Activating Windows 10 with Windows 8 Key

Timster · 12 Nov 2015

Hello Everyone,

So the past two evenings have been an absolute nightmare trying to get Windows 10 re-installed on my computer. Here's a little background:

I currently possess a Windows 8.0 key. I previously had upgraded to Windows 8.1 and then in August upgraded to Windows 10. Then, this week, I got the bright idea to attempt a clean install of Windows 10. After a whole bunch of problems with random errors not letting me install, I had to reformat, and reinstall Windows 8.0 and then go to 8.1.

Last night (11/11/15), the Win10 auto-upgrade threw more errors, so finally I burned an ISO to a DVD and did it that way. I was asked to enter a key, tried my Win8 key, failed, and finally used a generic key I found online (TX9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99). That worked. Note: never, at any point was I allowed to 'skip' entering a key, otherwise I would have done that.

Windows 10 finished installing overnight, and now today I am in the system. BUT it will not activate. It keeps saying that "The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect."

I tried to change the generic key to my Windows 8 key, but it won't accept it. Wasn't this new November update supposed to allow us to use our Windows 8 key?

Does anyone have any solutions? Is there any way I can get Windows 10 activated without going the 8.0 -> 8.1 -> 10 route again? It literally took me two evenings to do it that way the first time.

JohnC · 12 Nov 2015

It is the "Fall update" build that will allow you to use a win 8 key . Try using the latest iso build 10586 available using the media creation tool. Since you have already installed win 10 you should have a "digital entitlement" with Microsoft for your computer, and win 10 should automatically activate without the need for a key...unless you made a major change to the hardware (like a new mobo). This is from the tutorial forum. It has a link for the media creation tool. https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/9...-download.html .

carversmith · 12 Nov 2015

Just for clarification can I burn the new ISO, 10586, and run setup from it on a booted Windows 8.1.1 and upgrade? I saw one PC that wanted a key with the old ISO which I did not know so stopped and see now it wanted that key to get in given above.

Kyhi · 12 Nov 2015

you can run setup.exe within the New Win10 ISO on your current windows 8.1 Host OS
and do the upgrade from 8.1 to 10

carversmith · 12 Nov 2015

Kyhi said:

you can run setup.exe within the New Win10 ISO on your current windows 8.1 Host OS
and do the upgrade from 8.1 to 10

Whew... Thank you. That will simplify it for me and several neighbors that want to go but are on slow internet. Suffer once for the large download and it id downhill.
Thanks again.