Install Win10 without upgrade

[bluenite38]

Is it possible to install Win10os officially without the necessary upgrade from the 7/8 purchased box?
I mean to obtain Win10 as a free upgrade, but a clean install on a new hdd. Is this technically possible? What is the procedure for downloading the upgrade?
thanks for any advice
Peter

 

[mikeymikec]

If you've had Windows 10 installed before, just download the Media Creation Tool, specify the correct version of Windows, install Win10 from whatever media you've just set up as your Windows install media, if Windows Setup asks for a product key, click on "I don't have a product key", then when it is connected to the Internet it will activate automatically.

 

[WilliamM2]

Or, if you haven't installed it before, just enter your win 7/8 product key during the install. Last I knew, this was still working.

 

[mikeymikec]

Or, if you haven't installed it before, just enter your win 7/8 product key during the install. Last I knew, this was still working.

Yup (using build 1607 anyway)

 

[JackMDS]

It hard to know because of the numerous amount of Versions.

I can tell you that few days ago Win 10 Home and Pro still Activated with Retail Key of Win 7/8.

That said it is quite simple, use an empty SSD (I keep a $20 eBay 40 GB SSD for this purpose). Do on it a clean install and try to Activate to whole thing takes 20-30 Minutes.

If work you can install agin on the SSD that you need to work on and it will Activated Automatically as long as it use on the same computer that the test was done with.

Please Note
No guaranty, but according to different sources the Free Upgrade capacity might vanish in days when 2018 kicks in.

 

[WilliamM2]

That said it is quite simple, use an empty SSD (I keep a $20 eBay 40 GB SSD for this purpose). Do on it a clean install and try to Activate to whole thing takes 20-30 Minutes.

\

Why waste the time of installing twice?

 

[Puffnstuff]

I saw a press release stating that MS is going to clamp down on free upgrades at the end of this year forcing people to pay to upgrade. They've clearly changed the language surrounding the assistive technologies upgrade path closing the loophole that's existed since the release of 10.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12435/windows-10-upgrade-faq

 

[corkyg]

I like that. Therefore, if I don't pay, I don't get the upgrade forced on me and my system will just keep running as nicely as it did before the upgrade. Does not that answer OP's original question?