What's the deal w/pulled HDD's sold w/Win7 installed? Technically not allowed?

[Matt_Stevens]

I have noticed a ton of HDD's on eBay (and cheap) with Windows 7 installed. Obviously these must have been business machine, their HDD's wiped, given the re-install of Windows 7 and then the HDD pulled for sale.

But sticking that HDD into a new system with a different motherboard should result in problems with authentication, correct?

These drives can be pretty darned cheap and no doubt it would be a great way of say upgrading my aunt's computer, which is still on XP and vulnerable, or my dad's spare computer, which runs Vista and sux some serious @ss due to bloatware.

My aunt could really benefit from something like this. I doubled her RAM a few years back (pulled from a dead machine I found) and even gave her a basic video card to get her off the MB's shared video. Her system can likely handle Windows 7 and be no slower than what she currently has.

 

[corkyg]

But sticking that HDD into a new system with a different motherboard should result in problems with authentication, correct?

Just about a guaranteed BSOD.

 

[JackMDS]

If your computer is with a Different chipset then whatever is on the HD it might not even boot.

If it will boot and then sense a different Hardware, it will not activate.

So it is wishful thinking rather than sound ""enterprising"".

 

[SparkyJJO]

While Windows 7 is quite a lot more forgiving about hardware changes and still being able to boot up (I've had no issue moving my Win7 install across 3 platforms, try that with XP) you're correct Windows will detect a different board and require reactivation at the very least if it does boot.

Just buy Win7 and don't go the headaches with questionable legality route.

 

[Matt_Stevens]

Sound advice. Agreed. Thanks.

 

[techmanc]

Windows is married to the motherboard.

Even when moving my owned OS to another system will have problems with the changed motherboard so I use Acronis True Image 2014 to make to move a lot less painful.

Dont use ATI 2015 due to lack of features for me like 2014 MS Office backups I want to have

 

[Oyeve]

Windows is married to the motherboard.

Even when moving my owned OS to another system will have problems with the changed motherboard so I use Acronis True Image 2014 to make to move a lot less painful.

Dont use ATI 2015 due to lack of features for me like 2014 MS Office backups I want to have

This is what I use. Hell, i'm using it now at work! I also always the version I bought over a year ago. Even tho there have been many updates I use this one as the updates tend to break ati2014.

 

[SimMike2]

Windows 7 is a lot more forgiving with huge hardware changes, unlike XP where a BSOD was almost a given if the hard drive controller changed. I've done in many times with Windows 7, not always because I wanted to keep the install, but just to see what happened, and it has not BSOD one time for me.

 

[escrow4]

Windows is married to the motherboard.

Even when moving my owned OS to another system will have problems with the changed motherboard so I use Acronis True Image 2014 to make to move a lot less painful.

Dont use ATI 2015 due to lack of features for me like 2014 MS Office backups I want to have

Not 8.1 OEM. I slapped it again on a system rebuilt and it activated no issues. Refreshing.

 

[andy2000]

Windows 7 is a lot more forgiving with huge hardware changes, unlike XP where a BSOD was almost a given if the hard drive controller changed. I've done in many times with Windows 7, not always because I wanted to keep the install, but just to see what happened, and it has not BSOD one time for me.

Before moving a hard drive from one system to another, it's a good idea to change the IDE/SATA driver to the standard/generic driver. Just click on update driver, brows my computer, and let me pick a driver. There should be a standard driver under the list of compatible drivers. After booting in the new system, you can install the exact driver for the new chip set.