Can I upgrade the same pc to windows 10 twice?


  1. Posts : 4
    Windows 10 Pro
       #1

    Can I upgrade the same pc to windows 10 twice?


    Ok so my pc came with oem windows 7 home on it and when windows 10 was released as the free upgrade i jumped on that bandwagon. I've been using it ever since but I've been longing for windows 10 pro for a while. Microsoft want to charge me £99 for a pro upgrade from the store and I can't see any other way of doing it except...

    A post I saw on eight forums just now made me wonder, if I downgraded back to windows 7 home, I can buy a windows 8.1 pro upgrade key for three parts of nothing from amazon and then install 8.1 pro on my pc, upgrading from 7 home. Could I then do the free upgrade to windows 10 again (only this time going to windows 10 pro instead of home like last time)?

    On the one hand I'm thinking I can do this with no issue because, afterall it is a free upgrade until the end of the month so what do microsoft care? I will have gone through a completely legitimate way of getting pro instead of the home version of windows 10 so there's nothing really untoward about it. On the other hand, I believe (correct me if I'm wrong of course) that the windows 10 activation servers match a PC's hardware id in order to activate the free edition without any keys needing to be input, so even though I'd be upgrading from windows 8 pro this time the activation servers might see that I already upgraded this computer to 10 home and refuse to activate with 10 pro installed on it.

    Cheers!
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 17,661
    Windows 10 Pro
       #2

    The PC I am using to post this has been used for testing. As soon as first Technical Preview was released 1st of October 2014 I upgraded my then OS Windows 8.1 Pro to Windows 10 Pro Technical Preview build 9841.

    Since that I have clean installed Windows 10 Home and Single Language editions on this machine and activated them, completely wiping the Win 10 Pro install. I have also since that clean installed and activated Windows 10 Education on this machine.

    Now I can clean install Windows 10 Home, Single Language, Pro and Education on this machine whenever I want to, they will all be automatically activated based on digital entitlement.

    All activated Windows 10 editions on the same hardware will get and keep their digital entitlement. There's nothing stopping you from upgrading an eligible and valid, activated Windows 8.1 Pro to Windows 10 Pro. If Pro is then not what you wanted, you can clean install Home edition and it will be activated without issues.

    No upgrade rule states that one hardware setup can only have one digital entitlement activation.

    Kari
    Last edited by Kari; 19 Jul 2016 at 10:38.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #3

    mrpantsinator said:
    A post I saw on eight forums just now made me wonder, if I downgraded back to windows 7 home, I can buy a windows 8.1 pro upgrade key for three parts of nothing from amazon and then install 8.1 pro on my pc, upgrading from 7 home. Could I then do the free upgrade to windows 10 again (only this time going to windows 10 pro instead of home like last time)?
    You don't have to go back to Windows 7 or 8 and install the pro versions of them. Upgrade Windows 10 from Home to Pro and use a Windows 7/8/8.1 Pro key to activate it before July 29th. Read the last link on this page:

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...ng-home-to-pro
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 4
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Thank you both, Kari and NavyLCDR, very much appreciate the help!
      My Computer


 

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