I'm wondering about what the Windows UUID that you can get with "wmic path win32_computersystemproduct get uuid" really comes from and when it will change. Microsoft says, the UUID comes from the SMBIOS information (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa394105(v=vs.85).aspx), what seems to me that the UUID only depends on the system's BIOS. So what when I do one of the following things:
- (a) Reinstall Windows on the same system
- (b) Install a second Windows on the same system
- (c) Clone windows to another disk and then use this disk in the same system
Will any of this actions make the UUID to be changed? Or is it possible to have to different Windows systems with the same UUID (b)?
Thanks a lot
Best Answer
None of these actions will change the UUID. The UUID is a machine-unique ID, like a serial number. It is stored on the motherboard (typically in the system flash eeprom, along with the BIOS) and reported by the BIOS to the OS in an SMBIOS structure, as you guessed.