Clean install Windows 10 Upgrade

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antoniosk

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Topic # 198465 10-Jul-2016 17:38

So thinking of putting Windows 10 on a new SSD, clean install. I've never favoured overwrites of existing versions... too many years spent cleaning up.

I'm just checking my thinking here, based on update 1511:

1. Create a WIN10 ISO from Media Creation Tools and install to USB disk

2. Boot from USB and clean install SSD. Avoid entering product keys

3. When ready - meaning in my case, having installed all software and drivers I intend to use - activate using my Windows 7 product key

So my product key is OEM - it's the same machine, just going clean rather than upgrade process.

Will this work?

I like Win10, runs beautifully on the macbook.

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Antonios K

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Reply # 1589191 10-Jul-2016 18:23

My understanding the later edition works like this yes. However if its a Win8.1 designed machine, (or late W7) And has the appropriate UEFI bios with key tattoo in place, it'll activate itself on install anyway.

I've just done this on a 1yr old Pavillion, and a 3yr old Lenovo mini PC with no sign of COA. All internal to BIOS

blakamin

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Reply # 1589194 10-Jul-2016 18:34

Last Sunday I did a clean install (DVD ISO) on an old Toshiba tecra 7 (2007?) and used my win7 key from my HP DV6 (which has a win8pro key that I bought the day it came out but is running 10).

Activated no worries.

I used MCT to upgrade my week-old 2in1 that would ignore the update on restart. That was 10 hours of fluffing around I'll never get back :/

ZollyMonsta

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Reply # 1589197 10-Jul-2016 18:36

I've done two fresh installs on Wimdows 7 machines and not entered any keys.

On first boot they just activated automagically.

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freitasm

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Reply # 1589207 10-Jul-2016 18:52

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If you have previously upgraded that machine to Windows 10 you can do any upgrades/installs after that and activation will be automatic.

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richms

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Reply # 1589287 10-Jul-2016 20:42

Before you install, check that your bios is set to UEFI and not legacy, otherwise the installer seems to want to partition it old styles which means you cant clone the install to a larger drive later on. Im not sure if changing windows 10 to UEFI boot from legacy is as possible as it was with 7.

Richard rich.ms

antoniosk

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Reply # 1589294 10-Jul-2016 21:06

richms:
Before you install, check that your bios is set to UEFI and not legacy, otherwise the installer seems to want to partition it old styles which means you cant clone the install to a larger drive later on. Im not sure if changing windows 10 to UEFI boot from legacy is as possible as it was with 7.

Cheers

Def uefi... Now just need to get my internet fixed before I begin.... Of all the weekends for it to fail completely

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Antonios K

antoniosk

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Reply # 1595285 19-Jul-2016 20:20

So after a little hemming and hawing Win10 is running very nicely on a new SSD, and the machine is happily dual booting either OS. Win10 runs sweet as a nut, although getting the sound to co-operate took some where. Bless Realtek.

I have'nt applied the Win7 OEM product key yet. My question is, if I apply it will Win7 still continue to be happy and run ongoing? It's going to take some time for me to move environments over as I'm not the only person who uses this machine.

I don't want Windows 7 to stop or be treated as 'abandoned and migrated' yet.

Advice folks?

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Antonios K

richms

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Reply # 1595287 19-Jul-2016 20:23

How far do you have to get thru the upgrade process before it makes your win 7 key valid for 10? I have a 32 bit install currently that I would want to nuke and replace with a 64 bit eventually, but with the free upgrade running out real soon now would want to get it accepting the win 7 key in the future when I finally get around to replacing the relic of a sata card with one that has newer drivers than 32 bit XP era ones.

Richard rich.ms

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Reply # 1595292 19-Jul-2016 20:27

richms:

How far do you have to get thru the upgrade process before it makes your win 7 key valid for 10? I have a 32 bit install currently that I would want to nuke and replace with a 64 bit eventually, but with the free upgrade running out real soon now would want to get it accepting the win 7 key in the future when I finally get around to replacing the relic of a sata card with one that has newer drivers than 32 bit XP era ones.

Using the MS deployment tool its one of the final phases. There is however a skip/not now option to let it continue in eval mode

Brumfondl

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Reply # 1595319 19-Jul-2016 21:52

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richms:

How far do you have to get thru the upgrade process before it makes your win 7 key valid for 10? I have a 32 bit install currently that I would want to nuke and replace with a 64 bit eventually, but with the free upgrade running out real soon now would want to get it accepting the win 7 key in the future when I finally get around to replacing the relic of a sata card with one that has newer drivers than 32 bit XP era ones.

In theory if you blow the machine away and then put the 64-bit version on it should pick up the current activation after first login. I am pretty sure that it doesn't care if it is 32 or 64 as long as it is the same version (Home or Pro).

richms

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Reply # 1595340 19-Jul-2016 22:13

Its never been upgraded to 10 because it has incomatible hardware in it which I wont be replacing for a few months at least.

I might clone the drive and do an upgrade without the sata card in it so that gets it qualifying for the free one and then stick the orig drive back in and keep going for now

Richard rich.ms

antoniosk

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Reply # 1595611 20-Jul-2016 13:24

Hmmm, is my question unique? surely I can't be the only person on the planet who asked if they can keep their win7/8 partition running at the same time as win10?

Surprised there hasn't been an answer yet...

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Antonios K

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Reply # 1595639 20-Jul-2016 14:02

I am 95% confident that your key will still be valid for Windows 7. Dual booting shouldn't be an issue.

toyonut

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Reply # 1595676 20-Jul-2016 15:20

antoniosk:

Hmmm, is my question unique? surely I can't be the only person on the planet who asked if they can keep their win7/8 partition running at the same time as win10?

Surprised there hasn't been an answer yet...

Unless Nathan can give a definitive answer here, probably none of us are actually Microsoft licensing experts enough to answer. That said, my guess is that your win7/8 key has been used or swapped to give the Windows 10 digital entitlement and so technically you should only be using one or the other, not both. Whether Microsoft have designed their licensing server to check and invalidate the old Win 7 install, I am not sure.

Try Vultr using this link and get us both some credit:

http://www.vultr.com/?ref=7033587-3B

Behodar

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Reply # 1595679 20-Jul-2016 15:22

I didn't think about the licensing implications, just the technical ones. It's definitely possible to roll back to Win 7, so a dual-boot should work on a technical level. Whether it conforms with the licence is another question :)

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