Can I use Pre installed Vista Hard Drive in another PC?

fergusondavid6 · Jul 9, 2013

Hi everyone,
My PC died recently, took it up to PC World, and they told me that the processor fan had stopped, the Processor had overheated, and blown up, causing the motherboard to crack. There were no files on that computer that I needed, but I got a new PC, and was just wondering if it would be possible to take the hard drive out of the broken machine, put it into the new one, and boot off of that drive (I have heard that there might be some issues due to Windows being tied to that particular motherboard). Windows Vista was pre-installed when I bought it.
Thanks

Patonb · Jul 9, 2013

You are correct, Vista install is tied to that old system. So you will lose the activation, BUT you can call up MS and tell them your system broke and they usually allow you to reactivate.

BUT since the 2 systems are different, odds are the Vista won't boot, and if it does there are many drivers not going to work and it is usually easier to reinstall.

roy69 · Jul 10, 2013

If you have an install disk then install from fresh, this will save you a big headache. If you are trying to use the disk drive to run another computer then you are out of luck, as it will not be configured for it, and as had been said the computers are different.

townsbg · Jul 11, 2013

When windows is installed and set up the drivers and registry settings are tied to the computer it is installed in. Putting it into another computer will undoubtedly result in stability issues. It sucks that you lost your computer over the processor. In my old desktop if the CPU hit 75 C the system would shut off avoiding permanent damage. It's surprising that this happened to you.

Shadowjk · Jul 11, 2013

Please understand that if the copy of Vista is an OEM copy then you will need to purchase a new operating system since OEM editions are tied to motherboard that they are installed on. Since your motherboard died the OEM copy would be invalid

You can still recover personal files from that hardrive however applications and the operating system itself will most likely boot up. To backup your files please follow this - Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer

Hope This Helps,
Josh!

Patonb · Jul 11, 2013

Yes and No Shadow. 99% of the time, Microsoft will allow a broken motherboard to be replaced on the OEM.

Also screw the Ubuntu disk and just plug the drive into the new computer then copy/paste the iles... Or just delete the windows files and have 2 hard drives.

Shadowjk · Jul 11, 2013

Well yes but based on their EULA they say that they aren't which is a bit contradictory

Plus if this was an OEM built machine by HP or Packard then there is a higher chance they wouldn't

Josh

Patonb · Jul 11, 2013

Actually they really don't care, Bill might but the unpaid call center doesn't.

roy69 · Jul 12, 2013

Will an OEM version of an OS actually work in another machine? Does the OS know it has been moved? Will it only work for 30 days or so? I have never moved an OEM version of an OS from one machine to another using the HD as the media transfer. Please let us know how you get on.

SIW2 · Jul 12, 2013

You will need to use a valid product key.

Works for Vista also:
Make Windows 7 bootable after motherboard swap - Windows 7 Help Forums

garciawillson · Jul 13, 2013

I think you used original product CD for installing.

townsbg · Jul 14, 2013

garciawillson said:
I think you used original product CD for installing.

More than likely not if it is from a system manufacturer. Such a disk would probably be configured for the system it came with and would try installing the wrong drivers. It might even refuse to install.

fergusondavid6 · Jul 30, 2013

Thanks for the replays everyone. If I emailed Microsoft, would they be able to give me a new install DVD, and let the licence key work on all computers? If they did this, then would I be able to install this on BootCamp on a Mac?
Thanks

Shadowjk · Jul 30, 2013

The license key will be tied with the version that the disc had. For example if the disc had 32-bit Vista Home Premium then the license key will only work for that product.

As for obtaining a disc from Microsoft, it may be possible however they may not send out a copy since Vista is slowly losing its support and April next year all support for XP and Vista will cease. If they do then you will need to pay a small fee in order to receive it.

You should be able to bootcamp it however please be advised that the key will most likely be an OEM copy and will be tied to the Mac itself therefore you cannot uninstall and try and activate it on a different machine like you can with a retail copy.

Josh

townsbg · Aug 1, 2013

Shadowjk said:
As for obtaining a disc from Microsoft, it may be possible however they may not send out a copy since Vista is slowly losing its support and April next year all support for XP and Vista will cease. If they do then you will need to pay a small fee in order to receive it.

Mainstream support for Vista ended April of last year and extended support ends in 2017. Windows lifecycle fact sheet - Microsoft Windows Help

An OEM copy will be tied to your mac and can't be transferred to another system even with a removal. Your best bet would be to move to 7 however you can try and purchase a retail copy from ebay or a private amazon seller but make sure that it's sealed because if it isn't the license key might have already been used on too many machines by the time you buy it.

Can I use Pre installed Vista Hard Drive in another PC?

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