Can I Move an Activated Win 8.1 Drive to Another PC?

My guess is there will be enough difference to cause a need for a call in activation.

 

My best guess is that you would need to activate again.

Seeing as the Windows Activation is tied to a Hardware ID generated by Windows. The hardware IDs are different for every piece of hardware in the machine and are uniquely generated for that machine. In other words there will be a different ID for each of those laptops.

 

On Windows 8 it was possible if the hardware were the same, The OP asked for the exact same Laptop and here with Windows 8 isn't a problem to just move the HDD from one of them to the other. Activation will still active and all will run with no problem.

For 8.1 that could have changed because of the much more tighten activation method used on 8.1

If I would like to test such, first would be to clone the HDD from the working machine to the one of the other machine, or even an new HDD. Afterwards I would start that other machine with the cloned HDD and see what happen.

 

It's not possible even for XP, the MOBO has 4 device-check items that has to be identical, so ,even in XP, if you just replace your mobo, you need to re-activate.

 

The differences between the activation of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 is almost non-existent. I'd say go for it just to see what would happen. Faikee the differences between XP and 7 are quite profound to be honest. The best way to do this would probably be to make two Virtual Machines and restore the licensing from one to another.

 

Nah, I am just talking about the device check items on windows start-up, I don't know exactly what items for win8/8.1(I couldn't tell even if I know); all I know is they are "basically the same(as XP)"...... change your mobo, you need to re-activate just the same, for XP or win8.1.

 

Shrugs might as well dig deep. The windows start up activation stuff was removed from Windows 8 actually. It was only in Windows Vista - Windows 7.

I might do this for sake of boredom lol. I don't feel like wasting a perfectly good key on this perhaps KMS on it lol.

I believe Windows 8 forward simply uses the spp service for activation check. I may be mistaken though as I'd have to check my notes regarding this.

 

I've changed a motherboard on an activated system and lost the activation.
If you also transplanted the motherboard along with the hard disk, it might work.
If you change a WLAN and Graphics card, I have no idea... it might or might not work.

 

Are you sure? Because I only read about the win8 startup check in a casual chat last year and didn't give much thought about it, if you say is true, I could just refresh my knowledge.

LOL.

 

I done the move of my HDD from the damaged Laptop to the Replacement I was got from Acer (free of charge because was an Warranty Claim) which were the same model with same hardware inside! That worked with noe problem and until a few weeks ago, till I updated from 8 t0 8.1 that activation were in place with no problems.

And according changed Mobo's on XP and also Server 2003, I done such changes several times with no activation problems, using the same models of Mobo's!

 

You need activate Windows again.

 

If you did it on-line and have a legit key, windows activates by itself on start-up.

 

Way to state the obvious TITO (laughs a little cause of the beer).

I know SPPSVC is equivalent to SLSVC. And to be frank WPA is not even close to equivalent as the genuine stuff was still in its infancy by that point. The only similarities those 3 have are the service protocol they use and being embedded into the windows logon function. I also have a handy pile of notes I can look at regarding Windows Activation stuff . The only point being contended was if for sake of humor a license backup of the registry license array, tokens store, and product key could be shifted from one already activated machine to the other. That being said I'm personally in doubt as windows signs its cache.dat (license status file) with multiple hardware IDs. Mainly I'm bored and thought it would be funny to try this stuff.

I am very much up to date on my MS Licensing as I wrote some of the book concerning it here on Office 2010 / 2013 and Windows. Also IDA showed me the light heh.

 

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Sorry Faikee, neither my Laptop nor the the other XP and Server 2003 Machine's were online the first several boot up's! Later on, for sure they were online!