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Cloning Drive for 2 Computers - Questions

H

HardBob42

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Nov 28, 2006
Messages
30
Hi,

I have a computer now (COMP 1) and I would like to switch its original 1 TB drive to my new rig (COMP 2), but also clone to a 500 GB drive for continued use on COMP 1. I have Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.

1) What is the easiest, free way to clone? Any way to clone within Windows 10 without needing to go through BIOS?

2) Can I clone the original 1 TB drive to the empty 500 GB drive (assuming all my data fits on the smaller drive)?

3) If I switch my original 1 TB drive from COMP 1 to COMP 2, then Windows 10 becomes deactivated on COMP 2, correct? (different motherboard) So I would have to purchase a new license?

4) If I get Windows 10 Education (university edition for students) can I use that to activate the expired license of Windows 10 Pro on COMP 2? If not, can I use the Win10 education license as an "upgrade" for my installation from Pro to Education in a painless way (no extra cost, no reinstall, no major change or cluttering to Win10 install)? Or must I buy a license for Windows 10 Pro (my current version) from the MS store?

5) If I purchase a new license for COMP 2, can I continue to use my old license on COMP 1? Does it cause any problems on either COMP 1 or COMP 2 if the computers are active simultaneously with cloned drives?

Many thanks.
 
Last edited:
Use this http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx for both 1 and 2 you can clone with this and shrink the volume to put on a smaller disc.

3 and then 4 Yes Windows will want to be activated on the new build due to the hardware changes whether or not you can upgrade to education from pro I do not know however if you obtain another copy of pro for Comp 2 you can just go into the activation area on Comp 2 and there is an option to change the key. Input your new key in there and activate with the new license.

5 If you purchase a new license for Comp 2 and employ the new key as indicated there will be no issue using both at the same time.

Having stated all of this I would recommend however cloning your original disc to the smaller hard drive and doing a new clean install using the new key on Comp 2's 1 TB disk. Windows is 100 X better at dealing with hardware changes than ever before but you could still run into issues.
 
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