New
#1
Un-activated Windows 10 from free trial/upgrade: some questions
Hello there you brilliant people!
I have been reading these forums and the Windows 7 forums for some time now, but this is my very first post on either, and I must say, I am tickled pink to be here. I am in awe of the collective wisdom of this community, and I hope to gain as much knowledge as I can from you all.
Recently, I became the proud (?) new owner of my son's old laptop. It's an older Lenovo that came with (legal, genuine) Windows 7 Home installed. During Microsoft's free upgrade to Windows 10 program, my son ran the GWX file and then had Windows 10. Some windows updates were installed and then the laptop was forgotten, as he had moved on to his new gaming desktop, and then moved out.
Anyway, I've spent the last few days cleaning up this laptop - I took it all apart and cleaned it up as best I could and reapplied the thermal paste. I ordered a new keyboard for it, since a few of the number keys aren't working. I fired her up and she runs just fine - but as I was poking around (my first actual in-person look at Win10) I noticed that it had never been activated, so that's what brought me here. After I install the new keyboard this week sometime, I want to do a clean install of Windows 10.
My questions:
#1. Can I use the Windows 7 product key (on the sticker located at the bottom of the laptop) in place of the Windows 10 product key during installation, or would it be best if I purchase an actual Windows 10 product key? I have read that some folks have difficulty activating their Windows 10 install from an OEM - that's why I'm asking if it would be best if I just bought it outright.
#2. I have read about downloading the Media Creation Tool and using it to do a clean install. A few weeks back, my daughter installed Windows 10 on her new hard drive, but she had bought a retail version of Windows 10 on a USB drive. She forgot to take it home with her. Could I just use that USB drive to install Win10 on my laptop instead of the Medial Creation Tool?
Thank you for any help you can give me.