Windows 10 Clean Install Advice

Kyo · 28 Aug 2015 at 10:20

Hi

I am thinking about a clean install of Win10 pro and have done a bit of reading in the forums, how some people once activated, taken note of the key from upgrading from W7 or W8 is then able to Download the ISO, boot from it and then perform a clean install using the activattion key from the upgrade.

However also read a lot of people who did this was having problems even though their key was activated from the upgrade it is not accepted during the clean install.

A friend of my mine has just done that but during the install it coming back the Win10 key from the upgrade is not genuine and he should contact Microsoft.

He tried to do that and to cut a long story, short. They are asking him to pay $40 to get a genuine key?

Personally that hardly a free copy of Win10 so if it was myself i would definitely not pay. My point is has he done something wrong? I read during Win10 pro from ISO some have had success from skipping the key part and self activiating once into windows itself?

What would most do?

Thanks for any advice
Kyo

Kyo · 28 Aug 2015 at 10:35

Sorry forgot to say it 100% genuine Win7 key.

ED209 · 28 Aug 2015 at 11:04

with W10 it doesn't use a key during install unless you have brought W10.

I went from W7 (activated) to W10 (activated)

after this I done a clean install of W10 using their download tool to get their ISO file. it asked at 2 points for a key which I then pressed skip too on both.

once on the desktop and on the net W10 activated with no issues at all.

zola25 · 28 Aug 2015 at 11:07

A clean install should work on a machine that was previously upgraded as long as the hardware ID is the same. I've no idea how MS generates the ID - all I can say is that I upgraded two computers, then clean installed Win 10 after with no issues on either.

mikelkite · 28 Aug 2015 at 16:28

Was this a motherboard upgrade? That's what my plan is, to upgrade the motherboard, ram, and cpu.

I do have windows 10 upgraded from 7 ultimate.

I believe the licence what from a technet lol its working fine but I have a feeling as I have used the iso to make a VM and it ask for activation, so I hope that when I change the thing and make a USB out of it the key is in there, but probably not.

I want 10 as thats why im upgrading my server, I need the storage pools for it and the core 2 duo and 4gb ddr2 in there is not nerely enough for what I am doing on there, it has everything on it, plex xbmc, https filesever, mumble, etc

koolpc · 28 Aug 2015 at 16:39

Look, please read the FAQ as all the info is there. You dont need any KEY! Upgrade first through your activated Windows 7 or 8 then once all is as you want it then do a clean install if you want. No key required!