A couple of months ago, I wiped Windows off my old laptop and installed Kubuntu instead. Now, I was thinking of dual booting Windows additionally for a certain game (definitely not League of Legends, for sure not) and will need to buy a new key. Am I fine getting a copy of Windows 10 despite Microsoft’s discontinuation, or should I get a Windows 11 key? I have a different laptop I use as a daily driver (11, Surface Go 3), so this would exclusively be for the game that shan’t be named.
Sorry if this post isn’t fit for this community - I’ll delete it if it isn’t.
This is not true. OEM serial key is usually tied to the motherboard. I once had to replace my HDD, but granted i downloaded the Windows recovery file from the laptop manufacturer’s website. That way it will recreate the recovery partition for you.
It is no longer true, but it was at one time (the key thing, it was never illegal to reinstall). It also wasn’t too uncommon for systems to have a sticker with the OEM key listed on it (then verified during activation), because without it you were SOL. Manufacturer recovery discs had their own way around it.
Nowadays the key is embedded in the firmware and applied automagically, even if you use a normal iso.