Windows Question

[Robo_Pixel]

So I have a PC that was originally Windows 7 but upgraded to 10. If I change the HDD to a bigger HDD will it start to install Windows 7?

[NinJake]

Are you imaging your machine prior to changing drives or doing a clean install?

[Crunchy Dragon]

If you change the HDD but don't copy your data over, then you will need to reinstall Windows 10 on that HDD as it will be a blank drive.

[Robo_Pixel]

Yes I want to reinstall on the blank drive. How would I do this? @Crunchy Dragon

[Crunchy Dragon]

2 minutes ago, Robo_Pixel said:

Yes I want to reinstall on the blank drive. How would I do this? @Crunchy Dragon

Just download the Windows Media Creation tool from Microsoft and create a Windows 10 install disk.

[Tabs]

8 minutes ago, Robo_Pixel said:

So I have a PC that was originally Windows 7 but upgraded to 10. If I change the HDD to a bigger HDD will it start to install Windows 7?

No. If you swap the hard disk out it will have no operating system on it whatsoever.

 

However, you have a few options if/when you do that.

 

If you replace the HDD entirely, then you can use cloning software to completely copy over your Windows install from the old drive to the new one. This will require that you have both disks in the machine at the same time.

 

Alternatively, if you have linked your Microsoft account to your Windows account, and your Activation page on Settings looks like the image below, then you can perform a clean, fresh installation of Windows 10 by following many of the Windows install guides (like this one from How2geek, though there are loads available online). You won't need a key during install, and it'll activate automatically. This option is the best from a computer health point of view, but it will require you to manually back up your old data and reinstall your programs.

 

Edited May 31, 2018 by Tabs
Updated pic to highlight important bit.

[Robo_Pixel]

Okay, should I use USB instead?

[Tabs]

2 minutes ago, Robo_Pixel said:

Okay, should I use USB instead?

If you follow the link in my post, it takes you to a guide that gives you step by step instructions on how to install windows from USB, including basic troubleshooting if you encounter any problems. It's got way more detail than any of us could throw together quickly, and I've read over it and found no obvious errors with it.

 

You'll want to follow the guide's "option one" for a clean install, if that's what you wish to do. If you have any questions or concerns that the guide doesn't answer for you, let us know and I'm sure someone knowledgeable will try to help.

[LogicalDrm]

8 hours ago, Robo_Pixel said:

Okay, should I use USB instead?

USB, SD card, DVD. Thing with installing OS is that installer must be booted from something else than drive its being installed to. Also, currently OS drive isn't same as installer. While you can create installer partition to current HDD, its much easier to create bootable USB or SD card (this will work, you just need integrated reader or USB reader).