Quick Windows 10 install question

Kerplunk

Kerplunk

Kerplunk

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Joined
10 Jan 2006
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Bournemouth tbh
Hello guys,

I am looking to upgrade my current Windows 8 system to Windows 10, I have downloaded the MediaCreationToolx64. Do I have to choose upgrade, or can I create an ISO and do a clean install? Does it matter regarding licences?

Cheers!
 
If Microsoft has never "seen" Windows 10 on this machine, you have to select to upgrade from a licenced 7 or 8.1. Once this is done, Microsoft then record your PC spec with Windows 10 as a valid setup. NOW you can use the Media Creation Tool/ISO/BootUSB to do a fresh install, select "Skip" to each step asking for a product key (I think it's 3 asks, from memory). When your unactivated PC goes online for the first time, MS will recognise your hardware setup and it will then automatically activate Windows 10 without you needing to type in a single key.

Short version - yes, you have to do one upgrade install, then you can do fresh installs as many times as you like after that provided you don't change your hardware too much.
 
follow these steps

1. Make sure windows 8.1 is activated.
2. create a bootable USB stick using the tool and then run setup.exe to upgrade to W10
3. make sure W10 is activated once upgrade complete
4. format and do a clean install using the USB you created earlier, skip the two stages that ask for a product key and W10 will activate once online by hardware ID of your motherboard.
 
Kerplunk said:
Thanks guys! I'm on Windows 8, not 8.1 do I HAVE to upgrade to 8.1 first?
Click to expand...

do the USB stick and give it a try, run the setup.exe and see if it updates

it does state that you need to be on W8.1 or W7 SP1 to upgrade to 10 s W8 doesn't qualify for it.

taken from here

http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/wind...ons?OCID=win10_null_vanity_win10specs#sysreqs

Latest OS:
Make sure that you are running the latest version of either Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update.
Click to expand...

but this maybe just to get the W10 icon in the system tray and to do the upgrade through Windows update
 
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