Installing win10 on separate drive for testing

Hi everyone
I have 2 hard drives in my PC with win 7 pro 64 installed on each. I don't use a dual boot system I just swap the connectors when I want to use my other installation. Lets call my main installation (which I use the most) W1 and my other installation W2. FYI I own a retail win 7 pro disk and I have a win 10 installation disk made from the downloaded iso.

I would like to upgrade Win2 to win 10 for testing and want to know the best way to do it
My questions :
1) . Win1 has the upgrade to windows 10 icon in the lower right of the taskbar but Win2 doesn't , does this icon need to be there before u can install win 10?
2) can I install win10 from inside windows 7 without having to re-install software or do I have to boot from the DVD and do a fresh install?
3)Can I install win 10 as many times as I like from the installation disk eg If i buy a new hard disk or just want a fresh install.
Please let me know if there are any other issues I haven't mentioned.

Hope this makes sense. Thanks in advance for your replies.

treads said:

Hi everyone
I have 2 hard drives in my PC with win 7 pro 64 installed on each. I don't use a dual boot system I just swap the connectors when I want to use my other installation. Lets call my main installation (which I use the most) W1 and my other installation W2. FYI I own a retail win 7 pro disk and I have a win 10 installation disk made from the downloaded iso.

I would like to upgrade Win2 to win 10 for testing and want to know the best way to do it
My questions :
1) . Win1 has the upgrade to windows 10 icon in the lower right of the taskbar but Win2 doesn't , does this icon need to be there before u can install win 10?
2) can I install win10 from inside windows 7 without having to re-install software or do I have to boot from the DVD and do a fresh install?
3)Can I install win 10 as many times as I like from the installation disk eg If i buy a new hard disk or just want a fresh install.
Please let me know if there are any other issues I haven't mentioned.

Hope this makes sense. Thanks in advance for your replies.

In Direct reply to your questions.

1) You do not need the icon, you can install using this link > Windows 10 so long as your copy of windows is Genuine, it will activate without issues. For this method, you will need your Installation License Key for activation.

2) You need to upgrade within the Windows 7 OS to get the free activation. After you have completed the upgrade, you can perform a clean install which should activate correctly.

3) Depending on the changes to your Hardware, you are free to reinstall windows as many times as you want. Using this excerpt from Brinks installation tutorial.


Tip
Can I reinstall Windows 10 on my computer after upgrading with free upgrade?

Once you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer or Media Creation Tool on an activated Windows 7 or 8.1 PC, you will be able to reinstall, including a clean install, on the same device. You won’t need a product key for re-activations on the same hardware. If you make a meaningful change to your hardware, you may need to contact customer support to help with activation. You’ll also be able to create your own installation media like a USB drive or DVD, and use that to upgrade your device or reinstall after you’ve upgraded.


I hope this answers your questions! If you need any help, we are here.

Windows Sniper said:

In Direct reply to your questions.

1) You do not need the icon, you can install using this link > Windows 10 so long as your copy of windows is Genuine, it will activate without issues. For this method, you will need your Installation License Key for activation.

2) You need to upgrade within the Windows 7 OS to get the free activation. After you have completed the upgrade, you can perform a clean install which should activate correctly.

3) Depending on the changes to your Hardware, you are free to reinstall windows as many times as you want. Using this excerpt from Brinks installation tutorial.


Tip
Can I reinstall Windows 10 on my computer after upgrading with free upgrade?

Once you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer or Media Creation Tool on an activated Windows 7 or 8.1 PC, you will be able to reinstall, including a clean install, on the same device. You won’t need a product key for re-activations on the same hardware. If you make a meaningful change to your hardware, you may need to contact customer support to help with activation. You’ll also be able to create your own installation media like a USB drive or DVD, and use that to upgrade your device or reinstall after you’ve upgraded.


I hope this answers your questions! If you need any help, we are here.

Ok great thanks, so just to double check re: "You need to upgrade within the Windows 7 OS to get the free activation."
This mean run the win10 install from the disk from after I have booted into win 7 , yes?

treads said:

Ok great thanks, so just to double check re: "You need to upgrade within the Windows 7 OS to get the free activation."
This mean run the win10 install from the disk from after I have booted into win 7 , yes?

Yes, you will need to upgrade from within Windows 7 first for the activation.