Help My Windows Server Essentials Hardware Died!

Justintoxicated

[H]F Junkie
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Apr 10, 2002
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I have a WSE I use for backing up and stoaring data. I have like 10 hard drives connected to it 8 of which are running drive pool.

The Motherboard is toast, and well although it wasn't having any issues keeping up with some cameras and file storage and backups, I guess it might be time to replace it with my 4770k office PC (ex gaming rig) and upgrade that machine.

If I simply swap out the MB's are boot off the Hard drive with WSE be able to adapt to the new hardware? Can I at least recover the CD Key because I can't seem to find it anywhere.
 
The Windows license is tied to the computer.
The motherboard IS the computer.

If you replace the mobo with the same model, you will probably be ok.
Different model mobo, new license.

You can beg for mercy from Microsoft, but I would not be too hopeful on that.

.
 
The Windows license is tied to the computer.
The motherboard IS the computer.

If you replace the mobo with the same model, you will probably be ok.
Different model mobo, new license.

You can beg for mercy from Microsoft, but I would not be too hopeful on that.

.
I thought that was only for home operating systems, I didn't realize server operating systems worked that way? Sounds like I'll need a new $400 license then? Whats the chance it will even boot up on different hardware?
 
MS uses the same key systems on server OSes as their other OSes.
Once you use an install key, it's registered to that system.

You can try using it on different hardware, but I would not expect it to work (activate).

If that worked so easily, you have businesses buying one copy of a server OS and
then installing it on many servers.


.
 
If the computer breaky breaky MS offers you the shaft. How on earth can they retain their dominant market position?
 
I swapped the motherboard with an old G45M board (micro ATX but similar chipset that will support my Q9450). Booted into windows fine. Actually it didn't even prompt me to re-activate. However stablebits Drive pool requested that I migrate it's product id to the new computer, but that was painless as well.

Now I just need to remove the northbridge waterblock (It won't mount to the new board but it's not needed anyways). Clean out the loop. Then find a way to add some extra SATA ports on the cheap. I need 1 more to bring the drive pool back up.

Systems HDMI output isn't working when I have a PCIe 2x card sata card plugged into the graphics card slot. I tried some different bios settings but none of them seem to get it to work (more investigation needed)...

I'm about 1/2 the way there I guess.

Maybe something like this:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816124093
 
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So if it wasn't Server 2016, then the license being tied to the board isn't entirely true. Windows always used to let you swap 3 components before it hit you with a reactivation. With a server license you definitely should be able reactivate that at least once before it won't let you do it again. But any time I've had OEM pcs that required reactivation, you just call the number it tells you to, punch in the codes and it reactivates. Since you never lost your install, I definitely would never expect you to not be able to reactivate that. It's only when you lose that OS hdd and you don't have the key anymore that you're going to have problems.
 
So if it wasn't Server 2016, then the license being tied to the board isn't entirely true. Windows always used to let you swap 3 components before it hit you with a reactivation. With a server license you definitely should be able reactivate that at least once before it won't let you do it again. But any time I've had OEM pcs that required reactivation, you just call the number it tells you to, punch in the codes and it reactivates. Since you never lost your install, I definitely would never expect you to not be able to reactivate that. It's only when you lose that OS hdd and you don't have the key anymore that you're going to have problems.
Yea on OEM stuff the licenses are tied to the PC, but it's been my experience in the past that if you get a full license it can be used on other hardware. Gotta be careful what you buy though! Hopefully I can get the driver working soon so I can get the rig back up an running. Just super busy with so many things going on.
 
Yea on OEM stuff the licenses are tied to the PC, but it's been my experience in the past that if you get a full license it can be used on other hardware. Gotta be careful what you buy though! Hopefully I can get the driver working soon so I can get the rig back up an running. Just super busy with so many things going on.

Yea I'm not going to even attempt to comment on the licensing aspect of what you are or are not allowed to do with that license you bought. I just know that personally I've never had issues reusing licenses or moving installs around in my lab.
 
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