Old hard drive to new laptop

[Lkjjkl5]

Recently got a new laptop.

New laptop comes with windows 8, can I take the old hard drive with windows 7, and plug it into the new laptop? Would I need to reformat? I do not have the old laptop anymore, which means no windows 7 key.

I do have the old asus recovery disks that I was asked to burn when I first got my old laptop.

 

[IInuyasha74]

Well this is more than a little complicated. You can plug the old hard drive into the new laptop I am pretty sure. Windows 7 tries to work with everything, and you might get lucky and be able to plug it in and install the drivers for the laptop and Windows 7 and have it work for you.

If it doesn't work then your only chance is to reinstall windows. I know you said you don't have the laptop anymore, but try looking at one of these methods to show the key if you manage to get the system to at least boot into safe mode.
http/www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/153626-product-key-number-windows-7-find-see.html

IF that works it will give you a key and it will probably work on the laptop, but using that key on that laptop may or may not be illegal based on the terms of the licencing agreement. So you may need to re-buy Windows 7.

Either way, you might as well plug in the hard drive and see if it works, no harm in trying because if it doesn't you can just trade hard drives again and it should be the same as if you never did anything to it.

 

[Lkjjkl5]

Well this is more than a little complicated. You can plug the old hard drive into the new laptop I am pretty sure. Windows 7 tries to work with everything, and you might get lucky and be able to plug it in and install the drivers for the laptop and Windows 7 and have it work for you.

If it doesn't work then your only chance is to reinstall windows. I know you said you don't have the laptop anymore, but try looking at one of these methods to show the key if you manage to get the system to at least boot into safe mode.
http/www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/153626-product-key-number-windows-7-find-see.html

IF that works it will give you a key and it will probably work on the laptop, but using that key on that laptop may or may not be illegal based on the terms of the licencing agreement. So you may need to re-buy Windows 7.

Either way, you might as well plug in the hard drive and see if it works, no harm in trying because if it doesn't you can just trade hard drives again and it should be the same as if you never did anything to it.

I put the old hard drive in, and it got stuck in this Aptia Setup Utility