utility or in the command console using the slmgr.vbs / upk command.
Transfer of the Windows 10 key to another computer is performed by the slmgr.vbs / ipk command, after which the 25-digit code of the existing license is entered with a space.
Manually activating Windows 10 on another terminal
Despite the apparent difficulties, the activation of Windows 10 on another computer can be quite elementary and simpler method, which, however, is in some ways illegal.
It's about using utilities like KMSAuto Net, which are able to generate a license on their own. But the executable file of such a portable activator should initially be placed in some location in the virtual section so that the system does not touch it, and also add the application to the antivirus exclusion list if for some reason it is blocked and marked as unwanted software. In addition, at one of the stages, it will be necessary to give consent for the task to be executed every ten days in the “Task Scheduler”, which will allow reactivating the license without user intervention and restarting the utility manually.