Windows 10 Setup won't accept the Default Key

[Eric Bentsen]

Hi, I have a couple old Dells from 2008 that were bought running XP. I upgraded one of them to Vista Ultimate only; the other to Vista Ultimate, then to Window 7 Ultimate with an .iso I had around but no key. I couldn't get a definitive answer beforehand about the upgrade path and whether I could get to Windows 10 Pro with an unactivated Windows 7 Ultimate. I read somewhere that it was possible with the November 2015 build of Win 10, but that build had been deleted from the Media Creation Tool days after it came out so we're back to the last build before the November rollout using the Media Creation Tool. I did find what appears to be dated as a November Build on Technet, but sadly it still stops my install with the Product Key prompt at the start. Even using the published single Default Keys (Home Or Pro) won't pass.

I really don't know if these old Dells could handle Windows 10, and I was working on one to see if it worked and if it did I'd try the other. Seems I have 1 day left on my activation of Windows 7, and I don't know if that will revert back to 27 Days Left after tomorrow; I only got 3 Days Left to start with.

I could wait for the Anniversary Edition of Windows 10 to come out next month and see if that helps. If I could install Windows 10 successfully and try it out for a couple weeks, I'd be willing to go to the Windows store and pay $200 for it, but I'm not motivated to buy a license at Best Buy until I'm sure they are carrying an Anniversary Edition of Windows 10 at the store, and I can get past this unactivated Windows 7 problem. I am trying to keep all my files and programs and getting to Windows 7 has not been a problem so far from Windows XP.

The Task Manager in Windows 7 seems to not work in the unactivated state though. I can bring it up but the clock and CPU stats won't advance, so I have to use Rainmeter.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

If the Windows 7 installation was deactivated then the upgrade to Windows 10 will also be deactivated. If you had 10 days left until activation on Windows 7 then you'll have 10 days left until activation on Windows 10. I don't believe the PC will revert back to Windows 7; it'll simply become unusable until you enter a license key.

Long story short, you need a Windows 10 license key.

 

[Eric Bentsen]

Repost from the M$ Community today to someone else with a nagging Product Key screen:
IMPORTANT: To upgrade for free, select Upgrade this PC now in the tool. You should NOT be asked for a product key during the upgrade process. If you create a USB and use it to install, make sure to remove the USB as soon as setup begins. If you don't, you may be prompted for a product key. If this happens, remove the USB and restart your PC to continue with setup.
Use the download tool to create ISO media to update your windows.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

 

[Eric Bentsen]

I had heard that people were getting 30 days until activation with their new Windows 10 install. Carrying over 1 day of activation wasn't what I had planned.

 

[Eric Bentsen]

I tried to pull the USB stick out early, I get a message that says "Something happened!"
I got to the Product Key screen, pulled out the USB stick, hit the Back button on the Product Key screen, asked it to check for Downloads again, then I get another "Something happened!" error message. I'm not getting away from this Product Key screen yet.