I'm switching back to Windows after using Nobara Linux for a while. Previously, I ran Windows in a virtual machine and activated it with the same product key that had originally activated Windows on my physical PC. Windows had been removed from the PC at that point, so the key seemed to work again. The virtual machine is now unusable because I broke its graphics-driver setup, although it still exists. If I install Windows on my physical computer again, can I use that same key? I'm also avoiding dual-booting because I thought partitions could only be deleted and merged when they're adjacent—is that correct?
1 Answer
It will probably activate again, especially if the license is a retail license or your PC already has a digital entitlement tied to its hardware. Windows activation usually recognizes the same motherboard and other hardware, and Microsoft is generally fairly lenient with reactivating a machine that was previously licensed. The exact rules depend on whether the key is retail, OEM, or volume-licensed, though: an OEM key is normally tied to the original computer, while a retail key can usually be moved as long as it’s only being used on one device at a time. Once the VM is no longer running or activated, you should be fine using the license on the physical installation. As for partitions, they generally do need to be adjacent for the built-in Windows tools to merge them, but third-party partition managers can sometimes move partitions first. You likely don’t need to do that for this installation.
Thanks! So if the VM is no longer usable and I’m not running Windows there anymore, reusing the key on the physical PC should be even less likely to cause an activation problem.