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XPS 8920, Dell sent an IMAGED replacement HDD?
I haven't put it in yet but does it have Win 10 on it like I had? Can I just copy all my contents from my current drive into it? Do I have to come up with a product key or other numbers? What is missing in it if anything? Should I just clone my current drive to it? It's a 1TB spinning Barracuda drive like the one I have in it.
Cbarnhorst
62 Posts
1
June 30th, 2018 07:00
You do not have a product key unless you purchased Windows 10 separately someplace. Windows 10 product keys do NOT work the same as any previous version of Windows so forget everything about them that you learned from earlier versions.
Your Dell is a registered Windows 10 device for the edition originally installed (a new concept starting with Windows 10). That means the unique hardware IDs (of the motherboard) are registered with Microsoft. You can reinstall that same edition by any manner as often as needed without need of a product key. If requested for one, click the link at the bottom right of the product key page that says "I don't have a product key" and continue installation. Windows will automatically activate when the device next connects to the internet.
The product key is now only used to register the device with Microsoft. That is a one-time, permanent registration. The device then activates Windows 10, not the product key. The only product key present in the system is a generic one which cannot be used to register new devices. It is there so Microsoft can parse the type of Windows license in use and the channel through which it was obtained. There is no product key in the BIOS.
If you change motherboards, the new one will not be registered with Microsoft and will not activate Windows until further steps are taken.
Check with Dell Support about the extra drive. I have never heard of that being done.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
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17K Posts
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June 25th, 2018 21:00
AFAIK, this is not a common practice.
We can't tell from here. If you want to know these specific answers, I suggest you ask the Dell technician that sent it to you.
Unless this was a fluke, there is now a support-ticket open. There is a whole series of events that need to happen next ... you'll see.
ejn63
10 Elder
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23.1K Posts
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June 26th, 2018 04:00
Imaged means it'll have a factory image of Windows on it - the license key is bound to the system board, so that will allow activation.
You can copy your data back but will need to reinstall all applications you installed after purchase - those cannot be copied.
speedstep
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47K Posts
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June 26th, 2018 07:00
Product keys are NEVER on the hard drive. They are in the Bios.
It means you swap out old with new drive and it should boot and work.
Data files will need to be recovered from the old drive via a USB drive wire.
Applications like word etc will have to be reinstalled.
https://www.amazon.com/FIDECO-Cable-SATA-External-Converter-Supports/dp/B077P67ZLP/
546insp
732 Posts
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June 26th, 2018 11:00
I meant do I have to enter product codes etc from elsewhere and does it have win 10 (like I have now) on it and is it just like adding a new drive but it has win 10 on it? Could I just clone it since I already have the OS on the original drive (win 10).?
546insp
732 Posts
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July 1st, 2018 05:00
So the drives are tied into the motherboard now? But what if you want to use a hdd with windows on it in another computer?
ejn63
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July 1st, 2018 09:00
You cannot transfer a license from an OEM install (Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.) to non-OEM hardware -- it's a violation of the license agreement (and has been for a long time).
546insp
732 Posts
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July 1st, 2018 10:00
I was thinking like transferring a hdd to another dell I own.
ejn63
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July 2nd, 2018 03:00
If you do that, be prepared to buy a new license key -- the activation will break and Microsoft won't re-activate it.
546insp
732 Posts
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July 2nd, 2018 06:00
So if the replacement hdd wasn't imaged I could put it in another computer or even sell it ?
Cbarnhorst
62 Posts
1
July 2nd, 2018 21:00
A HDD drive makes no difference anymore. The license is stored in the Microsoft Cloud. If you add a HDD with the same edition of Windows 10 as was previously registered it will activate because the licensing service checks with the Microsoft 10 registration data, finds that the device is good to go, and the device activates Windows. If the HDD has a different edition of Windows 10 it will not activate.
ejn63
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July 3rd, 2018 08:00
The license key is stored on the mainboard in the case of OEM-shipped Windows licenses, not "in the cloud". It IS true the system then gets a digital entitlement with Microsoft's server "in the cloud", but it still requires the OEM license key embedded in the mainboard. Change that and Windows will no longer be activated.
Even when Dell replaces a mainboard under warranty. there is no coded license key in the replacement - the system board ships with a separate license key to the repairer - that has to be used to activate Windows the first time the system is turned on. Once that's done, as long as the mainboard is not changed, the activation will be permanent. Change the mainboard - or swap the drive to another system, and the activation breaks again.
If you put that hard drive in the Dell system it's intended for - no problem. Any other use -- will require the purchase of a new license key.
The OEM license key is only for - and stays with - only the system with which it ships.
546insp
732 Posts
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July 3rd, 2018 09:00
So why did 2 used HDDs I bought online both work but never were tied to this mobo?
Cbarnhorst
62 Posts
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August 6th, 2018 07:00
Because the HDD doesn't matter for activation. It did in previous versions of Windows but not in Windows 10. Microsoft defeated hackers by removing the activation files from the HDD. No files, nothing to hack. Now the device's unique identifiers are registered with Microsoft and that registration is what is used by the licensing service. Since the registration is stored by Microsoft and not saved on the HDD, the HDD makes no difference as long as the edition of Windows 10 installed on the HDD is the same as the edition that is registered for the unique hardware identifiers. The device can be registered for more than one edition of Windows 10. That is the reason for the product key request page during re-installation.
speedstep
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47K Posts
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August 6th, 2018 09:00
HDD's are not tied to motherboards. The WINDOWS VERSION and Product key are.
You can use diskpart to clean the drive and use it anywhere.
https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Drive-Adapter-Coverter-Support/dp/B00MYU0EAU
Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu and select Command Prompt (Admin).
Connect the drive you want clean and format to your computer via USB Drive wire.
Type the following command and press Enter:
diskpart
Type the following command to list all the available drives and press Enter:
list disk
Take your time and very carefully, on the output from the previous command, identify the drive you want to clean.
YOU NEVER CLEAN DISK 0. You can quickly determine the drive attached to the usb wire.
And because we're trying to clean an external drive, we can easily spot that Disk 2 or 3 is the drive we need to select.
Use the following command to select the drive and press Enter:
select disk 3
Remember to change 3 in the command with the number of the drive you want to clean.
If you fail to choose the correct number will erase all the data from the wrong drive.
You cannot transfer a windows installation or image from machine to machine EVEN IF ITS THE EXACT SAME MODEL.
The other issue speaks for itself when you move to a different model windows will die with
STOP: 0x0000007B (parameter1, parameter2, parameter3, parameter4)
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE
This is true for windows 2000, XP, VISTA, 7, 8, 10.
Changing from ATA TO AHCI OR IRRT will also cause this specific blue screen of death.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNqPTOb31S8