My laptop HDD

[derpyapple]

If were to put my laptop HDD into a upcoming build would I need a second HDD for backup?

[tbroadwater2010]

If were to put my laptop HDD into a upcoming build would I need a second HDD for backup?

Not exactly sure what you are meaning here.

 

Are you replacing your current HDD? Are you planning on fresh installing the OS? A little more explanation will go a long way.

[derpyapple]

Not exactly sure what you are meaning here.

 

Are you replacing your current HDD? Are you planning on fresh installing the OS? A little more explanation will go a long way.

I am going to take the HDD out of my laptop and put in into a upcoming build what I mean is if the drive crashes should I have a backup drive?

[tbroadwater2010]

I am going to take the HDD out of my laptop and put in into a upcoming build what I mean is if the drive crashes should I have a backup drive?

I ALWAYS recommend having a backup drive with files you cannot afford to lose. Its important to have a backup. 

 

That being said, having backup drives will keep down time to a minimum. I would suggest having a back up drive for sure,

 

Please note: you're windows install (i assume you have windows in your laptop) will not be activated on a new build. You will probably have to purchase windows again. <--just a side note.

[derpyapple]

I ALWAYS recommend having a backup drive with files you cannot afford to lose. Its important to have a backup. 

 

That being said, having backup drives will keep down time to a minimum. I would suggest having a back up drive for sure,

 

Please note: you're windows install (i assume you have windows in your laptop) will not be activated on a new build. You will probably have to purchase windows again. <--just a side note.

Why will it not be activated? It should just boot normally right?

[tbroadwater2010]

Why will it not be activated? It should just boot normally right?

Windows will determine that your hardware will have changed. It will require reactivation, a new key for the new install. You could try to call Microsoft and have them reset the key but they probably wont do this.

[derpyapple]

Windows will determine that your hardware will have changed. It will require reactivation, a new key for the new install. You could try to call Microsoft and have them reset the key but they probably wont do this.

So what you are saying is that Ill have to get a new key for windows or it won't  work alright..

[tbroadwater2010]

So what you are saying is that Ill have to get a new key for windows or it won't  work alright..

Thats correct. You can move the drive but you will have to have a new key to activate on the new system. Microsoft is strict about this.

[derpyapple]

Thats correct. You can move the drive but you will have to have a new key to activate on the new system. Microsoft is strict about this.

Ok thanks ill keep that in mind that'll bring my cost for the build up to $500-550 USD

[tbroadwater2010]

Ok thanks ill keep that in mind that'll bring my cost for the build up to $500-550 USD

Sounds like a plan to me. Yeah purchasing windows is always the option when changing computer hardware from one rig to another.

[derpyapple]

Alright thanks

[Xenift]

Why will it not be activated? It should just boot normally right?

To note, the windows key is tied to the bios.

[Captain_WD]

~snip~

 

Hey there derpyapple,

 

You can always have a backup drive regardless if you are doing a fresh install of the OS or not. You can set up a RAID1 Mirroring array for redundancy (this is not considered a backup), you can also set up a continuous backup from one drive to another in the same system (again shouldn't be considered a full backup), or store system images or other backups on external drives or on some cloud (personal or public) (this is an actual backup) and restore from them in case your system crashes. 

If you are reusing an old drive I would strongly recommend doing a full diagnostic test with a tool from the manufacturer and see if the drive passes all tests. You don't want to risk your data from the new build on a possibly faulty drive. What's the drive's brand and model?

 

Captain_WD.