Moving HDD with Windows from one motherboard to another

Question

I plan to add a HDD to my desktop just to install Windows 7 Pro x64 on it then move that hard drive to another computer. During installation I plan to enter the key for Windows 7 that belongs to the PC where the HDD will ultimately be moved.

My concerns are:

• Will the system boot from that HDD on another computer (if I set correct settings in BIOS, of course)?
• Is there going to be any problem with drivers on the other computer if Windows automatically installed drivers for the first motherboard?
• Are there other problems that might occur during this kind of operation?

Moving a Windows Installation to Another Computer

1. If possible, don't enter the product key until you move the hard disk to the destination computer. You will have 30 days from the time of installation before you are required to provide the product key, so there's no rush to activate. If you have already activated Windows, then you may need to purchase another license for the destination computer (one exception is if you have a Retail copy of Windows which Microsoft's EULA permits being moved from one computer to another).

   When you activate Windows, it calculates a hash based on certain major hardware components in the computer, such as the motherboard, video card, and hard disk. The Windows license gets linked to this "fingerprint". If you were to activate Windows while installed on the source computer, that act would assign the license (via the product key) to that computer.

   If any of these fingerprinted components change, Windows may require re-activation. Changing the motherboard will definitely deactivate Windows. If this happens too many times, Windows will refuse to activate over the Internet.

2. Pre-install the storage controller and network drivers required by the destination computer. Thanks to Plug and Play, Windows will be able to automatically detect and install most of the drivers required by the destination computer. One critical exception is the boot drive's storage controller. This driver must be initialized before the PnP subsystem is loaded. If Windows doesn't have the correct storage driver, it will fail to load with a STOP 0x7B (Unmountable Boot Volume) error. Fixing this is time-consuming.

   Windows can boot without network drivers, but if the required driver isn't an inbox driver and you don't have access to the Internet, it can be a pain to get the network driver copied to the machine. In particular, you need access to another computer with Internet access. It's just easier to already have it on the machine.

3. If you're doing a clean install, consider using Sysprep. Sysprep is what OEM and System Builders use to pre-install drivers and other programs on a Windows installation image before deployment. After customizing the image, it is "armed". The next time the image is booted, the Mini Setup wizard runs and "installs" Windows (Warning: this removes existing user profiles!). This might be overkill for your situation, but worth consideration. This TechNet article on SysPrep is a good place to start.

   Note: Do not use Sysprep if you intend to keep your existing user profile(s)!

Comments

[Admin]

A straight answer is not possible. It may or may not boot. If the machines are similar enough it may work, otherwise you'll have to boot the installation media and repair. And either way, I don't know if it will activate properly after detecting a new hardware (motherboard) as usual (retail and volume license are transferable; OEMs are NOT). BIOS/UEFI is something to consider also.

[Appleoddity]

If you get the BIOS setup properly it’ll be fine. BUT, you have to sysprep the machine using the /generalize switch before transferring it. Windows will then set itself back up on the new hardware. You’ll still have to load drivers on the new system. Do not activate windows with the product key before you move it, leave it unactivated. Otherwise, you’ll likely be calling Microsoft too to explain why you are trying to activate again on different hardware. Do this wrong and it’ll cost you more time and headaches than you bargained for.

[barlop]

@MichaelBay Of course a straight answer is possible

[barlop]

@Appleoddity will sysprep also let windows load up on a motherboard with a different chipset? I see techrepublic.com/forums/discussions/… it mentions something about "hardware extraction layer"

[Appleoddity]

You shouldn’t have any trouble, but I suppose I can’t say that for sure if you’ve got some really new hardware or some special setup like RAID.