Hi,

 

Few months ago I built a new setup, with a MSI H170 Gaming M3 + i5 6600K + GTX 1070

The thing is a this moment I didnt think about OC, now I tried (I started to fly in VR and wanted to have more power) but then I realize that a H170 MOBO can't OC my CPU

So I want to change by a Z170 but to be honest I don't want to reinstall my Windows and all other stuffs, the thing is that few of my serials (for W10, addons, simus, games, ect) aren't backup, so if I reinstall, I loose a lot of stuff, I'd like to avoid that 

Is it possible? If yes, how can I do that? 

 

Regards

41 minutes ago, Tanguy SEHA said:

Hi,

 

Few months ago I built a new setup, with a MSI H170 Gaming M3 + i5 6600K + GTX 1070

The thing is a this moment I didnt think about OC, now I tried (I started to fly in VR and wanted to have more power) but then I realize that a H170 MOBO can't OC my CPU

So I want to change by a Z170 but to be honest I don't want to reinstall my Windows and all other stuffs, the thing is that few of my serials (for W10, addons, simus, games, ect) aren't backup, so if I reinstall, I loose a lot of stuff, I'd like to avoid that 

Is it possible? If yes, how can I do that? 

 

Regards

Windows will think the new motherboard is a new computer and you'll have to reinstall. You may have to reactivate your license if the old license won't unlock the new windows reinstall.

 

 

MS allows and upgrade path for PCs and I upgraded mine from an I74700  to an I76700. I cannot recall the exact details or where I got the info, you basically go to your MS account and tell MS that you have upgraded.  I found out by a bit of Googling, its a worth while time investment and saves heap of pain for reinstalls etc. Here is some notes from the document I saved on this matter:

"Have you made hardware changes to your PC and now you can't activate? In this guide, we'll show you the steps to use the Activation Troubleshooter to re-activate Windows 10.

When you make significant hardware changes, such as replacing the motherboard or hard drive, Windows 10 won't be able to identify your computer correctly, and as a result, the operating system won't activate.

Previously, if your installation of Windows 10 lost its activation due to a hardware change, you would have to go through the tedious process of contacting Microsoft customer support to re-activate, which is not an ideal solution.

However, Microsoft is now simplifying the process. Beginning with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, you can link your Microsoft account (MSA) with the Windows 10 digital license on your device. The new feature allows you to access the Activation Troubleshooter quickly to re-activate your free upgrade copy of Windows 10.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll guide you through the process to link together your Microsoft Account and digital license, and the steps to use the Activation Troubleshooter to re-activate the operating system.

How to link your Microsoft account with the digital license

1.    Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.

2.    Click Update & security.

3.    Click Activation.

4.    Click Add an account. (Your account must have administrator privileges to go through this process.)

5.    Enter your Microsoft account credentials, and click Sign-in. If the local account isn't connected to a Microsoft account, you'll also need to enter the password for the local account.

6.     

Once you completed the process, you will see the "Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account" message in the Activation page, indicating that the linked was successfully processed.

If you have already used an MSA while upgrading to Windows 10, your account and digital license will connect automatically, and you'll see the same "Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account" message. In which case, you can skip the previous steps, and jump to the instructions below.

How to use the troubleshooter to re-activate Windows 10

After linking your Microsoft account with the digital license, you can use the new Activation Troubleshooter to re-activate Windows 10 after making a hardware change on your computer.

1.    Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.

2.    Click Update & security.

3.    Click Activation.

4.    If you see the activation status message: Windows is not activated, then you can click Troubleshoot to continue. (Your account must have administrator privileges to complete this process.)"

30 minutes ago, yellowjack said:

 

 

MS allows and upgrade path for PCs and I upgraded mine from an I74700  to an I76700. I cannot recall the exact details or where I got the info, you basically go to your MS account and tell MS that you have upgraded.  I found out by a bit of Googling, its a worth while time investment and saves heap of pain for reinstalls etc. Here is some notes from the document I saved on this matter:

"Have you made hardware changes to your PC and now you can't activate? In this guide, we'll show you the steps to use the Activation Troubleshooter to re-activate Windows 10.

When you make significant hardware changes, such as replacing the motherboard or hard drive, Windows 10 won't be able to identify your computer correctly, and as a result, the operating system won't activate.

Previously, if your installation of Windows 10 lost its activation due to a hardware change, you would have to go through the tedious process of contacting Microsoft customer support to re-activate, which is not an ideal solution.

However, Microsoft is now simplifying the process. Beginning with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, you can link your Microsoft account (MSA) with the Windows 10 digital license on your device. The new feature allows you to access the Activation Troubleshooter quickly to re-activate your free upgrade copy of Windows 10.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll guide you through the process to link together your Microsoft Account and digital license, and the steps to use the Activation Troubleshooter to re-activate the operating system.

How to link your Microsoft account with the digital license

1.    Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.

2.    Click Update & security.

3.    Click Activation.

4.    Click Add an account. (Your account must have administrator privileges to go through this process.)

5.    Enter your Microsoft account credentials, and click Sign-in. If the local account isn't connected to a Microsoft account, you'll also need to enter the password for the local account.

6.     

Once you completed the process, you will see the "Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account" message in the Activation page, indicating that the linked was successfully processed.

If you have already used an MSA while upgrading to Windows 10, your account and digital license will connect automatically, and you'll see the same "Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account" message. In which case, you can skip the previous steps, and jump to the instructions below.

How to use the troubleshooter to re-activate Windows 10

After linking your Microsoft account with the digital license, you can use the new Activation Troubleshooter to re-activate Windows 10 after making a hardware change on your computer.

1.    Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.

2.    Click Update & security.

3.    Click Activation.

4.    If you see the activation status message: Windows is not activated, then you can click Troubleshoot to continue. (Your account must have administrator privileges to complete this process.)"

Thank you! That will helps me a lot!

And if I do that, will I have to re-activate all my addons, and other programs that require an activation? Like FS addons (planes, utilities, ...) My main concern is that for few addons I don"t have anymore the keys, so if I loose the activation, I can't activate those addons anymore

IIRC you won't have to do any reactivations (you haven't disturbed the force as Luke would say) just carry on Trucking. Good luck