Activation Troubles


  1. jackgoat
    Posts : 3
    Windows 10 Pro
       New #1

    Activation Troubles


    Hello friends. I have been having some problems activating Windows 10. Here is how it went.
    1. Windows 7 (unactivated)
    2. Windows 10 (Preview 10240 unactivated)
    3. Debian (was just trying this out a couple days before Windows 10 officially released)
    4. Windows 8 Pro (Activation from my genuine key worked)
    5. Windows 8.1 Pro (" ")
    6. Windows 10 (via installation program, thumb drive setup)


    I am now on Windows 10 Pro, it asked me for a product key during installation, I used the Windows 8 Pro key that I used previously and it wouldn't activate. I have also tried the key post installation but it still doesn't want to activate. Is there anything I can do? I thought this was meant to be a free upgrade - and Windows 10 Pro says it isn't activated and won't accept a Windows 8 Pro key for activation.

    Long story short, Windows 10 Pro won't activate / accept my Windows 8 Pro key.
      My Computer
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  3. bobkn
    Posts : 4,453
    Win 11 Pro 22000.708
       New #2

    For the Win 10 free upgrade to be activated, you have to install it as an upgrade over the qualifying OS (8.1 here). I found by experiment that the upgrade has to be set to keep everything for the result to be activated.

    After you've done that once, you can do a clean install (from the thumb drive) on the same hardware, and the result will activate.

    I checked this by (very limited) experiment.

    brief Win 10 install from ISO notes - Windows 10 Forums
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  4. jackgoat
    Posts : 3
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    Ok thanks for the information, I guess I will be reinstalling again today - I couldn't seem to be able to acquire the "get the Windows 10 app" even though I was up to date on the Windows update program. It is good to hear that it works via the iso program.
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  6. jackgoat
    Posts : 3
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       New #4

    Installed via Windows explorer and running the setup.exe on the thumb drive instead of BIOS booting onto the thumb drive, everything working and activated - I went via the keep everything option.
      My Computer
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