Clean install not activated despite upgrading first.

Here's the scoop. The Win10 product key (actually the Win8.1 product key as upgraded computers only get a generic Win10 product key) is stored ON THE MOTHERBOARD, not on the hard drive. Windows 8.1 OEM mobos were required to have this capability (usually with a UEFI BIOS as well). If your mobo has this capability, Win10 will automatically activate after a clean install. If your mobo does NOT have this capability, then there may be issues. MS said that Win7 users may have to enter in the Win7 product key while doing a clean install or might have to call their help desk to activate Win10 on the machine. I think that if you did the upgrade to win10 and it was activated and then you tried a clean install and it did not activate, you need to call MS.

Windows 8 moves to BIOS-based product keys - CNET

tumas04 said:

I have a pretty old motherboard (no UEFI etc.) and i had no problem with activating my clean windows 10 installation.

That is a relief! It is still too new to figure out why some people are not being able to activate a clean Win10 install. Are they just plain doing something wrong like using the wrong version of Win10 on a DVD? Did they not get the upgrade done correctly before they did a clean install? I have had such a easy time upgrading 5 machines now that were not part of the insiders builds that I don't exactly see how folks could mess up a clean install, but folks are complaining about it even so.

bobkn said:

If Microsoft made it so that the ability to activate Win 10 again relies on having a Win 8.1/UEFI system, they've bought themselves a lot of extra support calls.

I simply do not know. Like in the post above, I simply do not know why some folks were not able to do a clean install after a successful upgrade. This concern comes from a MS blurb (God knows where I saw it tho) that said you might need the Win7/ win8.1 product key when doing a clean install and to contact MS if the clean install does not activate. Yes, possibly a LOT of calls.

Let’s understand how Win 10 is activated. There are two scenarios:


- You have original win 7 or Win 8. You CAN’T use your win 7 or Win 8 code to do a fresh install. You will have first to do an upgrade on your win 7 or Win 8 (run setup from inside Windows, I suppose), MS will then verify if your win 7 or Win 8 is original, record your LAN MAC and activate. After this upgrade activation you can do a clean install using the same motherboard (LAN MAC). You just skip inserting the code during installation. To activate, MS won’t verify the Win 10 code, but if the LAN MAC has been used before during an update. Of course, if you have used same Windows 7 or 8 code in more than one computer, only the first one to activate will activate automatically.
Edited:
This scenario was valid for first edition of Windows 10. From Win10_1511 you just place your Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 key code and it will activate.


- You by a buy a Win 10 code. In this case you have to insert the Win 10 code you bought during installation. For what I read, I suppose MS will record the LAN MAC when you first activate, so it will activate automatically regardless when it was last activation, as long as it has the same LAN MAC, or in other words, same motherboard. Don’t know what is the procedure to activate if you change your motherboard (and the LAN code associated). Also don’t know if, with the same Windows copy and code, it is possible to install on more than one computer, using the telephone to activate.

I’m not planning to do the update right away, for obvious reasons. Many bugs to correct and there will be many, many problems and fixes on the next months ahead. The ideal is to wait the first service pack before installing a new OS.