Initially installing Windows 10 without activiation key

I am quite sure this question has been answered on this forum (before). Unfortunately, I don't have time to research before getting ready for work.

Here's the situation. I have created a bootable copy of the Windows 10 installer (from the Microsoft site) using one of my thumb drives. After work (tomorrow), I need to take this bootable media to my step-father's house to assist him in crashing windows and reinstalling a fresh/clean install due to a multitude of problems he is experiencing on his PC.

He doesn't have a license key for WIndows 10. And I am perfectly willing to go to the expense of buying one for him. "However", I don't want to buy a Win 10 license key (for something I'd never need myself) if I cannot get his PC working correctly.

Therefore, I want to know (from anyone on here with experience), can I use my USB Win 10 install media and "bypass" the prompt where it will ask me for an activation key? Again, I want to ensure I can get everything runnning from the desktop "first" including all of his programs. If my memory serves me correctly, I am "thinking" Microsoft will allow me to "bypass" the activation key prompt temporarily and then go back in there and active Win 10 within 24 hours or whatever the deadline may be.

Any knowledge (about the current procedures from MS), from one of the knowledgable forum members here would be greatly appreciated. I just don't want to spend the money unnecesarily for a new Win10 license until I am sure that his PC will continue to operate correctly.

He is having issues (which I don't need to get into here). And I am hoping a simple crash and a clean install of windows will resolve. Through the years, I've had plenty of experience crashing and doing a clean install. I just don't know the current policies about MS and whether or not the installation media will allow me to do.

Thanks so much for any replies here.

If his computer has a Windows 10 on it properly activated, then the same version of Windows 10 (Home, Pro, etc) will activate itself on the same computer because Windows 10 now uses a digital license based upon the unique hardware ID of the computer it is installed on + the version of Windows 10 installed. Click the link for "I Don't Have A Product Key" during the install, and then pick the exact version of Windows 10 that was previously installed.

Once Windows 10 is installed and activated on a computer, the Product Key becomes pretty much irrelevant.

If you really want to, you can run Showkey plus from this forum on his existing Windows 10 installation:
ShowKeyPlus

If the PC originally was supplied with Windows 8 or later pre-installed by the OEM then Windows 10 Setup won't even ask you for a key. There will be an OEM key embedded in the bios, Setup will find this and use it to choose the edition to install (Home or Pro) and to activate it.

NavyLCDR said:

If his computer has a Windows 10 on it properly activated, then the same version of Windows 10 (Home, Pro, etc) will activate itself on the same computer because Windows 10 now uses a digital license based upon the unique hardware ID of the computer it is installed on + the version of Windows 10 installed. Click the link for "I Don't Have A Product Key" during the install, and then pick the exact version of Windows 10 that was previously installed.

Once Windows 10 is installed and activated on a computer, the Product Key becomes pretty much irrelevant.

If you really want to, you can run Showkey plus from this forum on his existing Windows 10 installation:
ShowKeyPlus

Just to be safe, I decided to use the ShowKeyPlus link that you shared before ever crashing my stepfather's PC with my USB stick containing the Win10 reinstallation media. I carefully wrote down the Product Key and then proceeded with the clean install of Win10 on his PC.

As things turned out during the clean reinstall of Windows 10, the system "did" prompt me for the product key; and I am not sure if I could have somehow bypassed that or not (didn't see a skip button). His computer is an older one that was previously updated from an OEM version of Win7 to Win10. He had Win10 running on it for several years now (with the free upgrade that was formerly offered by MS several years back).

Long story short, I was able to successfully crash Win10 and reinstall Win10 on his PC today. And although the Windows Updates seemed to take "forever" (after the reinstall), thankfully all seems well now and the glitches he was previously experiencing (before today) now appear to be gone.

Thanks so much to "all" who responded to my thread! Your participation on this forum "does" make a difference and you potentially "saved" me from having to go out and spend money on a brand new edition of Win10

scott784 said:

His computer is an older one that was previously updated from an OEM version of Win7 to Win10...

Once a machine has been upgraded it will be activated by a Digital License permanently stored on the Microsoft activation servers and linked to the hardware ID of the PC. As you found, if you clean install the same edition as it got in the upgrade (Home or Pro) it will activate from the digital license, no key is needed.

Bree said:

Once a machine has been upgraded it will be activated by a Digital License permanently stored on the Microsoft activation servers and linked to the hardware ID of the PC. As you found, if you clean install the same edition as it got in the upgrade (Home or Pro) it will activate from the digital license, no key is needed.

Actually, during the clean install, I "was" prompted to enter the Product key. But since I had already used the ShowKeyPlus app (and had written down the key code), I just typed it in and proceeded on with the installation. I didn't notice an option for clicking on "I Don't Have A Product Key" during the reinstallation of his Win10 Home edition.

Perhaps, I just missed that on the screen. As you guys were saying, it "should" automatically reactivate in a scenario like this. But, again, it was a moot point since I had the key written down and just proceeded to type the product key in when I was prompted. Anyhow, as they say, All's well that ends well!

I am just relieved that I didn't have to go out and buy another edition of Win10 because I knew there was no getting around the reinstallation of Win10 given the technical glitches he was having on his computer. Thanks again for your replies.

scott784 said:

Actually, during the clean install, I "was" prompted to enter the Product key... I didn't notice an option for clicking on "I Don't Have A Product Key" during the reinstallation of his Win10 Home edition...

it was in small print at the bottom of that screen, not that it matters now you have successfully installed W10.


Clean Install Windows 10

Bree said:

it was in small print at the bottom of that screen, not that it matters now you have successfully installed W10.


Clean Install Windows 10

I don't know how I missed seeing that at the bottom of the page when I had reinstalled Win10 earlier today (no recollection of seeing that). But good to know it's there and thanks for sharing the screenshot

Screenshot was borrowed from the TenForums tutorial Clean Install Windows 10
Well worth a read