/edit - This is why Windows sucks. No shutdown via RDP, incorrect versions, etc etc. whinge whinge.

Doesn't the creation tool create the iso based off of the version you are using rather than a straight iso download direct from ms? So if it thinks you are using home 1903, you get a home 1909 iso. If you are running 1903 pro you get a 1909 pro iso, or at least that was my understanding? I could have course be way off and chatting absolute rubbish.

I should probably bail at this point because I would need a version of home somewhere or a version that is upgradable to help, all the 10 machines I have available are running Windows 10 Pro For Workstation so they don't have the upgrade options available that a home or pro build should have under this option:

 
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I used slmgr to remove the digital licence, added my key back and it gave me Home and a digital licence again.
 
Feek said:
I used slmgr to remove the digital licence, added my key back and it gave me Home and a digital licence again.
Click to expand...

Time to give ms licensing a call? if you log into your windows account online does it show you any license details? FWIW MS licensing is a joke, last time we updated our ovl they messed it up and our licenses kept deactivating. Then none of the licenses in the volume license portal would activate servers. Total disaster tbh and that's with datacenter licensing.
 
How do I persuade Windows to give me the version I've got a key for?

Not tried so not 100% sure will work
Go to store
Upgrade
Windows 10
Pick pro
Once it's done enter key
Cross fingers it activated

Could the issue be you had OEM version of home linked to the hardware?
If so that might involve phoning Microsoft
Though depending on robot or person on the phone
From memory they aren't always helpful if you say change of hardware~motherboard
When it's OEM not retail
 
Vince said:
Time to give ms licensing a call? if you log into your windows account online does it show you any license details?
Click to expand...
I don't have a Window account.

I think I've figured out what went wrong to start with - I have a Windows 8 VM with the media creation tool already on it.

I assumed that the media creation tool would always go away and download the latest version. That makes sense, right? It seems not. It is hard coded to a specific version of Windows and that's the one it'll always download. On the positive side, it did allow me to add my key which gave me Windows 10 Pro, even though it was an old version.

I've just downloaded the latest version of the media creation tool which even has 1909 in the filename (the old version I had didn't have any indication of this) and am writing a USB stick now. I hope that this will give me the correct version and allow me to input my key during installation.
 
Almost sure it downloads the appropriate version
For the pc you do it on
Though could be wrong as only ever did it on my main machine in the past
Would explain why you got wrong one if did it in the vm
It's one reason I use uup dump
You pick exactly what you want even if want to revert to earlier build number for
Whatever reason
 
Feek said:
I don't have a Window account.

I think I've figured out what went wrong to start with - I have a Windows 8 VM with the media creation tool already on it.

I assumed that the media creation tool would always go away and download the latest version. That makes sense, right? It seems not. It is hard coded to a specific version of Windows and that's the one it'll always download. On the positive side, it did allow me to add my key which gave me Windows 10 Pro, even though it was an old version.

I've just downloaded the latest version of the media creation tool which even has 1909 in the filename (the old version I had didn't have any indication of this) and am writing a USB stick now. I hope that this will give me the correct version and allow me to input my key during installation.
Click to expand...

Yea this is exactly what I thought above, that creation tool isn't a clean iso pretty much regardless, it does weird things and I don't trust it. But yes it appears they basically hard code and release new versions every time. Surely thats more work than just pointing it at some update server of some sort. Im pretty sure it is because it does something weird like build around the machine you are on so harvests as much of an install as it can from your machine and then downloads whatever else it needs.
 
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dymetrie said:
The obvious answer to everything is that sadly Windows hates you :(
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The feeling is mutual.

Insert inevitable 'It's so much easier on a Mac' comment here.
It is though. One version of the OS, no key, no charge. Earlier versions update to later versions with no problems like this. Microsoft can't even get an update from Windows 10 to Windows 10 right.
 
PiKe said:
Gawd knows how you ended up downloading an ancient version through the media tool, surprised they even still have that on their servers.
Click to expand...

IIRC, the media creation tool doesn't grab the newest version, it makes a specific version (presumably so people can install specific older versions of Windows, it might be a corporate thing). To get the newest version of Windows, you need the newest media creation tool.
 
Feek said:
The feeling is mutual.

Insert inevitable 'It's so much easier on a Mac' comment here.
It is though. One version of the OS, no key, no charge. Earlier versions update to later versions with no problems like this. Microsoft can't even get an update from Windows 10 to Windows 10 right.
Click to expand...

It might be easier but then you have to buy fruit based tech products and be tied to that. Fruit based is never the way forward.
 
Steampunk said:
IIRC, the media creation tool doesn't grab the newest version, it makes a specific version (presumably so people can install specific older versions of Windows, it might be a corporate thing). To get the newest version of Windows, you need the newest media creation tool.
Click to expand...

Why not just offer a drop down with what version you want that bounces back to their server and gives you what is available? nobody asked for what we have now, im pretty sure of that. If I didn't have access to a volume licensing portal with all the available iso files for easy download as a corporate and had to rely on the media creation tool I think I may have lost the will to live years ago.
 
Vince said:
It might be easier but then you have to buy fruit based tech products and be tied to that. Fruit based is never the way forward.
Click to expand...
Everything here is Apple and this has reminded me why!
This particular PC is going to be a Plex server and I originally wanted to run Ubuntu but because I'm using a DAS Drobo for storage, that's not really practical. The Drobo isn't officially supported under Linux and using ext4 on a Drobo is asking for trouble.
I wish I'd bought a Mac mini instead of the Optiplex I'm using, it would have been so much easier.
 
Out of interest are these physical Machines or VMs? Either way, this could be a power/bios setting or a VM integration tools setting.
 
Feek said:
Everything here is Apple and this has reminded me why!
This particular PC is going to be a Plex server and I originally wanted to run Ubuntu but because I'm using a DAS Drobo for storage, that's not really practical. The Drobo isn't officially supported under Linux and using ext4 on a Drobo is asking for trouble.
I wish I'd bought a Mac mini instead of the Optiplex I'm using, it would have been so much easier.
Click to expand...

Ahh i see your issue, don't swear at me with your dell products. :p you wouldn't have been having any of these issues on hp.
 
One more mention for uup dump lol
It also has add alternative versions option
Ie you get the option of home, Pro, enterprise etc when installing from what you downloaded
 
Next hurdle.

I neither have, nor want a Microsoft account.

On other versions of Windows, I can create a local account during install. It seems that this is no longer possible, I have to use an MS account.

Is there a way around this?

/edit - Managed it. I gave it a very wrong phone number a few times and it let me create an offline account.
 
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