New
#30
Good move. Until now, if you clean installed the Insider Preview on a PC that Windows 10 was never activated on, (no digital entitlement) it would not activate. You would have to install your qualifying OS and do the free upgrade. Then activate and then set it to accept insider builds. Now you can clean install and just enter your product code for the qualifying OS. It will be the same deal for the Consumer release ISO a latter on. No having to actually do the free upgrade first to be able to clean install latter. Just clean install from the het go. OEM-SLP keys will be blocked, they would have to or anybody could use them. You would use the OEM keys from the Windows 7 COA sticker. I would say install media will read Windows 8 and 8.1 keys from the BIOS? Otherwise showkey is going to get a workout. Auto reading the keys on install could pose a wrinkle for some. It will for me if I use my MSDN ISO. My laptop has a 8.0 Core OEM key, so if it reads that key I get 10 Home. I did the free upgrade from 8.1 Pro though to 10 Pro. I'll have to add a PID.txt file to skip installing Home. Or use a Pro only ISO.
If you did the free upgrade to Windows 10, you get a digital entitlement, and a generic key. There is a Home key and a Pro key. All for of my home PC's got the same generic Pro key when I did the free upgrade on them. Be carful what program you use to get your key. It may not get you the key your looking for. Some of these utilities like Belarc pull the key from the registry. That key may of may not be the same key as the one stored in the BIOS. It won't be for me. showkey will show you both keys and more. https://www.tenforums.com/software-ap...7-showkey.html
Ed Bott has an article where he explains the new activation options for windows 10. Supposedly you would be able to activate Windows 10 with a Windows 7 or Windows 8 key. Check out the URL below for the full article.
It should become available with build 10562 eventually
http://www.zdnet.com/article/next-bi...ation-hassles/
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Once you do the free upgrade and activate Windows 10, you get a digital entitlement. When you clean install on that PC after that, you don't need to enter a product code, you just click skip. The digital entitlement gets you your activation with a generic key. You can enter the key if you want, but you don't have to. If that PC doesn't have a digital entitlement recorded on the activation server it will fail activation generic key or no generic key.
alphanumeric,
Yes, you are correct. I did read the full article when I first quoted the paragraph, but it looks like it was updated but my memory is not that great. I really don't remember reading about ED's key test results. Which means you can enter the windows 7/8.1 key at anytime during installation of windows 10. I am actually surprised he didn't get a block key doing that much testing.
Yeah, that happens, they update the original when your not looking. I'm sure with his reputation, he could easily call and get a key unblocked if it happened. I'm not in IT, but I've done a lot of installs, sometimes back to back and never had a key blocked. What they are doing sounds good to me. I liked it when they recoded 8.1 install media to accept 8.0 keys. this is even better. Anybody that has had issues trying to do the free upgrade can now just skip it and clean install straight up.
I have solved the problem to get Win 10 to install from Win 7 Home Prem, Legit COA. I was having issues trying to get win 10 to take my Key but found out why.
Seems you need to Install Win 7BUT YOU NEED A STAND ALONE VERSION with your COA key and activate it..
Then you need to update it to Service Pack 1 (7600)
Once you do this you can then upgrade to Windows 10.. If it fails just copy the Win 10 contents to another disk drive and install it from there. Seems the Optical drive fails or burps causing the fail to happen.
Once I copied my win 10 to a separate drive and ran setup it took off and automatically activated with me doing anything..
I hope this helps other cause those outsource retorts at MS sure can't say anything but Sorry sorry.. Face it I don't think there is a fix from the Volume Licenses that came from companies like HP, Dell, Acer, Cyberpower, etc..
To confirm this worked I installed win 10 on my sons machine the same way and his after running Win 10 from a separate drive installed right off.
I tried everything including buying a new SSD Evo and doing a fresh install.. I did at least 3 tries before I gave the Win 7 OEM standalone disc a shot and it worked just like my sons machine..
I cannot confirm if a USB stick works the same as the optical though.
Enjoy..