Moving a Windows system from damaged hard drive to a new hard drive

1

You can create a bootable Windows 11 USB on an empty 8GB USB flash drive and use that to clean install Windows 11 on the new drive.

Click this link:  https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11

to download the Media Creation Tool (Click on Download Tool Now), with that you can create a bootable USB flash drive (min 8GB) using that tool.

Then, Boot your PC from the Installation Media you just created to begin installing Windows 11

During the installation process skip the steps which ask for a product key and select the option 'I am Reinstalling Windows 11 on this PC'.

2

For Windows activation, where did you get the Windows licence?

If Windows 10 or 11 was pre-installed on your laptop, then Windows should activate automatically from the OEM licence stored on the motherboard.

If Windows 10 or 11 was not pre-installed, where did you get your Windows licence, did you purchase a full retail Windows licence from Microsoft or from a 3rd party retailer?

Or is your Windows licence based on a previous Windows 7 or 8 licence?

Windows activation and the Windows installation itself are separate. The damaged drive prevents cloning the old installation, but activation can still be restored if the license is a digital license linked to the Microsoft account or if a product key is available.

Steps to get back to an activated Windows on the new SSD:

1. Install Windows 11 cleanly on the new SSD
   • Boot from Windows 11 installation media and perform a clean install on the new SSD.
   • Skip entering a product key during setup if there is no key available; choose “I don’t have a product key.”
2. Sign in with the same Microsoft account
   • After installation, go to Settings > System > Activation.
   • Ensure sign-in is done with the same Microsoft account that shows the laptop and Windows license.
   • If the license is a digital license linked to that account and the hardware change is not considered a new device, Windows may auto‑activate.
3. If Windows does not activate automatically
   • In Settings > System > Activation, follow the activation steps shown there.
   • If there are activation errors, use the guidance in Get help with Windows activation errors from the activation page.
4. If the license cannot be found or reused
   • If the system still cannot be activated and there is no working product key, a new product key or another copy of Windows is required.

Key points from the documentation:

• A digital license is tied to the device’s hardware; significant hardware changes can require reactivation.
• For Windows 11, activation requires either a digital license or a product key. If neither can be used, a new license must be purchased.

References:

• Why can't I activate Windows?
• Reactivate Windows 10 after a hardware change
• Reactivating Windows after a hardware change
• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account