New hard drive with HP 15 laptop.How can I get my windows 10 or 11 home edition back?

Reinstall Windows 11 Home from a Microsoft installation USB; when prompted for a key, choose I don’t have a product key, select Windows 11 Home, and activation should occur online from the laptop’s existing digital or firmware-based license.

1. Create the installation USB

On another working Windows computer:

1. Connect a blank USB flash drive of at least 8 GB.
   • Everything on the USB will be deleted.
2. Open Microsoft’s Create installation media for Windows page.
3. Under Windows 11, open Download Windows 11.
4. Under Create Windows 11 Installation Media, select Download Now.
5. Run MediaCreationTool.exe and choose the USB flash drive when prompted.^1^

Windows 11 is preferable here because Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025.^1^

2. Install Windows 11 Home on the new drive

A clean installation removes anything currently on the selected drive. Since this is a new drive, verify that no other drive containing important data is selected or erased.

1. Insert the USB into the HP laptop.
2. Start the laptop from the USB. If Windows Setup does not appear, consult HP’s instructions for opening the boot-device menu or changing the boot order.
3. Choose the language and keyboard settings.
4. Select Install Windows 11 and accept the clean-install warning.
5. If asked for a product key, select I don’t have a product key.
   • Many modern computers store their Windows key in firmware; Setup can apply it automatically.
   • The key screen might not appear when Setup detects that firmware key.^1^
6. If an edition list appears, select Windows 11 Home—not Pro. The installed edition must match the Home digital license.^2^
7. At the drive-selection screen, select the new drive’s Unallocated Space, then select Next.
8. Complete setup, connect to the Internet, and sign in with the Microsoft account previously used on the laptop.

3. Check activation

After installation:

1. Open Start → Settings → System → Activation.
2. The expected result is Windows is activated or Windows is activated with a digital license.

Because the computer previously received the free Windows 10-to-11 upgrade, its Windows 11 activation method is normally a digital license. Reinstalling the same edition—Home—does not require entering a key when that license is available.^3^

If activation does not occur

First verify Settings → System → About → Windows specifications → Edition says Windows 11 Home. If Pro was installed, reinstall Home; a Home license cannot activate a different edition.^2^

If it already says Home:

1. Open Settings → System → Activation.
2. Select Troubleshoot.
3. Sign in with the Microsoft account previously associated with the laptop if requested.

Replacing only the drive is different from replacing the motherboard. The hardware-change reactivation path is intended for significant changes such as motherboard replacement; use it only if Windows reports a hardware-change activation error.^4^

References

1. Create installation media for Windows | Microsoft Support
2. Reinstall Windows with the installation media | Microsoft Support
3. Windows 11
4. Windows 11