Moving the windows 10 Home to my newly added SSD without breaking the OEM license

[maktoob]

Hello,

I am planning to upgrade my hp notebook 15-da1016ne from HDD to m2 SSD. I am using genuine Win10 Home on my laptop. Since it is an OEM license if I create a recovery USB, and install OS on my new SSD using this USB, my current OEM license will be valid in my new installation?

[WAWood]

@maktoob 

The OEM license is embedded in the firmware of the motherboard and is tied to the PC, not to the drive.  So yes, you can replace the drive without compromising the license. I do not use the built-on recovery methods because I have found them to be unreliable, so I can not advise you regarding that.

If have done such a "cloning" numerous times but have done it differently, as described below:

What I recommend is the following:
1) Download and install Macrium Reflect (MR) from here: https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
2) Connect the new drive to the PC using a USB-to-SSD drive adapter (like the one illustrated below)
3) Follow the instructions in this link: http://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW/Cloning+a+disk
4) Shutdown the PC when done
5) Swap the drives and reboot the PC.

NOTE: To do this easily, the SDD has to be the same capacity as the HDD.  IF you get an SDD that is a lot smaller, then before you do the cloning, you have to shrink the largest partition on the HDD (usually the OS partition), to the size such that it, and the other partitions, fit easily on the SSD.

You should boot from the new drive without any problems.

Typical USB-to-SSD adapter:

NOTE: If your SSD is an M.2 SSD, then you will have to also get a second SATA SSD to M.2 SSD adapter.

Good Luck

[maktoob]

@WAWood Thank you for your reply. It is very helpful. 

My laptop has an m2 SSD slot and I would like to use my current HDD(1TB) along with the new SSD(128G). But need to use Windows on SSD and keeping the HDD as a storage drive. 

I have no data-loss concern. I would like to do a restore-to-default before proceeding with the SSD upgrade. 

So,

>you have to shrink the largest partition on the HDD (usually the OS partition), to the size such that it

You mean I need to shrink the partition or the files only? Here is my HDD partition detail. The C drive with Windows installation using almost 140G in the total 260G partition. By doing the restore-to-default, I guess I can reduce it to below 128G anyway.

So your suggestion is that I need to reduce the total disk usage(like doing restore-to-default) or reducing the partition itself to below 128G?

MY current HDD disk with partition details shown in Macrium Software

>Connect the new drive to the PC using a USB-to-SSD drive adapter (like the one illustrated below)

Also, this can be bypass since I can add the m2 SSD to the already available slot. right?

Thanks again.