Can I go from Windows 7 Professional to Windows 10 Home version?

socklosk said:

Well, I read what everybody had to say and decided to go for it! $49 for Windows 7 Professional. I think it will do what intended, but you guys will need to wait for the outcome because it's being sent snail mail and it will take about a week for it to get here. But I will post the outcome.

Let us know how it works out. Some of us regard copies of Windows sold on eBay with suspicion. (People have sold MSDN keys in the past.) I hope that you're getting a genuine retail version, or at least a System Builder one.

bobkn said:

Let us know how it works out. Some of us regard copies of Windows sold on eBay with suspicion. (People have sold MSDN keys in the past.) I hope that you're getting a genuine retail version, or at least a System Builder one.

I do not anticipate trouble, but ebay says that they will deal with any misrepresentation personally.

socklosk said:

Well, I read what everybody had to say and decided to go for it! $49 for Windows 7 Professional. I think it will do what intended,

You can't install Windows 7 Home with a Pro product key:
Windows 7 activation error: invalid product key

You might be using a product key that doesn't match the version of Windows 7 that's installed on your computer. Check the product key to make sure it is for the version that you are trying to activate.

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/osprod...t-keys-faq.htm

"Can I use the product key from one version of Windows to install a different version of Windows?"

No, you can not. Windows product keys are exclusively associated with a particular version of Windows.

For example, you can not install Windows 7 Home Premium with a Windows 7 Professional product key, nor can you install Windows Vista Business with a Windows 7 Ultimate product key.

You can only use your product key for the specific Windows operating system version for which it is coded.

Nor can you upgrade Windows 7 Professional to Windows 10 Home for free (and I don't think you can do it even with a purchased Windows 10 Home Product Key):
Windows 10 Specifications - Microsoft

We’ll keep you on like-to-like editions of Windows. For instance, if you are using Windows 7 Home Premium, you’ll upgrade to Windows 10 Home.

Activation in Windows 10 - Windows Help

How you activate Windows 10 after reinstalling it depends on how Windows 10 was originally installed on your device.

If you activated your free upgrade to Windows 10 or bought and activated Windows 10 from the Windows Store, you have a digital entitlement for your device. This means you can reinstall the same edition of Windows 10 that your device has a digital entitlement for without entering a product key. During reinstallation, if you’re asked to enter a product key, select Skip. Your device will automatically activate online after the installation is complete.

But we sincerely hope you get $49 worth of enjoyment out of trying!

NavyLCDR said:

You can't install Windows 7 Home with a Pro product key:
Windows 7 activation error: invalid product key




http://pcsupport.about.com/od/osprod...t-keys-faq.htm



Nor can you upgrade Windows 7 Professional to Windows 10 Home for free (and I don't think you can do it even with a purchased Windows 10 Home Product Key):
Windows 10 Specifications - Microsoft



Activation in Windows 10 - Windows Help




But we sincerely hope you get $49 worth of enjoyment out of trying!

No, I'm not trying to activate Windows 7 Home using a Professional edition code. I'm just trying to get the free Windows 10 Home using the Windows 7 Professional activation. And Microsoft support said all will be fine. Going from "Home" to "Pro" would cause problems, but not going from "Pro" to "Home."

socklosk said:

If I have a valid copy of Windows 7 Professional on my computer can I upgrade free to Windows 10 Home.

There are several people selling Windows 7 Professional on eBay for about $50, but I need the Home version so I can restore my fully configured Windows 10 Home from my primary computer to a brand new custom built backup computer.

If you updated using a Pro version, it should activate. But only if you update In-Place. I updated several Windows 8 and 7 machines with Pro and they all activated. But they were either Ultimate or Pro already :)

Word Man said:

I've really lost track here - why is it you are buying a Windows 7 PRO license when you already have a valid WIn7 PRO license? To end up with Win10 HOME?

Sorry if I sound totally stupid. There must be some subtlety eluding me.

One must activate Windows 7 before the activation of Windows 10 can take place. Keep in mind that I have two computers, one with Windows 10 activated, and the other still needing activation. If you're still confused, go back to my original post and re-read it.

So one of the PCs was not activated, or in 30-day grace period? That's a different story then.

socklosk said:

No, I'm not trying to activate Windows 7 Home using a Professional edition code. I'm just trying to get the free Windows 10 Home using the Windows 7 Professional activation. And Microsoft support said all will be fine. Going from "Home" to "Pro" would cause problems, but not going from "Pro" to "Home."

And that one person that you spoke to at Microsoft just might be wrong, especially considering that everything Microsoft has published says they are wrong. Hope you got their name.

If you run the "upgrade this PC now" option of the MCT, it will automatically pick PRO. If you attempt to run Windows 10 Home setup.exe to upgrade from Windows 10 PRO, it will ask you for a product key, and not having a valid product key, will then refuse to activate. Betcha' a doughnut that is exactly what happens. But it's your money and your time.