New m.2 Windows instalation on old pc

[Teroks]

Hey guys, i have a pc that came with an OEM windows intalled, but since them i have upgraded my motherboard and cpu, so i lost my license, this windows version is instaled on a HDD wich i still use, to fix that i have bought another license of windows and a NVME SSDm.2, i`ve downloaded and made a flash boot drive already . The question i have is, when i put my ssd on, and select to instal windows on it, it will erase all of my previous file on the HDD?? ( the point is to have a really fresh install anyway i`ve already backed up all of my important files ). i Just dont know if it will keep the HDD files and have 2 windows copies ( 1 expired and the new one) or if since im doing a fresh install it will override and clean the previous version even if its on another drive.

 

Sorry for the bad english, its not my native language =)

[Nathanpete]

Leave the old HDD unattached while you install windows with the flash boot drive. Enter the product key for the new license when prompted to. Setup the computer with a username that is different than what it was on the HDD's installation. When windows has finished installing, do something like change the lock screen image. This is so that when u re-attach the HDD, you can quickly tell if it booted into the NVMe or not based on the lock screen and/or username. 

 

So yeah, once windows has finished installing. Shut down the computer. Re-attach the HDD, and turn on the computer. Go into the UEFI, and depending on your motherboard it will be in a different spot, but you need to find the "boot order." This is the list of devices in goes down searching for OSes, and make sure the NVMe SSD is in #1, and the HDD is in #2. Once that is set, exit and save changes.

 

Now I kind of forget what exactly happens after this, but Windows MAY ask you "what partition would you like to launch" or something like that. Select the first one, and you should have booted into the NVMe drive. (If it launches into the HDD's lock screen, reboot the PC, and when it asks again, select the bottom option instead.) It may also not ask you at all, and boot right into the NVMe drive. 
From here, you either need to brute force the removal of all the files from the /Windows/ folder (ON THE HDD!) or look up "System Configuration" in the start menu, go to the Boot tab, and set the "Current OS" or C:/ to the default. I'm not entirely sure what selecting the HDD and then pressing the delete button does, so I wouldn't press it. But the brute force method will also free up a couple of gigabytes of space from that HDD.