new install with Win7 key

NavyLCDR · 14 Apr 2019

flhthemi said:

I have tried this before, on purpose, and it wouldn't work. If I recall correctly I got BSOD on boot when I tried before.

Really strange....

The two biggest obstacles that keep moving an installation to a new computer is UEFI v. Legacy BIOS (CSM) booting and the mode the SATA disk controller is long as those two items are the same between the two computers, there usually isn't much problem moving a Windows installation.

Nilso · 15 Apr 2019

Hi - i dont know anything for sure - I was trying to install W 10 on an iMac pro with parallels and activate it with a Retail W7 Ultimate. I could do this but I am not sure if it was fully activated. I then realised Win 10 would work better under Boot camp, so deactivated the Parallels version and tried to Activate W10 in Bootcamp, so far without success, even after calling a few chaps in India, one of whom was very helpful - Thanks Changjarit, but he couldn't do it either. His advice was to install W7 and upgrade that, but Bootcamp on the Imac Pro wnot allow anything less than W10. Any ideas? or just bite the bullet and get a retail W10?

PCD · 16 Apr 2019

Back to the original question

Ive found a sort of answer on the MS forum .
Using the 7 Key for a new 10 install is no longer legal . MS just never got around to closing off activation , just lazy or secretly allowing it, who knows . It only matter for companies if they get audited by MS (yep, thats a thing) .

"unfortunately free upgrade ended two years ago and new upgrade will be illegal even after successful activation.
Please note, EULA says: You are authorized to use this software only if you are properly licensed
And
Successful activation does not confirm that the software is genuine or properly licensed. "

NavyLCDR · 16 Apr 2019

PCD said:

Back to the original question

Ive found a sort of answer on the MS forum .
Using the 7 Key for a new 10 install is no longer legal . MS just never got around to closing off activation , just lazy or secretly allowing it, who knows . It only matter for companies if they get audited by MS (yep, thats a thing) .

"unfortunately free upgrade ended two years ago and new upgrade will be illegal even after successful activation.
Please note, EULA says: You are authorized to use this software only if you are properly licensed
And
Successful activation does not confirm that the software is genuine or properly licensed. "

Then I guess it is against the forum rules now to talk about upgrading Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 10.

CountMike · 17 Apr 2019

PCD said:

Successful activation does not confirm that the software is genuine or properly licensed. "

So what does ?
In my country, companies are required to have valid bill and invoice to prove rights to use any commercial software and OS. It's enforced by tax inspectors. They have some SW on a USB and can check against the invoice in couple of seconds. Those are not required for private users.
I have 3 W10 installations on two computers. All are upgrades from W7, one is from W7 with volume license given to me by MS regional office and innovation center in Belgrade and other two are from normal, retail version that came on disks with stickers and everything. They all show same thing.

Last two are already on third motherboard/system and all show exact hardware on MS server as well as one MS phone.

lx07 · 17 Apr 2019

PCD said:

Back to the original question

Ive found a sort of answer on the MS forum .
Using the 7 Key for a new 10 install is no longer legal

You mean here - can i still use windows 7 ultimate key for windows 10 pro - Microsoft Community ?

That quote is just from some guy on the internet pontificating - he isn't Microsoft or even a Microsoft employee.

If MS activate Windows 10 with a Windows 7 key (or let you upgrade) that is their choice.

I recently upgraded a second hand laptop I bought from 7 to 10 well after the 'free offer' ended. MS know the status of the underlying license (OEM in this case) and could have blocked the activation if they wanted but clearly, for whatever reason, they don't want to. If MS activate it that is good enough for me - it is their software after all.

sepepper · 23 Apr 2019

I have a PC with Win 7 Pro 64 bit installed/activated. It is a custom-built AMD based system, using a product key from a MS Technet acount. In strategizing it for upgrade to Win10, I first deactivated the Win7 key using the cmd tool slmgr /upk. I verified the product key previously, using Belarc Report. Then I installed Win 10 pro version 1809 using the MS Media Creation Tool. After it went through the initial setup, it stopped at a "input product key" screen, which I tried using the same Win 7 product key. It failed to recognize it ("....invalid....") thus preventing the upgrade process to continue. So I went back into the Win 7 control panel for activation, reactivated it using same product key. Then I restarted the Win 10 upgrade, and VOILA it worked-- no stopping at the earlier prompt for entering a product key. I then double checked the activation status of the Win 10 installation, and it showed it is activated.

sdowney717 · 23 Apr 2019

my opinion, MS wants people on version 10. They dont want people on vista, 7, 8 etc...
MS gets to sell some user data, and they want eyeballs.

If MS did not want people activating win10 installs using their old win7-8 keys, they would have already not allowed them to work for version 10.

CountMike · 23 Apr 2019

sdowney717 said:

my opinion, MS wants people on version 10. They dont want people on vista, 7, 8 etc...
MS gets to sell some user data, and they want eyeballs.

If MS did not want people activating win10 installs using their old win7-8 keys, they would have already not allowed them to work for version 10.

For MS, old windows are just burden they have to divert resources to maintain support for. I seriously doubt that "selling data" would be even a drop in a bucket. more of a drop in ocean and would probably cost more than it would bring. Just a good business, that's all.