After you make the backup image of the factory install of Windows 10 Home, I can show you how to upgrade it to Pro and try to move Pro license from old computer to new computer via your Microsoft Account. I'll post that method a little later when I get to my computer and off this phone.
First, I would recommend that you name the new computer the same as the old computer. Computer names can be found by opening Control Panel (not settings, but the old Control Panel). Click on System and Security, then System. The reason I say to make the computer names the same is because people have seemed to have better luck transferring a license between computers if the computer names were the same, and of course they were logged in with the same Microsoft Account.
Then, after you have a backup of your Windows 10 Home, upgrade it to Pro using the following steps:
1. Disconnect the computer from the internet. Make sure it does not have an internet connection.
2. Go to Settings, Update & Security, Activation. Click on Change Product Key.
3. Enter the Windows 10 Pro generic product key VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T.
4. Windows 10 will now upgrade to Pro so long as it is not connected to the internet, but it will not activate.
5. Reconnect to the internet.
6. Follow the steps here to attempt to activate:
How to reactivate Windows 10 after a hardware change | Windows Central
Here is the Microsoft version:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...ardware-change
7. If Windows 10 Pro fails to activate you have a couple choices. You can purchase a Windows 10 Pro product key, and just change the product key again to the purchased key. OR You can restore you backup image of Windows 10 Home. Once you upgrade to Pro, it takes some hacking to downgrade Pro to Home, so the first two choices are better.
8. If Windows 10 Pro does activate, you now have a permanent digital license for Pro on the new computer and the only product key you will ever need for Pro on that computer is the generic one in step 3. above. If you decide to try to move your entire OS from the old computer to the new computer you will find that it keeps its activation.
That states quite clearly that the Internet should be connected and if there are different devices linked to the MS account, then in the reactivation process (using Troubleshooter) select the relevant one. That is, the one with the new/changed hardware. That of course implies that they have different names.
Taking it slowly and step by step seems like the method to use.
The one thing it is vague about is if the Version has also changed! More thinking needed about that!
Tony
Last edited by Snugglebugs; 24 Jul 2020 at 07:51.
Step 5 of my procedure says to reconnect to the internet. Step 3 will fail if connected to the internet and the computer does not have a preexisting digital license for Pro.
Brief update. The new PC (Acer Aspire TC-886 with 1TB SSD) started fine with clear instructions for the OS configuration.
Acer can supply a User Manual as a pdf download but that does not start with the OOBE experience! After contacting suuport, I was referred to this website How to Setup and Configure a New Windows 10 PC which is useful.
Now I am gradually reinstalling programmes. One gave me trouble as it is a one license installation so has to be deactivated and then activated on the new install. A quick email to support sorted that out.
Another is giving me a problem for the driver on a USB dongle. When I plugged it in it wanted me to find the device driver. I had the file on the old PC copied onto backup, so went to that. After it failed I got a message stating that it couldn't be installed as it was not digitally signed. I did not have that trouble when I installed it on the old PC in January 2019. I will try again later from my folder of 3rd party drivers taken from the old PC.
So far,. so good.
Tony
Macrium (Paid) has a "Deploy to New hardware" but I haven't tested it, So I don't
know if it works or any problems that might arise.
Yes!
I have just tried to install the driver using the folder of 3rd party drivers collected from my old PC (using the CMD method) and I got the message that it is not digitally signed! As it has been in use on various desktops for years, that is very irritating! Whats the good of backing up everything if MS changes its collective mind!
Is there any way of overriding the digitally signed requirement in individual cases?
Tony
First, see if you can find a current signed one. In exceptional cases for difficult peripherals, for example, you might consider a free driver updater tool such as Drivermax (2 free a day)- there are others. I would never normally recommend these tools- only when you can't find a driver by normal means.
I assume the unsigned driver you're referring to relates to something for which you don't have a driver, there being no point in replacing a later driver with an older one unless you have particular problems.
If you still have no alternative, and your backup is the only one available, you can do this (but don't leave it disabled permanently):
How to Enable or Disable Driver Signature Enforcement in Windows 10
As you will see from the tutorial this is meant to provide another level of security so bad things don't happen.if MS changes its collective mind!
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