Windows change disk serial number

A volume serial number (also called a VSN) is a unique serial number that, when formatted, is assigned to an optical disk (CD or DVD) as a hard disk. The volume serial no. was added by Microsoft and IBM so that the operating system could identify whether the optical drive or drive was changed by the system. Currently, the only way to find out is a user-defined volume label (volume name) on each storage disk. But this problem occurs when the user gives the same (Volume) name to two (or more) disks. To prevent this problem, Microsoft and IBM decided to provide a new unique number in hexadecimal format (called a “volume serial number” or “volume ID” or “VSN”) when formatting the drive (optical disk or hard disk).

Simply put, the volume serial no. identifies the exact time {date, month, year, and time (hour, minute, and second)} of the formatting operation. The VSN changes as the disk is formatted, so if you reinstall Windows and format the system disk, Windows will ask for activation again.

Because of VSN’s benefits, some software vendors use the volume serial number to prevent piracy of their products. This means that software from these vendors will not run if the volume serial no. differs from the VSN on the original optical disc of the supplied product or on the hard disk where the software was first installed. This technique has also been used in the past by multiplayer vendors to prevent players from cheating. Nowadays, this method is useless because game or software vendors now use a hard-coded serial number (S / N manufacturer’s HDD built into the firmware) to identify (disable) fraudsters or ban CD keys.

The hard disk volume serial number is a unique identifier assigned to a hard disk drive by the manufacturer. Changing the hard disk volume serial number is not a recommended practice and can cause serious problems, including:

1. Invalidating software licenses: Some software licenses are tied to the hard disk volume serial number, and changing the serial number can cause the license to become invalid.
2. Corrupting data: Altering the hard disk volume serial number can cause data on the drive to become corrupted or unreadable.
3. Causing boot failures: Changing the hard disk volume serial number can cause the operating system to be unable to locate the boot partition, leading to boot failures.
4. Triggering security alerts: Changing the hard disk volume serial number can trigger security alerts, especially in enterprise environments.

Due to these risks, it is recommended not to change the hard disk volume serial number. If you need to replace a hard disk drive, use a new drive with a different volume serial number rather than attempting to change the serial number of the existing drive.

This article provides step-by-step instructions for changing the volume number on your hard disk (or volume ID or VSN).

How to check HDD Volume Serial Number (VolumeID).

USING SYSINTERNALS VOLUME CHANGER.

VolumeID by Mark Russinovich is another freeware tool that helps you to change the Volume IDs of drives from the command line window.

1. Download VolumeID.

2. Extract the “volumeid.zip” file contents and move the extracted files (“Volumeid.exe” & “Eula.txt“) to the root of C: drive.

3. Open an elevated command prompt. To do that:

In Windows 7, Vista & XP:

1. Go to Start > All Programs. 

2. Click to expand Accessories. 

3. Right-click on Command Prompt and choose “Run as administrator”

4. Let’s say that we want to check the Volume serial number of the system drive C:.

Inside the command prompt window, type the following command to see the current Volume Serial Number of C: drive

Type:-vol and press enter

 The “vol” command should return the Volume Serial Number. In this example, the VSN is “94F8-9C08“.

How to change Hard Disk’s Volume Serial Number

1.First download HardDiskSerialNumberChanger

Download here HardDiskSerialNumberChanger

2.Run HardDiskSerialNumberChanger.exe to change the serial number

3.Select Drive volume to change serial no.

4. Enter Serial no. and click on change.

5. Reboot your pc and you’re Done.

Alternative Method change the VSN of a hard disk

The Volume Serial Number (VSN) of a hard disk is a unique identifier assigned to it by the operating system during formatting. It is used by the operating system to identify and track the disk and its files. Changing the VSN can be useful in certain situations, such as when you need to create a duplicate copy of a disk or when you want to evade licensing or registration requirements for software.

However, it’s important to note that changing the VSN of a hard disk can be a risky procedure, and it can potentially damage the data on the disk. Therefore, it’s recommended to back up all important data on the disk before attempting to change the VSN.

Here are the steps to change the VSN of a hard disk:

1. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator by pressing the Windows key + X and selecting “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the menu.
2. In the Command Prompt, type “diskpart” and press Enter. This will open the Diskpart utility.
3. Type “list volume” and press Enter. This will display a list of all the volumes on your computer.
4. Identify the volume whose VSN you want to change and note its volume number.
5. Type “select volume X” (replace X with the volume number of the disk) and press Enter.
6. Type “uniqueid disk” and press Enter. This will display the current VSN of the disk.
7. To change the VSN, type “uniqueid disk ID=newid” (replace ID with the current VSN displayed in the previous step, and replace newid with the new VSN that you want to assign to the disk).
8. Press Enter. You should see a message saying “Disk ID successfully changed.”
9. Type “exit” to close Diskpart.
10. Restart your computer to ensure that the new VSN is recognized by the operating system.

Again, it’s important to note that changing the VSN of a hard disk can have unintended consequences, and it’s recommended to proceed with caution and backup important data beforehand.

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