Windows 10 missing a code key...............

ok.................I'll give that a try. Thank you for all of your help!

NavyLCDR said:

The most current download for Windows 10 install media will contain both the Home and Pro versions and should read the Windows 8 key stored in bios and not ask you for a version to install or for a product key - after you boot from the install media and select install to do a clean install. If it does, you probably downloaded either the "N" or Single Language Edition. It appears as if you want just the plain Windows 10 English United States edition.

To make a bootable install USB flash drive or DVD, I recommend just letting media creation tool do it for you:
Option One here:
USB Flash Drive - Create to Install Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

If you want to make a DVD instead of USB Flash Drive, on step 7 select ISO File instead of USB Flash Drive.

Hello again,

I didn't have a USB or DVD large enough, so I downloaded windows 10 to an external hard drive. After the download, I went to the folder on the external hard drive and double-clicked the 'setup" folder and it started.

I went through the prompts. When I got to the prompt it defaulted to the "Plain windows 10 United States addition", so I chose that. At the end of the installation it said that it was ready to download windows 10 Pro. Since we knew from the reports that I posted earlier, I need the "Home" version. I aborted the download from the external drive and started over.
When I returned to that prompt again, I chose "Single Language" version. When it got to the end of the install from the external hard-drive, it asked me for a key. I entered in each key from the key report and none of them worked.
I think it may still be reading the windows pro key instead of looking at the windows 8.1 in the bios

BB

onthebay said:

Hello again,

I didn't have a USB or DVD large enough, so I downloaded windows 10 to an external hard drive. After the download, I went to the folder on the external hard drive and double-clicked the 'setup" folder and it started.

I went through the prompts. When I got to the prompt it defaulted to the "Plain windows 10 United States addition", so I chose that. At the end of the installation it said that it was ready to download windows 10 Pro. Since we knew from the reports that I posted earlier, I need the "Home" version. I aborted the download from the external drive and started over.
When I returned to that prompt again, I chose "Single Language" version. When it got to the end of the install from the external hard-drive, it asked me for a key. I entered in each key from the key report and none of them worked.
I think it may still be reading the windows pro key instead of looking at the windows 8.1 in the bios

BB

You have to do a clean install in order to install Windows 10 Home. You can't downgrade Pro to Home in-place which is what you were doing in your post above. In order to do a clean install, you have to have a Windows 10 installation media that the computer boots from - not just running setup from within your existing Windows 10 Pro installation.

Also note what I posted in post #4:

NavyLCDR said:

If you are being asked for a product key then there are two reasons:

1. More than likely you have downloaded and attempting to install the wrong version of Windows 10. If the product key in bios is for regular Windows 8 - you can't install "N" or Single Language Windows 10. Also the first version of Windows 10 - build 10240 - does not have the capability to read the Windows 8 product key in bios. There is some debate as to whether the Windows 10 must also be the same language the product key in bios is for.

If you want a permanently activated Windows 10 you are going to have to make a USB flash drive or DVD containing the Windows 10 install files that you can and do boot your computer from and do a clean install of Windows 10 Home - regular version, NOT "N" and NOT Single Language. You will have to boot your computer from it, wipe out your current Windows 10 Pro and install Windows 10 Home. You will erase all your installed programs and data so make sure you have a backup of what you want to keep.

Or purchase a Windows 10 Pro product key.

cereberus said:

Redownload using this link

Tech Bench

Double click on it, run setup.exe and it will not even ask for a version or key.

You can't downgrade Windows 10 Pro to Home that way. It has to be a clean install. To do a clean install you have to boot the computer from the install media. Double clicking and running setup.exe will only install Windows 10 Pro over the existing Windows 10 Pro... what we call an in-place upgrade repair install.