MS to Allow Windows 10 Activation with Windows 7/8.1 Keys Start Nov.

lx07 · 03 Nov 2015

alphanumeric said:

I auto enter my keys with a PID.txt file anyway. Have been since Windows 7 to save ever having to type them in manually during an install. Still do it with Windows 10 so I don't have click skip several times. All my systems already have digital entitlements for 10 Pro. One wonders what will happen when the free upgrade period ends? Will they remove this option? Or let you upgrade but not activate? The free upgrade offer isn't forever.

When you clean install 10565 + on a clean system and activate it with a 7 key it is not stored. If you look with ShowKeyPlus you have the generic key and Windows is activated through digital entitlement. If you enter a Windows 10 key this key is stored.

If the free upgrade ends next year (my crystal ball says it will not) it could accept the key and just not activate when you connect to internet (or activate using an existing digital entitlement if your system was already activated of course).

groze · 03 Nov 2015

alphanumeric said:

I auto enter my keys with a PID.txt file anyway. Have been since Windows 7 to save ever having to type them in manually during an install. Still do it with Windows 10 so I don't have click skip several times. All my systems already have digital entitlements for 10 Pro. One wonders what will happen when the free upgrade period ends? Will they remove this option? Or let you upgrade but not activate? The free upgrade offer isn't forever.

Me. I always had issues using PID.txt file for windows 10. It reported windows 10 RTM as not genuine. At least I had an image backup. So, I just upgraded to windows 10 without PID and didn't enter a key. That is one method I tested.

Craig · 03 Nov 2015

So once my friend activates with his windows 7 key, the installed version is going to change the product key to the generic 10 key anyway and add on the digital entitlement for his hardware on their server. Then in the future, if he should ever need to clean install again, it should activate automatically just as it would for me (who initially did the upgrade and then a clean install)....

By the way, i was just wondering, if i ever need to use the clean install iso again on the same hardware (i only have windows 10 installed) do you really need to manually delete the old partitions, or will windows do that automatically anyway during the new clean install?

NavyLCDR · 03 Nov 2015

Craig said:

By the way, i was just wondering, if i ever need to use the clean install iso again on the same hardware (i only have windows 10 installed) do you really need to manually delete the old partitions, or will windows do that automatically anyway during the new clean install?

Windows 10 will not automatically delete the old partitions nor format existing partitions. I always just click on Custom Install, delete all the partitions on the applicable hard drive on the next screen then install to the unallocated space. If you point the install to a partition with a windows installed on it, the new install will save a windows.old folder with the previous OS in it.

lx07 · 03 Nov 2015

Craig said:

So once my friend activates with his windows 7 key, the installed version is going to change the product key to the generic 10 key anyway and add on the digital entitlement for his hardware on their server. Then in the future, if he should ever need to clean install again, it should activate automatically just as it would for me (who initially did the upgrade and then a clean install)....

Can't say for sure (as it isn't yet released) but that is exactly how it works with latest preview builds. I tested activating 10565 on new VHDX (both native boot and VM) with 7 key and then clean installing 10240.

Craig · 03 Nov 2015

Thanks guys...that clarifies...sounds like it should work fine for him then...and i will always make sure to delete old partitions first (using custom) when re-installing clean...I did do that when i clean installed on my upgrade...It's easy to do and just takes a minute or two...

alphanumeric · 03 Nov 2015

halasz said:

When you clean install 10565 + on a clean system and activate it with a 7 key it is not stored. If you look with ShowKeyPlus you have the generic key and Windows is activated through digital entitlement. If you enter a Windows 10 key this key is stored.

If the free upgrade ends next year (my crystal ball says it will not) it could accept the key and just not activate when you connect to internet (or activate using an existing digital entitlement if your system was already activated of course).

If you already have a digital entitlement your good to go after the free upgrade offer expires. Your free upgrade is good for the life of the device. I'm talking about systems that never had Windows 10 installed/activated on them. After the free upgrade offer expires why accept Windows 7 or 8 keys if it won't activate anyway? I know, thinking way to far ahead, but It was something that occurred to me, and I posted it.

alphanumeric · 03 Nov 2015

groze said:

Me. I always had issues using PID.txt file for windows 10. It reported windows 10 RTM as not genuine. At least I had an image backup. So, I just upgraded to windows 10 without PID and didn't enter a key. That is one method I tested.

All my installs got the generic 10 Pro key, and that's the one I used. It worked fine for me so far. No prompt for a key and they activate just fine. I add other OEM info to my install thumb drives so I have a custom drive for each PC I own. When I was running Windows 8.1 they each had a unique key so the PID.txt was different for each PC.

alphanumeric · 03 Nov 2015

NavyLCDR said:

Windows 10 will not automatically delete the old partitions nor format existing partitions. I always just click on Custom Install, delete all the partitions on the applicable hard drive on the next screen then install to the unallocated space. If you point the install to a partition with a windows installed on it, the new install will save a windows.old folder with the previous OS in it.

That's the way I do it too. I just leave my Data drive/partition untouched and delete the rest. All my user folders Documents, pictures, etc remain untouched on my Data drive.

Craig · 04 Nov 2015

Just curious, but if someone had a windows 8 computer, i hear that you don't get a product key on the computer itself, and that it is actually imbedded in the bios, so what would happen when the iso asks him for the product key? or would it detect the key automatically from the bios?

I have a friend who has a windows 8 computer, which had a legit copy but for some reason he later installed a pirate copy of 8.1...he doesn't have windows 8 restore discs and if he decided he would be interesting in getting an activated windows 10 clean install using the iso tool, i was wondering if the disc would read the original key off the bios...