product key activation following clean install

[garrettk4]

So I'm reloading my old PC with windows 10. It originally had 7 pro then did the free upgrade to 10 pro.

My questions are;
Should I reinstall 7, activate the product key then upgrade it to 10?
or
Should I reinstall 10 then try to use the win 7 product key that i have and hope it works?

thanks in advance

 

[rhysiam]

Assuming you're working with identical hardware, you can just install Win 10 fresh and choose to "skip" when entering the product key. Your hardware was logged with Windows 10 when you activated it, so it should simply active automatically once installed.

Even if you've made what Microsoft call a "significant hardware change", you can still re-use the license as long as you previously signed in with a Microsoft account. Details here: http://www.windowscentral.com/how-re-activate-windows-10-after-hardware-change

But identical hardware should be a simple reinstall.

 

[qazzi]

go for option 1. "Reinstall 7, activate the product key then upgrade it to 10", less hassle.

 

[robert600]

go for option 1. "Reinstall 7, activate the product key then upgrade it to 10", less hassle.

You may be right about this but ... here's something to consider ... win10 will not upgrade from win7 unless it is fully updated. So for instance ... my win7 install disk is quite old ... after I do a new install using it ... it needs well over 100 updates to get 'caught up'. And ... being windows ... it can't seem to do them all at once. i have to keep turning the computer on and off a couple of times a day to let it update. After about a week, it's finally caught up and can be upgraded to win10. Maybe there is a quicker way to get it to update but if so, I haven't found it.

 

[qazzi]

go for option 1. "Reinstall 7, activate the product key then upgrade it to 10", less hassle.

You may be right about this but ... here's something to consider ... win10 will not upgrade from win7 unless it is fully updated. So for instance ... my win7 install disk is quite old ... after I do a new install using it ... it needs well over 100 updates to get 'caught up'. And ... being windows ... it can't seem to do them all at once. i have to keep turning the computer on and off a couple of times a day to let it update. After about a week, it's finally caught up and can be upgraded to win10. Maybe there is a quicker way to get it to update but if so, I haven't found it.

if your worried updates suggest go and download "Wsusoffline" it will download the updates for you so that way if ever you need to re-install all updates are on hand. we use that if we ever need to clean install from win 7/8 then upgrade to 10. then pop in the burn disc full of updates done. of course you need to update "wsusoffiline" every time windows release a patch. but hey it less hassle.

by the way it also download patches for office 2007-2016, windws 7-10 . and windows server 2008-2012 and R2 (also vista)

(edited corrected some typo)

 

[qazzi]

ohh i forgot to add..after you download the updates. you just slimstream your copy of windows 7, so the next time you need to re-install win 7 it's already up-to-date and ready to be upgraded to 10.

 

[Colif]

So I'm reloading my old PC with windows 10. It originally had 7 pro then did the free upgrade to 10 pro.

My questions are;
Should I reinstall 7, activate the product key then upgrade it to 10?
or
Should I reinstall 10 then try to use the win 7 product key that i have and hope it works?

thanks in advance

choice C: install win 10, when you reach screen asking for licence, click "I don't have a key" and win 10 will continue the install and reactivate itself on completion. Since PC already had win 10 on it, it has a Digital entitlement to always install win 10 on it again - unless you move the licence

installing 7 then 10 is just extra work

 

[USAFRet]

go for option 1. "Reinstall 7, activate the product key then upgrade it to 10", less hassle.

Absolutely not.
No reason to do 7 first.

 

[USAFRet]

Just install Win 10.
When it asks for the license key, select "I don't have a product key" at the bottom of that window.

When the system goes online, it will activate itself. The mothership already knows about it.

 

[rhysiam]

Why on Earth would you install 7 then upgrade to 10 when you can just fresh install 10 with absolutely no issues??

As @Colif, @USAFRet and I have all stated, Microsoft knows about your Win10 license, there's no need for a product key any more.

 

[garrettk4]

I'm going to try 10 install first. I really don't want to sit through the 2 day wait time for windows to find updates on 7. Thanks for all the replies. I'll let you guys know how it goes later today.

 

[robert600]

I'm going to try 10 install first. I really don't want to sit through the 2 day wait time for windows to find updates on 7. Thanks for all the replies. I'll let you guys know how it goes later today.

i think to do that - since you upgraded from win7 and therefore have no installation media for win10 ... you'll have to download the 'MediaCreationTool' from microsoft and go through all that. Also if you do that ... i believe there will be no way for you to go back to win7 .... not saying you shouldn't do it ...just saying once you do ... you are committed to Win10.

 

[USAFRet]

I'm going to try 10 install first. I really don't want to sit through the 2 day wait time for windows to find updates on 7. Thanks for all the replies. I'll let you guys know how it goes later today.

i think to do that - since you upgraded from win7 and therefore have no installation media for win10 ... you'll have to download the 'MediaCreationTool' from microsoft and go through all that. Also if you do that ... i believe there will be no way for you to go back to win7 .... not saying you shouldn't do it ...just saying once you do ... you are committed to Win10.

He's already committed to Win 10, by virtue of the Upgrade from 7 to 10.

 

[robert600]

if your worried updates suggest go and download "Wsusoffline" it will download the updates for you so that way if ever you need to re-install all updates are on hand. we use that if we ever need to clean install from win 7/8 then upgrade to 10. then pop in the burn disc full of updates done. of course you need to update "wsusoffiline" every time windows release a patch. but hey it less hassle.

by the way it also download patches for office 2007-2016, windws 7-10 . and windows server 2008-2012 and R2 (also vista)

(edited corrected some typo)

Thanks for mentioning that. I have several laptops that I need to format and install Win10 on. The way I do it is install win7 and then upgrade to win10. This may save me that week of wait time allowing win7 to upgrade.

Before anyone 'jumps' on me for doing it this way. The reason is simple ... i'm a cheap sob ... i have a 'dealer' install disc that allows me to install multiple fully registered win7 OSs. So ... this way is very inexpensive. To install a fresh win10 would cost me ~ $90 per computer .... no thanks! ... I feel like I've given microsoft quite enough money over the years -- i'm going to use every 'loophole' I can to not give them any more than I have to from now on. The other slight advantage to doing it this way is that ... these computers can always be rolled back to win7 if need be.

 

[USAFRet]

if your worried updates suggest go and download "Wsusoffline" it will download the updates for you so that way if ever you need to re-install all updates are on hand. we use that if we ever need to clean install from win 7/8 then upgrade to 10. then pop in the burn disc full of updates done. of course you need to update "wsusoffiline" every time windows release a patch. but hey it less hassle.

by the way it also download patches for office 2007-2016, windws 7-10 . and windows server 2008-2012 and R2 (also vista)

(edited corrected some typo)

Thanks for mentioning that. I have several laptops that I need to format and install Win10 on. The way I do it is install win7 and then upgrade to win10. This may save me that week of wait time allowing win7 to upgrade.

Before anyone 'jumps' on me for doing it this way. The reason is simple ... i'm a cheap sob ... i have a 'dealer' install disc that allows me to install multiple fully registered win7 OSs. So ... this way is very inexpensive. To install a fresh win10 would cost me ~ $90 per computer .... no thanks! ... I feel like I've given microsoft quite enough money over the years -- i'm going to use every 'loophole' I can to not give them any more than I have to from now on. The other slight advantage to doing it this way is that ... these computers can always be rolled back to win7 if need be.

If a particular system has already been Upgraded from Win 7 to Win 10...there is no need to install 7 first, do all of its updates, then Upgrade to Win 10.

Just install Win 10 if the system needs a full reinstall. $0.

 

[robert600]

He's already committed to Win 10, by virtue of the Upgrade from 7 to 10.

i don't believe this is correct but i may be wrong- after upgrading to 10 from 7 - you can roll back to 7 if you don't like 10 ... so ... he is only semi-committed. I was trying to point out that after a re-install - the roll back to win7 option would (most likely) be gone. That is not likely to be a big deal but ... I thought he/she should know that.

 

[USAFRet]

He's already committed to Win 10, by virtue of the Upgrade from 7 to 10.

i don't believe this is correct but i may be wrong- after upgrading to 10 from 7 - you can roll back to 7 if you don't like 10 ... so ... he is only semi-committed. I was trying to point out that after a re-install - the roll back to win7 option would (most likely) be gone. That is not likely to be a big deal but ... I thought he/she should know that.

Win 7 to 10 Upgrade...you can roll back within the first 30 days.
After that, you are committed.

But very often, this is what happens...
Win 7, then Upgrade to Win 10.
The Win 7 license is consumed in the Upgrade.

6 months later....you wish to reinstall. That Win 7 license is now null and void. The activation returns 'not valid'.
Your Win 10 digital entitlement is now the valid OS for that original licensing.

This doesn't happen ALL the time, but that is the way it is supposed to work.

 

[robert600]

Win 7 to 10 Upgrade...you can roll back within the first 30 days.
After that, you are committed.

But very often, this is what happens...
Win 7, then Upgrade to Win 10.
The Win 7 license is consumed in the Upgrade.

6 months later....you wish to reinstall. That Win 7 license is now null and void. The activation returns 'not valid'.
Your Win 10 digital entitlement is now the valid OS for that original licensing.

This doesn't happen ALL the time, but that is the way it is supposed to work.

I didn't know about the 6 month limitation on the rollback ... or about the activation of the win7 license becoming 'not valid'. That is good to know ... thanks for providing that!

 

[USAFRet]

Win 7 to 10 Upgrade...you can roll back within the first 30 days.
After that, you are committed.

But very often, this is what happens...
Win 7, then Upgrade to Win 10.
The Win 7 license is consumed in the Upgrade.

6 months later....you wish to reinstall. That Win 7 license is now null and void. The activation returns 'not valid'.
Your Win 10 digital entitlement is now the valid OS for that original licensing.

This doesn't happen ALL the time, but that is the way it is supposed to work.

I didn't know about the 6 month limitation on the rollback ... or about the activation of the win7 license becoming 'not valid'. That is good to know ... thanks for providing that!

Not 6 months....30 days.
I just used "6 months" as a typical timespan in which someone might want to do this.

The same for 1.5 months, or 2 years.

30 days is the key timeframe.

 

[robert600]

Not 6 months....30 days.
I just used "6 months" as a typical timespan in which someone might want to do this.

The same for 1.5 months, or 2 years.

30 days is the key timeframe.

Oh right ... I misread your post. Wow 30 days doesn't give you much of a trial does it? Oh well ... it is what it is. Thinking of these laptops I've been doing - everyone seems happy with win10 and at least as far as I know - no one has rolled back to win7. But ... i better start telling them they have only 30 days to exercise that option ... actually it would be less because it would be 30 days from the upgrade and they typically don't get the laptop for a week or so after that ... I better start keeping track of the date of the upgrade and tell them the date past which they won't be able to revert.

 

[Colif]

i have read a thread from Microsoft that says that you can use the win 7 licence to install win 7 after the 30 days, you just can't run 7 & 10 at same time. So if you go back after the 30 days, it should still work on Win 7.