Windows 10 home upgrade to pro failed

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  1. dhash357
    Posts : 5
    Windows 10
       New #1

    Windows 10 home upgrade to pro failed


    I had a hard drive failure. When I had a new drive installed the company installed a non-activated copy of Windows 10 home on the new drive. I did not notice that the version was inactive being as I was going to upgrade to pro. I went to the Windows store and purchased the upgrade. At that point, the upgrades said it would do the update. It failed based on the fact that the current version was inactive. I received an email with the invoice number but no product key. I have activated the version of Windows 10 Home but now I can not get back to the upgrade and I do not have a product key to use for the upgrade.

    Does anyone have any idea how I get back to the upgrade?
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  3. Bree
    Posts : 31,692
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       New #2

    dhash357 said:
    I had a hard drive failure. When I had a new drive installed the company installed a non-activated copy of Windows 10 home on the new drive...

    Welcome to Ten Forums dhash357


    What you have not said is whether this PC has ever had W10 Pro installed and activated prior to the hard drive failure.

    If you have had Pro activated previously on this machine, then the PC has a digital license for Pro stored on the Microsoft activation servers and linked to the unique hardware ID of this PC. The hard drive plays no part in this hardware ID, so replacing it does not invalidate the digital licence.

    If your machine has an existing digital license for W10 Pro, then you can upgrade from Home to Pro simply by changing the installed key to the generic W10 Pro key VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T while you are online.

    If a digital license for Pro on this PC exists then you will be upgraded, if one cannot be found on the activation servers it will say so and not proceed with the upgrade. It is important to be online while you change to the generic key, if you try while offline it will not be able to check the activation servers and will upgrade Home to Pro regardless of whether there is a digital license to activate it.

    Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro - Step 4 - To Enter a Product Key and Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro
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  4. Macboatmaster
    Posts : 1,615
    11, 10, 8.1 and 7 all Professional versions, and Linux Mint
       New #3

    You do not get the product key with upgrade from the store, as when you purchase the upgrade from the store, the procedure to actually upgrade is more or less automatic and then that windows 10 -the Pro is digitally activated.

    Signed in with your microsoft account and on that computer go to the order history link here
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/...AAACAAA=Orders

    and you should see the opportunity to restart that WITHOUT paying

    BEFORE you do that you may find the upgrade is sitting in upgrades on settings

    OR follow this
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...5-d1a218cc2818
    You need to expand on that link on this heading
    If you're ready to upgrade, select one of the following headings to get started:

    as here

    If you're ready to upgrade, select one of the following headings to get started:
    Upgrade using your digital license for Windows 10 Pro
    To upgrade, select the Start button, then select Settings > Update & Security > Activation .
    Open Activation settings
    If you have a digital license for Windows 10 Pro, and Windows 10 Home is currently activated on your device, you'll see one of two messages when you select Go to Microsoft Store:

    If you see Install, select the button to install Windows 10 Pro. (YOU should see this )
    The other message should be to buy
    YOU SHOULD SEE install, as you have already bought it
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  6. dhash357
    Posts : 5
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       New #4

    Bree said:
    Welcome to Ten Forums dhash357


    What you have not said is whether this PC has ever had W10 Pro installed and activated prior to the hard drive failure.

    If you have had Pro activated previously on this machine, then the PC has a digital license for Pro stored on the Microsoft activation servers and linked to the unique hardware ID of this PC. The hard drive plays no part in this hardware ID, so replacing it does not invalidate the digital licence.

    If your machine has an existing digital license for W10 Pro, then you can upgrade from Home to Pro simply by changing the installed key to the generic W10 Pro key VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T while you are online.

    If a digital license for Pro on this PC exists then you will be upgraded, if one cannot be found on the activation servers it will say so and not proceed with the upgrade. It is important to be online while you change to the generic key, if you try while offline it will not be able to check the activation servers and will upgrade Home to Pro regardless of whether there is a digital license to activate it.

    Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro - Step 4 - To Enter a Product Key and Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro
    Bree,

    This machine has never had a version of Windows 10 Pro on it. It had a version of windows 10 home. I was upgrading it when I replaced the hard drive.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Macboatmaster said:
    You do not get the product key with upgrade from the store, as when you purchase the upgrade from the store, the procedure to actually upgrade is more or less automatic and then that windows 10 -the Pro is digitally activated.

    Signed in with your microsoft account and on that computer go to the order history link here
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/...AAACAAA=Orders

    and you should see the opportunity to restart that WITHOUT paying

    BEFORE you do that you may find the upgrade is sitting in upgrades on settings

    OR follow this
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...5-d1a218cc2818
    You need to expand on that link on this heading
    If you're ready to upgrade, select one of the following headings to get started:

    as here


    YOU SHOULD SEE install, as you have already bought it
    I did go to the link and I can see my order in the order history but there is no option to reinstall without paying.
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  7. Macboatmaster
    Posts : 1,615
    11, 10, 8.1 and 7 all Professional versions, and Linux Mint
       New #5

    If you bought it and you go back to the Store on the link I sent you - (SIGNED IN TO THE COMPUTER WITH THE SAME MICROSOFT account as you were when you bought it)
    So using the link you do not actually open the store yourself you click as below


    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...5-d1a218cc2818
    You need to expand on that link on this heading
    If you're ready to upgrade, select one of the following headings to get started:
    and you then click on the button in blue
    Open activation settings

    as here
    YOU SHOULD SEE install, as you have already bought it

    or as I said is the upgrade shown in settings -


    Does this make it clearer to you
    To upgrade, select the Start button, then select Settings > Update & Security > Activation .
    Open Activation settings

    If you have a digital license for Windows 10 Pro, and Windows 10 Home is currently activated on your device, you'll see one of two messages when you select Go to Microsoft Store:

    If you see Install, select the button to install Windows 10 Pro.

    If you see Buy, you may need to purchase a Windows 10 Pro license. Or, try to sign in to Microsoft Store with the Microsoft account that was used to purchase the Pro license. Then, follow the instructions to install Windows 10.
    If neither of those works then you need to follow this link
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...5-ae213d63eef0
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  8. Bastet
    Posts : 2,554
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit
       New #6

    Did you activate Home before trying to upgrade to Pro? If not then this may be the problem as the Store cannot see any genuine license to upgrade from.
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  9. NavyLCDR
    Posts : 18,433
    Windows 11 Pro
       New #7

    I would call Microsoft. Upgrading Home to Pro from the Microsoft Store is the worse possible way to do it, as you have unfortunately discovered.
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  10. Macboatmaster
    Posts : 1,615
    11, 10, 8.1 and 7 all Professional versions, and Linux Mint
       New #8

    Did you activate Home before trying to upgrade to Pro? If not then this may be the problem as the Store cannot see any genuine license to upgrade from.
    No according to the opening post
    did not notice that the version was inactive being as I was going to upgrade to pro. I went to the Windows store and purchased the upgrade. At that point, the upgrades said it would do the update. It failed based on the fact that the current version was inactive.
    and then when Home was activated the problem reported is that the upgrade cannot now be initiated, as it cannot be found.

    I have posted the procedure as to where it is likely to be and recommended if that fails to find it - contact Store support - providing the link on my post 5.
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  12. dhash357
    Posts : 5
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       New #9

    Bastet said:
    Did you activate Home before trying to upgrade to Pro? If not then this may be the problem as the Store cannot see any genuine license to upgrade from.
    That was the original issue. I did not notice that the Home was not active. I did attempt to upgrade. The store now says that the upgrade was complete but it failed and I can not restart the upgrade.

    - - - Updated - - -

    NavyLCDR said:
    I would call Microsoft. Upgrading Home to Pro from the Microsoft Store is the worse possible way to do it, as you have unfortunately discovered.
    I have searched the internet to find a phone number. I can find nothing. That is how I ended up on this forum. Does anyone have a number that I can call? I would love to do that. At this point I would be glad to just purchase it again if I thought there was a way to get MicroSoft to refund me for the first one.
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  13. NavyLCDR
    Posts : 18,433
    Windows 11 Pro
       New #10

    I would start here:
    1-877-696-7786

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...5-ae213d63eef0
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