I installed Win 10 Pro v.1909 retail direct from Microsoft in April 2020. I've since updated as I've supposed to, so now I'm at the latest version.
If I needed to reinstall Win 10 from bare metal, would I download the latest version using the Media Creation Tool, or use my 2020 v.1909 DVD and do all the updates again? Would my retail key work with the latest download?
Your post contains a contradiction. If you purchased Windows 10 with a DVD, it is not retail. It is OEM. Only the OEM version of Windows 10 came on DVD. Retail comes with a USB flash drive only.
That being said, yes the same product key will work with the latest version of Windows 10 (and Windows 11 in fact). Since you now have a digital license for Windows 10 Pro established for that computer, you don't even need a product key. You just have to install Pro again (either Windows 10 or 11) and it will just activate from the digital license if connected to the internet.
Yes, Make a Brand new installer with 21H1 on it, and yes your key will work, but you don`t need to use it.
Your new install will automatically activate.
Download Windows 10 (microsoft.com)
I'm sorry. I wasn't as clear as I should have been.
In April 2020 I downloaded the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft and made a DVD from the resulting ISO with the understanding that it was the Retail version. I paid Microsoft $199.99 for this privilege so that I would not be stuck with an OEM version.
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Thank you. That's what I needed to know.
There's one more thing that you should know, you don't even need the key to clean install on the same machine.
If asked for a product key click on 'I don't have one' and proceed to install the same edition as you previously had installed (Pro). It will activate from the PC's existing digital licence for Pro as soon as it can contact the Microsoft activation servers.
Thanks everyone. Very much obliged, and a big load off my mind.
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