How do I install Windows on a brand new hard drive...??!!

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I've finally decided to upgrade the hard drive in my tower which runs my OS from an ancient 160GB to a lovely big 1TB....I'm familiar with re-installing windows on a hard drive (I do that routinely) but never installed it on an empty/brand new one.....are there any major differences?! :thinking:

I have the techguys self made recovery disc but nothing else....don't want to start this if I'm going to stuff my system!! :shake: I do have an original XP premium disc and licence which I can fall back on if it doesn't work with my recovery disc...??!

Thanks in advance for any advice or tips and please stick to idiot english.....because basically, I'm an english idiot!! :nuts:
 
When I have had to replace a hard drive after running the windows disk it comes up with a so many day trail before registering the product. As your presumably windows XP or what ever has already been registered with Microsoft you more than lightly have to contact Microsoft. I had to and told them about my hard disk crash and they asked for the Windows disk serial number and they then let me reregister using the same disk
if that makes any sense.
Now if you don't have the original Windows installation disk you can still get the serial number if you download "Belarc advisor" which interrogates your computer then do a printout. Under software licences you will find the serial number for your Microsoft installation.

Realspeed
 
if its an oem copy of windows a "significant" hardware change can top the activation going through, as far as i know that usually means a motherboard change.. but stranger things have happened.. lol

but as bazza said a quick call to MS sorts this, they very rarely appear bothered to be honest. you may even just get the automated system.
 
You could always use the new hard drive as a just a second hard drive. Would save a lot of work.
 
I've got three hard drives in there at the moment and there's room for more....but until now I've always left the original OS one in there for fear of buggering up my system (I don't have a good history with PC tinkering!) but the time has come to roll up my sleeves!!

I've been having problems with display firing up during start-up....I'm currently trying to rule things out and this had needed doing for AGES!!

It's all going well so far.....thanks for all the info folks!! :thumbs: I'll report back once it's done/not done!!! :D
 
neil_g said:
if its an oem copy of windows a "significant" hardware change can top the activation going through, as far as i know that usually means a motherboard change.. but stranger things have happened.. lol
Click to expand...
I have OEM Win 7 (I am the OEM ;)). I changed everything (mobo/memory/cpu) and it validated first time.

When I was looking at doing this, MS say it is up to the OEM what constitutes a significant change as they have to support the copy of Windows, not MS. As my own OEM, I allowed myself to change everything ;)
 
Still going ok.....it hasn't asked to validate my copy of windows, I can only guess that it's not going to, or that it's done it automatically?!

I'm already loading drivers for my graphics card etc so I think it would have done by now if it was going to....??! :thinking:
 
All sorted....thanks a million guys, you're all proper bo I tell thee!!!

Looks like it's sorted the display problem too.....which means for the first time ever, the first thing I tried to solve a propblem has worked!!!! :eek:
 
arad85 said:
I have OEM Win 7 (I am the OEM ;)). I changed everything (mobo/memory/cpu) and it validated first time.

When I was looking at doing this, MS say it is up to the OEM what constitutes a significant change as they have to support the copy of Windows, not MS. As my own OEM, I allowed myself to change everything ;)
Click to expand...

i know ive never had any activation issues even post rebuild (read new machine) either..

i think it depends what day of the week it is and what colour socks youre wearing

:lol:
 
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