Installing Windows10 w/ Win7 license?

[jaydee]

I have a laptop with a Windows 7 Pro license but is currently running Linux. Can I download the Windows 10 Pro (from here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10), and install directly using the Windows 7 Pro key, since upgrades to 10 are free for another few months? Or do I really need to find a Win7Pro ISO, install that, and go through the upgrade process?

Thanks

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I have a laptop with a Windows 7 Pro license but is currently running Linux. Can I download the Windows 10 Pro (from here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10), and install directly using the Windows 7 Pro key, since upgrades to 10 are free for another few months? Or do I really need to find a Win7Pro ISO, install that, and go through the upgrade process?

Thanks

Almost wish I'd hung back before answering.

But this is my best sense of it. If the Win 7 Pro had previously been installed and activated before you put Linux on the laptop, it seems likely you could either "upgrade" or simply do a clean install (re-entering the previously-activated product key) and "Voila!"

If the Win 7 had never been installed or activated on that machine, I would get busy and free up some space on your Linux install to put Windows on a separate partition (if you can dual-boot Linux and Windows), or install the Win 7 Pro wiping out the Linux, activate it, and then either wipe it out with a clean Win 10 install (and product key re-entry) or make a dual-boot configuration as you might wish as a less likely possibility.

PUT IT ANOTHER WAY, since there was some hair-splitting in what I just wrote, and I can't be sure I split the right hairs.

SIMPLY TRY INSTALLING WIN 10 without installing Win 7, just so you use the product key from the latter to attempt activation of the new OS. Even THAT should work, but if it doesn't, I already explained the more cautious approach that I could personally contemplate.

 

[OlyAR15]

Not sure why this is still an issue. Since the November update, a valid Win7 or 8 product key will allow you to do a clean install of win10 without having to do an in-place upgrade first.

 

[stockwiz]

I just did that with my windows 8 upgrade key and it worked great. Didn't even have to go through the whole thing where you're entering that string of characters because you changed motherboards, it just activated despite having been used on a completely different build a week prior.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I just did that with my windows 8 upgrade key and it worked great. Didn't even have to go through the whole thing where you're entering that string of characters because you changed motherboards, it just activated despite having been used on a completely different build a week prior.

It's an Occam's Razor thing. The simplest explanation is the best. You wouldn't need to install Win 7 or even activate it if it's a viable license. Just use the license to activate the downloaded Win 10 clean-install.

I could say I made a mistake buying a $99 Win 7 license because I thought the DELL branded one on my laptop (a Gateway) was screwed up. I didn't know whether I'd like Windows 10, or move toward it eagerly. Truth is, I could've installed the Win 10 over the Dell branded Win 7 and it would have worked without buying the extra license.

I just stopped trusting branded OS versions after one or more bad experiences with them. And with the last spate of WU problems and almost a month before I had that settled, well . . . ya see . . .

 

[jaydee]

Thanks for the info guys. It turns out that I don't have the Win7 registration info... it must have come without an OS, which I didn't realize. No biggie, I just wanted to play around with W10, I guess I'll stick with Linux on this guy.

 

[nenforcer]

In that case you can always install the Windows 10 Insider Preview for free.

 

[jaydee]

Well, I'm also finding that the Sandy Bridge based laptop (Dell Latitude E6520) isn't officially supported by Windows 10... So something probably won't work, not sure what.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Doesn't your laptop have the windows key sticker on the body or in the battery tray?

 

[Dahak]

Doesn't your laptop have the windows key sticker on the body or in the battery tray?

Starting with windows 8, they stopped putting the product key sticker on the system and only a logo sticker, the key is embedded in the bios
unless the laptop is old enough to have 7 per-installed on it, there would be no sticker

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Well, I'm also finding that the Sandy Bridge based laptop (Dell Latitude E6520) isn't officially supported by Windows 10... So something probably won't work, not sure what.

How do you know that? Did you run the Windows 10 compatibility checker? If it gives you four green check marks and nothing else, you should be good to go.

I've got two Sandy Bridge systems updated now to Windows 10 and still dual-booting to Win 7 as desired. I've got a 9-year-old executive C2D laptop, which installed Windows 10 with ease and no errors or complications.

 

[crashtech]

I'm planning on doing something similar to this, but want to use sysprep on a T420 that has been upgraded to Win10 and transfer the image to a T540p that has a valid Win8 COA. What say you guys, will it activate?

 

[VirtualLarry]

I've got two Sandy Bridge systems updated now to Windows 10 and still dual-booting to Win 7 as desired. I've got a 9-year-old executive C2D laptop, which installed Windows 10 with ease and no errors or complications.

There was someone on here saying that Intel DOES NOT officially support Sandy Bridge on Windows 10. Apparently none/beta iGPU drivers.

 

[WilliamM2]

There was someone on here saying that Intel DOES NOT officially support Sandy Bridge on Windows 10. Apparently none/beta iGPU drivers.

Intel won't offer new drivers, but Windows update installs it's own and works just fine on the machines I've upgraded.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Intel won't offer new drivers, but Windows update installs it's own and works just fine on the machines I've upgraded.

Well, that settles it then. Just as with my laptop, Win10 provided most drivers without a particular effort on my part.

One could say "Oh, I don't use the Intel iGPU," but since the later processors feature newer incarnations of that iGPU, it shouldn't be left behind in the shuffle for these . . . . ah . . . "old" SB-K chips.

I just have to say -- the SB 2nd-gen is six-year-old technology. I'm going to build a Z170 6700K system before end of the year, but I have no problems with these old dinosaurs.

Also, it occurs to me that the intel driver for a Haswell or later would include support for an Intel 3000 iGPU. That's the way NVidia pushes their latest drivers. But somebody would have to confirm that.