Move Win 8 to New PC?

I have an upgrade Win 8 Pro installed in a VirtualBox VM. Now I want to upgrade from Win 7 to Win 8 Pro on a new laptop and delete the VM installation. I am not sure of the correct procedure. I think I can do the upgrade easy enough, but I am not sure how the activation would work.

Thanks for any help, Jim

I am assuming you would be installing under BIOS (not UEFI). And, I am assuming you have an install DVD (or flash drive) or an ISO that could be used in creating either. Then, I would only do a clean install of Windows 8 as described here: Clean Install - Windows 8. To the extent necessary, let me know if I am mistaken in my assumptions.

znod said:

I am assuming you would be installing under BIOS (not UEFI). I would use the approach described in Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant - Download and Run to obtain an ISO to be used in creating an installation DVD. Then, I would only do a clean install of Windows 8 as described here: Clean Install - Windows 8.

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I have a laptop with Windows 7 installed. I own a Windows 8 upgrade license and I have the files required for the upgrade of the Windows 7 laptop to Windows 8 Pro. What I don't know is how will the activation proceed? The license key has been used to install the Windows 8 to a virtual machine and activate it. So when I try to activate it on the new laptop, will it activate or will it say "key already used"?

Thanks, Jim

I was revising my post when you replied; I had misread it. Get right back to you.

There is a possibility that you will have to use the refresh procedure described here: Clean Install with Windows 8 Upgrade (ignore steps 1 and 2, and, hopefully, step 3 will not apply after doing your clean install). I think it may not come to that though, but you are covered either way. Sorry for the confusion I created when I misread your post initially.

http://www.eightforums.com/general-discussion/10837-windows-8-eula.html

microsoft said:

Can I transfer the software to another computer or user? You may transfer the software to another computer that belongs to you. You may also transfer the software (together with the license) to a computer owned by someone else if a) you are the first licensed user of the software and b) the new user agrees to the terms of this agreement. To make that transfer, you must transfer the original media, the certificate of authenticity, the product key and the proof of purchase directly to that other person, without retaining any copies of the software. You may use the backup copy we allow you to make or the media that the software came on to transfer the software. Anytime you transfer the software to a new

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Thanks guys. It will be a several days before I can give you a status report.

Regards, Jim

znod said:

There is a possibility that you will have to use the refresh procedure described here: Clean Install with Windows 8 Upgrade (ignore steps 1 and 2, and, hopefully, step 3 will not apply after doing your clean install). I think it may not come to that though, but you are covered either way. Sorry for the confusion I created when I misread your post initially.

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If the laptop has Win7 on it, the blank hard drive install won't need to be done. Even if the old partitions are deleted using the Win8 installer.

"Blank hard drive install." Attributed to me? Please clarify.

znod said:

"Blank hard drive install." Attributed to me? Please clarify.

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Install with an upgrade copy. (Resulting installation won't activate with the upgrade key.) Do the refresh. Key now accepted.

Did you mean something else?

what are you guys talkin bout? he can't install win 8 on a new mobo it gotta be same

nature1ders said:

what are you guys talkin bout? he can't install win 8 on a new mobo it gotta be same

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As it's an upgrade license, it can be transferred.

He'll most likely have to activate by phone if it does give him an issue through the automate activation.
I had an OEM copy that I was hoping to use on a laptop but the video card didn't have 64 bit drivers so I wiped it and installed on my desktop. I had to activate by phone. No issue from activation since.

hawkeye62 said:

Thanks guys. It will be a several days before I can give you a status report.

Regards, Jim

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You are very welcome. Let us know how it goes.

bobkn said:

znod said:

"Blank hard drive install." Attributed to me? Please clarify.

Click to expand...

Install with an upgrade copy. (Resulting installation won't activate with the upgrade key.) Do the refresh. Key now accepted.

Did you mean something else?

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Not assuming blank drive. Assuming Win7 still installed--as currently is the case.

bobkn said:

nature1ders said:

what are you guys talkin bout? he can't install win 8 on a new mobo it gotta be same

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As it's an upgrade license, it can be transferred.

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There is no new mobo.

Metalmania31 said:

He'll most likely have to activate by phone if it does give him an issue through the automate activation.
I had an OEM copy that I was hoping to use on a laptop but the video card didn't have 64 bit drivers so I wiped it and installed on my desktop. I had to activate by phone. No issue from activation since.

Click to expand...

As mentioned, it is unlikely that his activation will require more that use of the refresh procedure identified here: Clean Install with Windows 8 Upgrade. This step would be required only if somehow his virtual machine usage got in the way of standard activation--which as I implied is not likely to occur.

OK, here is the rest of the story.

I used my Win 8 Pro 64-bit DVD in a USB DVD RW drive and booted it up on my Win 7 Pro 64-bit laptop. I selected "Custom Installation". I deleted all partitions and used the total unallocated space for my installation. Installation proceeded with no problems. When I tried to activate the installation, it failed with a message about the key already being in use. (As I mentioned earlier, the Win 8 upgrade had been used and activated on a VirtualBox VM.) A screen came up with two fields of six boxes. The first field had six numbers in each box. The second field had six empty boxes. There was an option to call MS which I did. A robot answered and led me through a long process. First, the robot asked me to read the numbers in each box as it asked me. Something like "read the numbers in box one", etc for all six boxes. That step passed. Then it asked me to fill in the six boxes in the second field as it read me the numbers, box by box. Then it asked me how many times the installation had been made with the same key. I honestly answered "two" thinking I would then have a chance to delete the first activation. That caused a tilt and an end to the activation. So, I called MS again and went through the whole process again, this time answering "one" at the how many times question. Then the robot told me to click the "activation button", which I did and the activation was successful.

I checked the VirtualBox VM and it is still activated. Maybe it will become deactivated later, I don't know. But, I will delete that installation to comply with the rules.

Thanks and good luck, Jim

As far as I know, there is no explicit deactivation.

I have read claims that if you go online with two PCs whose OSes were activated with the same license key, Microsoft will detect that and reach into the machines and deactivate Windows on at least one of them. I don't know for a fact that this is nonsense, but it sounds like nonsense to me.

Here is another update. Yesterday I got a warning message on my Windows 8 PC. It said Windows 8 was not activated. As far as I know there are two things that could have caused this deactivation. (I am 100% positive that it was activated a few weeks ago.) I forgot to delete the original upgrade installation on the VM and I upgraded the SSD on the PC from 64 GB to 256 GB.

Anyway, I went through the MS robot activation again and Windows 8 on my PC is again activated. (My earlier description of the activation procedure was wrong in one thing. There are nine fields of six numbers, not six fields of six numbers.)

So, does anyone have any idea which of these things might have resulted in the deactivation?

Thanks for any insight, Jim