I have got back into pc gaming about 6 weeks ago after a 10 year break. I bought a pre built system just to get me up and running to make sure I really wanted to move away from the convenience of console gaming for a better experience.
Well I have loved it and gone and bought a load of new parts to upgrade my rig. I have a new Motherboard, cpu cooler, case and 2 ssd's.
I am about rebuild my system but I am wondering how I reinstall Windows? The pre built system came with Windows 8 but it does not have a serial key on the case like I expected. I have read that the serial key is tied to the motherboard. So is there anyway of still using that serial key with my new motherboard ? Plus is there a way to check which version of Windows 8 I will need to download for the installation?
Unfortunately you're going to need a new retail copy of WIndows 8 64bit as you've pretty much replaced the entire computer internally. Only way to keep the licence on the current system would to have made yourself a set of recovery discs and kept the original motherboard.
This is an interesting topic. I've read a few versions of how Windows 8 OEM licenses do or do not transfer to new hardware. I would recommend you to call MS support and ask them about it. Alternatively you could try some third party software to retrieve the licence, but this is properly a long shot.
You are required to support the license on that original PC, but you cannot support a license that has been moved from a PC that you manufactured to one that you did not. This is one of the key reasons an OEM System Builder License can’t be transferred.