I finally did it...Windows 10 free upgrade on the last day!

[Markfw]

Now that you've upgraded and confirmed activation you can clean install 10 on your system without the need for a key and it will automatically activate once finished.

How is that possible ? It always wants a key on a scratch install.

 

[Ketchup]

Skip it. It will keep going, and activate once you are online.

 

[Kaido]

How is that possible ? It always wants a key on a scratch install.

The first time you install Win10, it will ask for a key & register your hardware online (or use your Win7/8 license to give you a free upgrade, aka digital entitlement certificate). For installations on the same machine after that, it sends your collection of hardware ID's to the cloud to check registration, so you don't have to enter the key again.

 

[Kaido]

FYI this still works fine. Just upgraded a Win7 Pro machine to Win10 Pro for free, whoohoo!

 

[Puffnstuff]

FYI this still works fine. Just upgraded a Win7 Pro machine to Win10 Pro for free, whoohoo!

That's great news!

 

[UNCjigga]

I just recently realized that you can transfer the "Pro" license from an old Win 7 Pro machine (that hasn't been upgraded) over to a brand new laptop with Win 10 Home. All you need is the Win 7 Product Key off the sticker. Pretty rad...upgraded to Pro for free and Bitlockered my ssd.

 

[mrblotto]

FYI this still works fine. Just upgraded a Win7 Pro machine to Win10 Pro for free, whoohoo!

Wait...what? Excellent! I have a T440 that I've been wanting to upgrade from Win7 Pro. Thx for the info

 

[bruceb]

If you had the Retail License for Windows 7 then you can always use that to activate Windows 10 ... What I would do is install Windows 7 and get it as I wanted it. Then make a Partition and clone over the Windows 7 to that one .. Boot into the new Windows 7 then let it upgrade to Windows 10 .. You would now have a Dual Boot with both Windows 7 & Windows 10

 

[zinfamous]

FYI this still works fine. Just upgraded a Win7 Pro machine to Win10 Pro for free, whoohoo!

So I just built a completely clean system and am running into this problem again...well, for the first time. My previous system was/is a win7 Pro license that I eventually upgraded to Win 10. I switched out a few of those parts, I think, but the boot SSD remained the same, and had no problem installing and activating Win 10 pro again. I suppose that Win7 license is locked to the current install? If I maybe moved that SSD temporarily into my new system, would Windows eventually activate itself if it recognized that SSD?

I went ahead and installed it on the new system without a key, making a boot USB with the Creators Pack from my Surface Pro. I have the option of an Enterprise/Education license by doing a work-from-home thing as this school kinda officially recognizes me as some sort of "faculty," but I need to activate with KMS/VPN....and I don't really wanna do it.

If the orphaned SSD with a hardware-recognized Win10 digital license doesn't work, I guess my only option is to just purchase a new Win10 Pro license?

 

[Kaido]

So I just built a completely clean system and am running into this problem again...well, for the first time. My previous system was/is a win7 Pro license that I eventually upgraded to Win 10. I switched out a few of those parts, I think, but the boot SSD remained the same, and had no problem installing and activating Win 10 pro again. I suppose that Win7 license is locked to the current install? If I maybe moved that SSD temporarily into my new system, would Windows eventually activate itself if it recognized that SSD?

I went ahead and installed it on the new system without a key, making a boot USB with the Creators Pack from my Surface Pro. I have the option of an Enterprise/Education license by doing a work-from-home thing as this school kinda officially recognizes me as some sort of "faculty," but I need to activate with KMS/VPN....and I don't really wanna do it.

If the orphaned SSD with a hardware-recognized Win10 digital license doesn't work, I guess my only option is to just purchase a new Win10 Pro license?

You can reset it, although I think the phone numbers are inactive, so it's a bit of a pain because you'll have to jump through some hoops to reactivate it through a website instead.

 

[cytg111]

While not "free", I've found that you can get win10 licenses very very cheap online if you are willing to download the iso from microsoft yourself and make an usb.. last time was 1/5th of retail price..

 

[JackMDS]

While not "free", I've found that you can get win10 licenses very very cheap online .

Some of the "very very Cheap", do not Activate at All.

Most get Unactivated later after few MS server checking.

It kind of "ridicules" this need to save on something that would be used for years a Sum of money that is equal to a Meal in a Mid priced Restaurant.

 

[cytg111]

Some of the "very very Cheap", do not Activate at All.

Most get Unactivated later after few MS server checking.

It kind of "ridicules" this need to save on something that would be used for years a Sum of money that is equal to a Meal in a Mid priced Restaurant.

I am rolling one a year+ now .. And with what you said in mind i made sure the store was legit and been in business for a while.

 

[Kaido]

Another successful upgrade

I had a Lenovo business PC with Windows 7 Pro that had a terminated account on it & no alternative login methods available. I was curious to see what I could do with the Windows 10 free upgrade. Went like this:

1. Couldn't login to Win7 Pro PC, didn't want to bother with alternative login methods
2. Booted it up to the Win10 USB installer
3. I tried to do the upgrade from the install screen, but it wanted me to login to the existing Windows desktop (which was locked out) to start the process from there, so I went with a full (fresh) install instead
4. After getting to the desktop, it did not activate automatically, so it didn't pull the key off the hard drive - it just over-wrote everything that was on there (no migrated user folders or anything, either)
5. However, the Lenovo Win7 Pro key sticker was on the side of the PC. I went to "change product key", typed in the Win7 Pro key to activate, and it took it!

Thus:

1. Win10 free upgrade is still working (as of September 18th, 2018)
2. Looks like a fresh install + Win7 key (even a Lenovo version, via sticker on the PC case) will still activate Windows 10 ("Windows is activated with a digital license")

First time I've done it using that method. I usually just use the "Windows10Upgrade24074.exe" tool from the Win7 desktop. I'll have to try it out with a few more computers that have various types of licenses to play around with it & see the various upgrade vectors that are available (SLIC license vs. OEM license vs. branded sticker & so on).

 

[Kaido]

1 - Win7 free upgrade to Win10 still working! Just tested an old machine running 7 with an in-place upgrade

2 - latest desktop upgrade installer version is available here: (direct download link for Windows10Upgrade9252.exe)

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=799445

 

[balloonshark]

My mother has my old Q6600 with windows 7. Would windows 10 work on that machine? I'm guessing Win 10 drivers don't exist for the hardware.

 

[Kaido]

My mother has my old Q6600 with windows 7. Would windows 10 work on that machine? I'm guessing Win 10 drivers don't exist for the hardware.

Should work fine, Windows 10 does a surprisingly good job of grabbing drivers online. You can do a free backup using Macrium Reflect first, just to be on the safe side:

https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree

So:

1. Download & install Reflect (free edition)
2. Do a full backup to an image to a USB drive (or network drive or large USB stick or internal backup drive)
3. Create a USB boot stick (you can use this to restore the system image backup)
4. Run the Windows 10 upgrade within Windows 10 (will probably take an hour or two)
5. Reboot after getting to the Windows 10 desktop & check Device Manager to see if everything is populated & functional!

 

[balloonshark]

Should work fine, Windows 10 does a surprisingly good job of grabbing drivers online. You can do a free backup using Macrium Reflect first, just to be on the safe side:

https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree

So:

1. Download & install Reflect (free edition)
2. Do a full backup to an image to a USB drive (or network drive or large USB stick or internal backup drive)
3. Create a USB boot stick (you can use this to restore the system image backup)
4. Run the Windows 10 upgrade within Windows 10 (will probably take an hour or two)
5. Reboot after getting to the Windows 10 desktop & check Device Manager to see if everything is populated & functional!

Thanks Kaido. It's good to hear it does a decent job of finding drivers. I will image with Macrium as a safeguard. If I remember correctly that PC has a 2nd 250GB storage drive that I left unplugged to prevent unnecessary wear.

 

[Kaido]

Thanks Kaido. It's good to hear it does a decent job of finding drivers. I will image with Macrium as a safeguard. If I remember correctly that PC has a 2nd 250GB storage drive that I left unplugged to prevent unnecessary wear.

Another nice thing is that the "factory wipe' is built right into Windows 10, so if things get too goofed up, you can back up her files & nuke the OS back to zero, as if it were a fresh CD install. Super handy, especially because it will hop online to download the latest updates & drivers during the reset process. Usually you let the PC sit for 20 minutes or so after it gets back to the desktop to find bigger stuff like NVIDIA drivers automatically, and then reboot & run Windows Updates just to check. Some additional tips:

To verify activation: Start (flag icon in lower-left corner) > Settings (gear icon) > Update & Security (may have to scroll down to see it) > Activation (should say "Windows is activated with a digital license". Note that Windows 10 is permanently activated against the machine in the cloud (it basically takes a composite fingerprint of all of your computer hardware, so it will reactivate on a fresh install automatically if everything matches), so you won't need a key anymore after successfully doing the Win10 upgrade & verifying that its activated (make sure you are Internet-connnected & you may need to reboot once after the initial boot!). If you need to do a fresh install on say a new hard drive & don't want to clone it over using Macrium Reflect or whatever, you can create your own USB or DVD (ISO) install media here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

To run updates: Start button > Settings (gear icon) > Update & Security (may have to scroll down to see it) > Windows Updates (default tab) > Check for updates

To reset back to a fresh install: (wipes everything - ALL files will be lost!) Start button > Settings (gear icon) > Update & Security (may have to scroll down to see it) > Recovery (should say "Windows is activated with a digital license" > Reset this PC - Get Started button > Remove Everything > Change Settings > Toggle the "data erasure" button to fully clean & wipe the drive 100%, then confirm & let it do its thing for a few hours

To free up space: (it saves Windows 7 so you can "roll back" if you don't like it...I recommend using the Macrium image because it's WAY more reliable) Start button > start typing in "disk cleanup" (there's no search bar in Windows 10, it's confusing, but it's like a "universal search", so just start typing anywhere after clicking on the flag in the lower-left corner) > open up the Disk Cleanup app > click on the "Clean up system files" button & let it search > select all & clean (this could free up as high as 20 or 30 gigs, depending on your installation!)

If she doesn't have a lot of files, I'd recommend getting her a free Gmail account, which gives you 15 gigs of free Google Drive storage space, which you can then (easily!) setup to sync her files to the cloud for free (I'd recommend putting on 2FA, btw). Create a folder on the desktop called "My Files", download the Google Backup & Sync software, and point it to ONLY that folder:

https://www.google.com/drive/download/backup-and-sync/

This will auto-sync (automatically backup) her files to the cloud, in case her PC bites the dust. Google also offers free unlimited cloud storage for photos (up to 16 megapixels each) and video (up to 1080p), so that won't hit your free Google Drive storage limit of 15 gigs:

https://photos.google.com/

You can pay for more Google Drive storage, or use Backblaze for unlimited backup for $5/mo (that's what I use, but if your mom is a basic computer user, she probably won't need that). Note that Google Drive is more of a RAID-style backup rather than an actual backup, because if she deletes a file in her Google Drive folder on her desktop, it will delete it in the cloud too. For local backups, Macrium Home edition is $70 - pricey, but (1) it does automatic daily incremental backups, and (2) it can use that 250-gig drive as backup & protect it from getting eaten by cryptolocker-style viruses:

https://www.macrium.com/products/home

For most people, that (free) functionality alone is a HUGE step up in computer safety. I also highly recommend getting her a paid copy of Malwarebytes, which now includes anti-virus built-in:

https://www.malwarebytes.com/pricing/?rec=premium

At $40 per year, it's like half the price of a lot of other antivirus systems, plus does a pretty good job of killing spyware & whatnot. I also recommend setting Google Chrome to be the default browser:

https://www.google.com/chrome/

Then installing the "uBlock Origin" ad-blocker plugin:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm?hl=en

Then installing the Privacy Badger plugin:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/privacy-badger/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp

Is the primary drive an SSD? If not, you can get a 500-gig Samsung EVO for under $80 these days: (or like $55 for a 250-gig unit)

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-500GB-Internal-MZ-76E500B-AM/dp/B0781Z7Y3S/

I'd say if you had a Q6600, 8 gigs of RAM, and an SSD boot drive, then that computer will rock Windows 10 for many years to come! Add in Macrium Home on that 250-gig internal backup, Google Drive & Google Photos for online sync, Malwarebytes for security, and Chrome with those two plugins for safety, then you're looking at a pretty nice, low-maintenance, and well-protected machine!

 

[balloonshark]

Thanks Kaido! You've posted a ton of good info worthy a bookmark. She does have a Gmail account and uses Chrome. The other day I was trying to fix something and realized she had be using Avast's browser with this constant annoying adware pop-up blocking part of every page in the corner. She had no idea that she wasn't even using Chrome. It didn't take me long to uninstall that mess without thinking twice.

She mostly uses the PC for facebook and pinterest. I tried installing adblock plus in the past and she said it blocked something she uses on FB. I had sandboxie installed but it was too much trouble for her. She's been stuck with Avast free for protection which it looks like I may have to reinstall with minimal components since it's gotten spammy.

The computer has 2 old 250GB seagate barracudas. When I gave her the computer I bought a used gfx card and installed a new power supply. That was a 4670k and 6600k build ago though. I think that machine only has 4GB RAM so another stick would probably be more important than an ssd. Both would be ideal though.

Thanks again. I will refer to your post when doing the upgrade.

 

[Kaido]

Thanks Kaido! You've posted a ton of good info worthy a bookmark. She does have a Gmail account and uses Chrome. The other day I was trying to fix something and realized she had be using Avast's browser with this constant annoying adware pop-up blocking part of every page in the corner. She had no idea that she wasn't even using Chrome. It didn't take me long to uninstall that mess without thinking twice.

She mostly uses the PC for facebook and pinterest. I tried installing adblock plus in the past and she said it blocked something she uses on FB. I had sandboxie installed but it was too much trouble for her. She's been stuck with Avast free for protection which it looks like I may have to reinstall with minimal components since it's gotten spammy.

The computer has 2 old 250GB seagate barracudas. When I gave her the computer I bought a used gfx card and installed a new power supply. That was a 4670k and 6600k build ago though. I think that machine only has 4GB RAM so another stick would probably be more important than an ssd. Both would be ideal though.

Thanks again. I will refer to your post when doing the upgrade.

Yeah, the uBlock Origin does a much better job of blocking ads without blocking site functionality. The only one you have to disable it for is the free version of Pandora, and there's a big button you can click on to disable it just for that site.

That GPU & CPU are fantastic for basic web browsing. Upgrading to 8GB RAM & an SSD would make it a really nice rig. If she doesn't use much storage space, you can get a 120GB SSD for literally $20:

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-BX500-120GB-2-5-Inch-Internal/dp/B07G3L3DRK/

Windows 10 is much more drive-dependent than previous operating systems, so I'd recommend getting an SSD before adding another stick of RAM. Also, check eBay for RAM sticks, as you can probably get a used one for dirt cheap, just run memtest on it: (you can boot directly via USB & just let it run overnight)

https://www.memtest.org

Another option is to wipe Windows completely & install ChromeOS, which is nothing but Chrome:

https://www.neverware.com/freedownload

You can't install any apps (no Windows or Mac programs), but it is pretty fast & secure. I recycle a lot of computers that way!

 

[balloonshark]

Yeah, the uBlock Origin does a much better job of blocking ads without blocking site functionality. The only one you have to disable it for is the free version of Pandora, and there's a big button you can click on to disable it just for that site.

That GPU & CPU are fantastic for basic web browsing. Upgrading to 8GB RAM & an SSD would make it a really nice rig. If she doesn't use much storage space, you can get a 120GB SSD for literally $20:

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-BX500-120GB-2-5-Inch-Internal/dp/B07G3L3DRK/

Windows 10 is much more drive-dependent than previous operating systems, so I'd recommend getting an SSD before adding another stick of RAM. Also, check eBay for RAM sticks, as you can probably get a used one for dirt cheap, just run memtest on it: (you can boot directly via USB & just let it run overnight)

https://www.memtest.org

Another option is to wipe Windows completely & install ChromeOS, which is nothing but Chrome:

https://www.neverware.com/freedownload

You can't install any apps (no Windows or Mac programs), but it is pretty fast & secure. I recycle a lot of computers that way!

I hope you're right about the Q6600 still being good enough for browsing. It's mind boggling how much is needed for running an OS and browsing compared to when that computer was new. I may end up trying ChromeOS like you suggested. She would probably be happier with a Chromebook since she's always hated desktops. I'll also have to check if she still plays any windows games or not. She might just play games on facebook now which would make ChromeOS more attractive.

 

[Kaido]

I hope you're right about the Q6600 still being good enough for browsing. It's mind boggling how much is needed for running an OS and browsing compared to when that computer was new. I may end up trying ChromeOS like you suggested. She would probably be happier with a Chromebook since she's always hated desktops. I'll also have to check if she still plays any windows games or not. She might just play games on facebook now which would make ChromeOS more attractive.

Worst comes to worst, you can just revert back to Windows 7, no harm, no foul - plus you've got the computer registered forever on Windows 10 for free after that!

Yeah, you can upgrade the PC to ChromeOS using Neverware, or else buy a ChromeBox, which is just a mini PC that runs ChromeOS (similar to a Chromebook). Then again, Chromebooks are nice because you can chill on the couch or wherever & surf the net, and that's pretty much all most people do these days on computers...

 

[Kaido]

October 11th, 2019 = Win7/8 upgrade to Win10 still functional!

I had a Win7 Pro PC that needed to go to Win10. It was kinda buggy & the Win10 upgrader kept crashing, so I used the fresh USB installer using the Media Creation Tool:

Download Windows 10

I entered the Windows 7 key during the Windows 10 fresh install process & it activated with a digital license no problem. You can find the installed Win7 license key using Belarc Advisor:

Belarc Advisor - Belarc, Inc.

Belarc's products automatically create an accurate and up-to-date central repository (CMDB), consisting of detailed software, hardware, network and security configurations. Customers use our products for software license management, IT asset management, cybersecurity audits, information...

www.belarc.com

I was hoping to not have to reinstall all the apps on it, but the clean install worked fine & activated properly, and it was probably due for a fresh Windows install anyway haha.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I just did a Win10 Pro 64-bit (1903, I think) activation the other day, using the Win7 Pro 64-bit key on the sticker on the chassis. (Was a Lenovo M82 Ivy Bridge SFF "Business" machine, that I had converted to a "Gaming PC" / "Netflix 4K" PC, with a GTX 1050 3GB LP card. Which, incidentally, took me like 10-20 re-seats before the card was detected properly, for some reason. Just couldn't quite get it to sit "square".)