My motherboard and NIC are having issues, can I move my Server 2019 to a different machine?

Question

I installed Windows Server 2019 about 5 days ago. I then registered the software.

After multiple updates, I am starting to see issues every time the machine starts up. There are various error messages related to certificates, bluetooth, the NIC, and other drivers. I have done some research and it appears the motherboard was not the best choice for hosting Server 2019.

I am going to look for a new motherboard with an internal NIC that has better compatibility with Server 2019 and want to know if I will be able to simply install the software on the new machine. I will certainly remove the software from the other machine as I intend to install Windows 11 Pro on that now. I am also moving to a new home soon, so the IP address will likely change, and so will the mac address of the NIC.

Can anyone provide me guidance here on whether this is allowed?

Answer 1

Hello  SkeletorFJR1300，

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

Yes, you can move your Windows Server 2019 installation to a different machine. However, you will need to deactivate the license on the current machine before activating it on the new machine. To do this, go to Settings > Update & Security > Activation on the current machine and select "Deactivate". Once you have done this, you can install Windows Server 2019 on the new machine and activate it using the same license key.

Regarding the change in IP address and MAC address, this should not affect the activation of your license. However, if you have any applications or services that are tied to the old IP address or MAC address, you may need to update their configurations accordingly. 

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Haijian Shan