Migrating Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office is an artform by itself. I'm still investigating and messing around, but one thing is certain: Microsoft did their best to make sure it's all as confusing as possible.
I would not go as far as to claim it's done deliberately in the hope you will buy new licenses. But it certainly is not user friendly!
How it all started
Two new PCs, actually. Three, even. And I still need to upgrade one more. Why? It's all because MicroSoft decided to increase the amount of e-waste in this world tenfold, by forcing people to dump their old IT hardware. Yes, there are options. But some of us still need Windows... or are too old to switch. Or... whatever.
Now replacing hardware also means that you may have to migrate software, especially Windows and Office. Well, how do I do that? I'm still working on some migrations, but here's the current status.
No longer Windows (11) compatible
Microsoft decided that the world needs Uefi and TPM 2.0. If your old hardware doesn't do that, then you're stuck on Windows 10 - which is no longer supported - or you have to move to Linux. You can't stay on Windows 10 as it is no longer supported and a great target for hackers.
Machines
So, my grand fleet of Windows 10 devices needs to be updated / upgraded / replaced...
If I find solutions I'll add links to later posts.
1. Server6 (Home Server)
My little Home Server (a Pentium) is still running Windows 10, but it doesn't accept incoming connections, and it isn't used for browsing or anything. I will soon move it to Linux. Still to be done.
I hope to be able to reuse all the old hardware. As for the software, I'm only running Squeezebox Music Server (Lyrion these days), Plex, and HD Sentinel Pro (gonna' miss that one).
Q. Can I force an upgrade to Windows 11 without TPM? Maybe...
Q. Can I add the 'upgraded' non-TPM Windows 11 instance to the license pool? Dunno...
2. LT8 (Dell) to LT9 (HP)
My old laptop (Dell M2800, Core 2 something) doesn't support TPM. My plan is to 'force' it to Windows 11, bypassing the TPM check, and see if that adds it to the Windows License pool. (More about that later).
I did buy an old second hard HP laptop that was *just* Windows 11 capable. It came with a license, so that one's covered, but... the old license was a retail license (even if it was a Dell license, weird) so I wonder if I could re-purpose it...
X. Upgrade LT8 - not done yet
X. Migrate all apps to LT9 - done.
Note that LT9 came with a pre-installed Windows and Office.
3. Dev3 (Ryzen 5 3700) to Dev5 (Ryzen 7 5700X)
My main PC is running Windows 11 (retail) but is misbehaving lately (I suspect RAM issues) so I have replaced it with newer hardware.
The old one was a Ryzen 3700 / AM4 / DDR4, and the new one I bought is based on the same generation of hardware: Ryzen 5700X / AM4 / DDR4. Why stick to the AM4 slot? It was fast enough, I could still find some RAM, and most of my other machines are based on similar hardware, so hopefully I can swap parts whenever repairs are required.
The newer mainboard has NVME support, and that was the main thing missing from the previous board.
Q. Can I migrate the Windows 11 License? Yes! I managed that.
Add an MS Account to the old machine. Then install a fresh Windows on the new machine. Activate it, use the troubleshooter to tell Microsoft it's a hardware change, and pick the old machine.
I noticed that machines in the pool may or may not be listed, almost at random, both online and from inside Windows.
Q. Can I migrate the Office License? No. Maybe. I don't know.
Not in this case, but I still had a spare license which I could install through the online Microsoft Account platform.
I'm not sure what to make of this. It might work, but I can't figure out what kind of license I bought in the past 🤔
5. Sponge (VM in VirtualBox)
Q. How to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 on a Virtualbox VM? I don't know.
I have a VM running a retail version of Windows 10 on my main machine. I'm still trying to move it to Windows 11, but VirtualBox isn't really cooperating. Harrumpf. Still have to figure that one out.
6. Desktop6 (Intel 2120) to Desktop6 (Ryzen5 5600G)
My kids have been using a 10 year old Windows 10 PC, and I bought the cheapest pre-build Ryzen, including a Windows license, for them. (A 5600 GT or something similar, IIRC. Good enough for some LibreOffice, browsing, videos, and some very old games.)
The new machine came with a Windows 11 OEM license, so solved. Now, the previous machine, Desktop5, had a Pro Retail. Can I repurpose the old license? Hmmm...
One way to do this is to replace the mainboard with something that runs Windows 11, but leave everything else the same. I actually have the flaky mainboard from Dev3 that I could repurpose. Just put it in and see what happens. Reactivate Windows 11 after a hardware change, then see if it still updates to Windows 11. It may not work, but at least it's a fun experiment 😅
Windows
License Types
There are basically two licenses: those you can migrate (Retail) and those you cannot (everything else).
If you bought a boxed version, you actually own an activation key (lucky you). Otherwise, you have to find your way through Microsoft's weird activation / registration scheme.
Microsoft keeps track of your Windows accounts and licenses and licence types and hardware fingerprints, but you can only see and manage them if they are linked to your Microsoft accounts.
So, to basically add a Windows 10 / 11 license to your 'pool' you have to:
1. Install Windows 10 / 11, or
2. Upgrade your Windows 10 to Windows 11 (if required / possible)
3. Add a Microsoft account to your PC
4. Activate the license (if not already done)
5. Upgrade your Windows 10 to Windows 11 (if possible)
Now your machine and license should be in 'the pool'.
Registered machines / licenses (viewing the pool)
On Windows
Linked Windows licenses can be found on Settings / Accounts / Linked Devices. You need to be logged in using your Microsoft Account to see this option. If not visible there may be a button Settings / Accounts / Your Info / Verify
Online using your Microsft account
First log in on acount.microsoft.com. Information should also be visible online under Devices. Unfortunately, it often is not. It also reports 'Windows Core' for some 'Windows 11 Home' systems. On Microsoft's online platform you can't even see if it's a retail or an OEM license. Duh.
Migrating Windows
Note: the naming of the menus and options may have changed, Microsoft isn't always consistent...
1. Install Windows 11 on your new hardware
2. Try to activate it
3. If it doesn't let you, go to Update & Security > Activation > Troubleshoot
4. Then "I changed hardware on this device recently"
5. Now it should show you the 'pool' of licenses, ie. a list of older devices that your licenses are assigned to. If it works. Don't be surprised if it doesn't, and you have to retry a few days later...
6. Pick the device you want to use the license from
More
Office
License Types
It appears there are three licenses, but it's hard to understand how they work exactly, or how to identify one.
- Retail - multi install (well, non-single install)
- Retail - single install
- OEM - single install
Registered machines / licenses
Link in on your Microsoft account, and it will list the some of the registered licenses, including the one-time installs (called 'redeemed') but I just can't figure out how my not-tied-to-hardware retail version. If you bought a boxed version you might have a key. If you bought an online, non-single install version, then... Hell if I know.
You may get an install button on Microsoft's online platform. I did for one of my licenses, not for the other one. I'm still investigating what kind of license I bought at the time.
Microsoft, why oh why are you making things so complicated?!?
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