I'm upgrading my computer today and am getting a new motherboard. I've heard mixed opinions on how this affects my Windows 10 setup. Specifically, do I need to redownload or reinstall Windows after the motherboard swap? Also, I might not be able to find the USB I used for installation, so I'm wondering how that plays into the situation.
1 Answer
You won't need to redownload Windows. Your OS is stored on your SSD, so as long as you keep that, it should work. The tricky part is your Windows license. If you have an OEM license tied to your current motherboard, it may ask for reactivation. If you bought it outright or linked it to a Microsoft account, you should be safe to just reactivate it after swapping.
I bought Windows from Best Buy, but I'm not sure if it's linked to my Microsoft account. How do I check?