I have the Windows 10 ISO on DVD ready to clean install. I have never upgraded or did a clean install as of yet. I am now running Windows 7 SP1. I read that I can now use my Windows 7 key to clean install 10. But what I want to do is upgrade my PC first with a new motherboard then install 10. Is this possible using my Windows 7 key. Thanks.
It is not required to install Windows 7 first on the new motherboard, but it is a good idea and the way that I would do it.
Windows 10 will activate on brand new hardware by manually entering a Windows 7 product key, but sometimes Microsoft will come back and say the Windows 7 product key is in use on another computer. The only way to fix that is to install Windows 7 on the new computer and activate it on the phone.
So my new computer a couple months ago I didn't take the chance. I just did a quick Windows 7 install and activation on it first. Neither SP1 or any Windows 7 updates are required before upgrading to Windows 10 from an ISO, that's the good news.
I used the gatherosstate.exe and genuineticket.xml file to activate Windows 10 on my new computer.
I have the OEM Windows 7, so I guess it will be tied to the motherboard I have now, so I'm not sure it would activate on a new motherboard.
I recently clean installed windows 10, using an 8.1 key and it did this ie complained about the old key being in use as well.
Rather than messing around with installing windows 8, then reinstalling 10 again, and also I did not want to mess around creating a dual boot drive( messing around with partition resizing etc), I found easiest way was to create an 8.1 virtual hard drive.
Very easy to do (works for windows 7, 8 or even 10 Insiders) . Getting to command prompt may differ for windows 7 (cannot remember but rest is the same).
First create a directory to hold vhd e.g. c:\vhd
Boot from a windows installation disk, select language etc.
Click next to get to install now page, and then press shift+f10 to get to command prompt and type
create vdisk file=c:\vhd\Windows.vhd maximum=50000 type=fixed ------> (adjust drive, size name and path etc to suit your needs)
select vdisk file=c:\vhd\Windows.vhd
attach vdisk
exit
Then the virtual disk you just created will be listed as a drive from the installation menu, and you can install it.
It then updates boot menu giving a dual boot option.
Then you can run old version, telephone activate etc.
Then removing it is simply a case of deleting boot entry from msconfig, and deleting vhd.
Last edited by cereberus; 14 Jun 2016 at 04:31.
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