General Tech Tips

Can I Upgrade Motherboard and CPU Without Reinstalling Windows 10?

We all upgrade parts of our PC or laptop at one point in time. But every time we upgrade, we ask ourselves questions like, “Can I upgrade the motherboard and CPU without reinstalling Windows 10?”. And this article will answer that question to you in detail!

We all use PCs or systems that we have had with us for a long time. And sometimes, we need to understand that we need to upgrade them. Fitting a new motherboard is beneficial as it boosts the system’s performance. And you can do that without having to reinstall Windows!

Yes, you read it right. “Can I upgrade motherboard and CPU without reinstalling Windows 10 ?” – you absolutely can! There are two easy ways in which you can do so. But before that, you need to know about license keys. Check out some webcam software for windows here.

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Table of Contents

What are License Keys?

Microsoft generally manufactures three different license keys. They are OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), Retail, and Volume.

Talking about OEM license, it is the kind that is permanently fixed onto the system that you purchase from the shop. If this is your system’s license type, you will not be able to move it to the recently purchased motherboard, and you will be required to buy another key.

But, you are in luck if you have a Volume or Retail license! It’s because Windows will get activated as soon as your system to the internet! But how will you get to know if it is OEM or Retail or Volume type? Well, read on!

How Will I Get to Know My License?

As discussed above, knowing what kind of license you have is an essential element in getting the answer “Can I upgrade motherboard and CPU without reinstalling Windows 10?”, and you can do so by reading along:

Steps:

Switch on your PC and get to the desktop.
Then, search for This PC on the desktop.
Later, right-click on This PC when you find it.
You will get a list of options after performing the above steps. Among these, search for Properties and then select them.

A window will open, and within the window, search for Product ID by scrolling below.
Read the ID, and if you can locate OEM written within the ID, it has an OEM license. Else it is among Retail or Volume.

Now that you know if you can replace the motherboard without reinstalling windows, let us do it! As mentioned above, these two methods are straightforward to perform.

Replacing motherboard and CPU without having to reinstall Windows 10

Here is how you can do it.

First Method

Get the AOMEI Backupper running on your system by clicking on the link.

Choose System Backup by going to Backup.
Choose the path for your Backup and then begin Backup.
Follow the sequence of Tools -> Create Bootable Media.
Enter Restore and choose between Select Task and Select Image File to pick the Backup made earlier.
Later, select your preference to revive the backup image.
Begin the process by ensuring that you have checked Universal Restore.

Second Method

This method is most helpful if you do not edit the Registry before replacing the hardware. If you fail to do so, it will result in an error. If your question “Can I Upgrade Motherboard and CPU Without Reinstalling Windows 10?” still hasn’t been answered, you can try to edit the Registry offline.

Begin by entering BIOS mode by continuously tapping the F2 button while your system starts.
Now, select the disc as the first-boot option. Save these changes and then reboot your system.

Configure the general settings when your system boots. You can choose a language of your preference as well.
Later, proceed in the sequence Troubleshoot -> Advanced options -> Command Prompt.
Now, enter the word regedit and select the Enter key on your keyboard.
You have entered the Registry Editor. Here, choose HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE by pressing on it once.

Next, go to the top left corner of the window and select File->Load Hive.
Follow this path C:\Windows\system32\config\system to get to System File.
Enter Offline on the window you see on the screen and click OK.
Please navigate to the following field and enter 0 as its value: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Offline\ControlSet001\services\msahci
Please navigate to the next field and enter 0 as its value: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Offline\ControlSet001\services\pciide
Press on Offline and select File->Unload Hive to enter the modifications you performed. In the end, cancel the Registry Editor.

You can reboot the system to modify the file settings and eject the disc you had inserted earlier.

FAQs

Can I upgrade the motherboard and CPU without reinstalling Windows 10?

Yes, you absolutely can replace the motherboard without reinstalling windows! But first, you will need to know the kind of license you have on your PC. If it is OEM, you will not be able to move Windows to the recently bought motherboard. But otherwise, if you have other licenses, you can easily upgrade your motherboard. Hoping this solves your query regarding 'How to change motherboard without reinstalling Windows 10 ?'.

Do I have to reinstall Windows 10 with a new motherboard and CPU?

The answer to this question is both yes and no! To determine if you can upgrade the new motherboard to Windows 10, you will have to know the kind of license you have on your PC. If it is OEM, you will not be able to move Windows to the recently bought motherboard. But otherwise, if you have the other types of licenses, you can easily upgrade your motherboard. This is how you should install a new motherboard without reinstalling windows. To know more regarding the processes to unerringly complete motherboard upgradation, just read the steps given above.

Conclusion

Finally, your dilemma of “Can I upgrade my motherboard and CPU without reinstalling Windows 10 ?” has been answered. Upgrading motherboard Windows 10 is a pretty easy task if you have thoroughly read the article. You need to follow any of the methods given above to smoothly transition from an old motherboard to a newly bought one.

We know that a new motherboard is very helpful in boosting a system’s functionalities. So, we ought to replace the old one with the new one to obtain a fast and efficient system. I hope this helped!