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I got windows 10 operating on an SSD, upgrade from an OEM windows 7.
If I were to upgrade my motherboard / GPU / CPU
If I just replace the components and boot it up will it detect and install the relevant drivers and windows 10 will say it's not genuine?
Yes.
GPU shouldn't make any difference but it will detect a change in motherboard and stop working.
W10 is locked to the motherboard UUID - so you can change everything else, but not that.
A quick call to the MS support line and they'll reactivate the license.
Thought that only applied if the original licence was retail, not OEM?
I'll be stunned if it doesn't work. a) half the point of the phone line is to work around "oops, you've changed your mobo" issues, and b) MS want everyone running Windows 10 as quickly as possible. Swapping the motherboard will almost certainly break automatic activation, but AFAIK doesn't break the OEM licence.
Thanks very much. It'll be a straight forward swap is all I want at the moment. Probably get new motherboard and cpu then when I can afford a new GPU
Also what's peoples opinions on backups? Just have a portable HDD I plug in every week to back up? If I put the HDD in the case will it won't make noise or heat if I'm not reading data from it only when I do my backups?
Won't it be spinning all the time? File History backs up every hour anyway...
If you put the backup HDD in the case it won't protect against physical problems (like burglary or your house burning down).
True I shall have to research that a bit more.
Backup, cloud for me anything important is online in 2 places and due to having a small collection of computers that stuff syncs to 2 physical locations.
In terms of back up etc. biggest thing is working out whats important. I can rebuild one of my laptops in an hour of so from an install CD/USB and the software. Cloud downloads the rest of the docs/pics etc.