Clean install with existing key

tengeezer said:

Except that it's no longer possible to activate Insider builds on a fresh PC.

Which means MS is indirectly promoting illegal use of their Insider builds by giving away the associated ISOs?

Doesn't make any sense.

You can download Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 ISO's freely here, http://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/home You still need a valid product code to activate, so how is that promoting piracy? One of the biggest complaints in the past was easy access to install media. They fixed that quit nicely.

The original insider builds were free to try. Once the official consumer release went out they changed it. If they hadn't, people would just download the insider builds for a free ride. In the past, preview builds (AKA Beta) would have a time bomb and expire after a certain date. Insider builds don't do that. If you upgrade to the next build the expiry date gets extended. You can activate Insider builds on a new PC if you enter a valid product code. Retail codes will work, as far as I know. Insider builds accept the same keys the Retail builds do. You can switch the consumer release to Insider too in settings.

The bottom line is, the Insider builds are no longer free.

tengeezer said:

Not a single mention of activate or activation in there.

It does say

4.1 The Software may require a key to install or access it.

And there is a link to this, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Uset...10_English.htm It's all generic, non specific, as far as I can tell. It covers Microsoft software in general.

tengeezer said:

Yeah, you need a valid product code to activate, but you don't need a valid product code to use it. You'll just get a watermark asking you to activate. So millions of people can simply install and run Windows 10 insider builds for free, without activating it.

tengeezer, If you want to continue the Activation discussion, please start a new thread.
We've beat this issue to death ... let's return the thread to the member who started it, ok?
- Thanks!

---

And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

fwitkowski said:

I have my Windows 10 Pro since it was available. It was upgrade from Windows 8.1 pro.
I want to do clean install in a few days/weeks with the same key.
2 reasons for this:
1. I cannot pass the November update (10586) - I have tried all tips available (even MS rep spent 6+ hours and failed).
2. My 250 SSD is getting to be too small (I have big ASP MVC project on localhost that needs to be on SSD)

My plan is to buy 500GB SSD (or 480) and install clean Windows 10 Pro on it.

The perfect approach is to have 2 instances of Windows 10 for a few days (until I set up everything on the new one) and then switch completely to new with my existing key.

Do I need to worry about something before doing it? Or should I contact MS?

NavyLCDR said:

Everything should be fine. The Windows 10 clean install should activate with the existing digital entitlement saved on Microsoft activation servers.

fwitkowski said:

I'm waiting for my new SSD. Probably I will be doing this next weekend. I will update this thread once its done.

Superfly said:

The "I cannot pass the November update (10586)" - meaning the upgrade is giving you probs? If so, clean install is must less stressful for sure.

Slartybart said:

I agree with Superfly - do a Clean install: Windows 10 - Clean Install - Windows 10 Forums
You have an existing digital entitlement because you previously upgraded, so skip any install pane that asks for a key.

Connect the new SSD and when you get to the Where do you want to install phase, make sure the drive is empty.

Just a precautionary comment ... one member recently got a new SSD and there was a partition on the drive. Having a partition on the drive does not allow Windows install to initialize it. I suppose it's only an issue if your system is UEFI based firmware.

The other member just had to re-install and make sure the drive was empty.

tengeezer said:

Yeah, you need a valid product code to activate, but you don't need a valid product code to use it. You'll just get a watermark asking you to activate. So millions of people can simply install and run Windows 10 insider builds for free, without activating it.

You can't run it indefinably like that though. You will face increasing reduced functionality until its basically impossible to use it. There are consequences to not activating it. Anyway as mentioned lets let things go back on track.