Product key for Win10 upgrade

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When you upgrade to Windows 10, do you get a new Windows 10 Product key, or do you keep your old Win7/Win8 key?

My laptop came with Windows 8 installed. At some point, I upgraded to Windows 8.1, and will probably upgrade to Windows 10 someday. If I have to reinstall my OS, will I be able to just install Windows 10, or will I need to reinstall Windows 8 and then do a two step upgrade?

When I upgrade to Windows 10, will it upgrade the hidden ‘install’ partition on my HD? Will this have a new Product Key?

If I ever need to replace my HD, will I be able to install Windows 10 from an install disk? What Product key will I need? Or will I have to pay for a new OS?

Thanks!

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I can’t see MS updating your install partition because that is manufacturer specific.
If you need to replace your hard disk just use one of the backup programs to make a disk image – you should already do this.
http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthread//148152-What-s-the-best-free-backup-program

cheers, Paul

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You will be able to download an ISO and burn it to a DVD. You’ll also be able to do a Refresh or a Reset.

Joe

--Joe

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When you upgrade to Windows 10, do you get a new Windows 10 Product key, or do you keep your old Win7/Win8 key?

Who knows how that’ll play out just yet, hopefully Windows 10 will have it’s own product key that’s not related to an upgrade offer,
like W8 had been, and that a TRUE bootable clean install from an ISO can be done if needed.

But yes, definitely make your pre upgrade images, and do download a W10 ISO when it comes out, and make that bootable DVD out of it.

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Re, system images of previous install.

While I don’t know how restoring Win 8.1 with a system image from an external HDD works, with Win 7 you have to boot up with a Win 7 Repair disk to navigate to the RE.

Any opinions if a Win 7 Repair disk would get you to the same options after Win 10 has been installed or will Win 10 have its own Repair disk to boot up with ?

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Unless told differently by a knowledgeable Microsoft person, I’d plan on creating a Win10 repair disk. Better to take the time to do that than not have it if you need it.

Joe

--Joe

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DRIVE IMAGING
Invest a little time and energy in a well thought out BACKUP regimen and you will have minimal down time, and headache.

How many times do we have to say that, before people start to get the message?
It’s not that difficult of a concept. Really! I’ve been doing it for 35 years.

I never do anything with my computer, without first making a full backup of my C: drive and storing it in a safe place, on another drive. I’ve already cloned my Windows 8.1 drive, in preparation for the Windows 10 upgrade from MS. An ounce of prevention…….etc. etc. etc.

The Doctor 😎

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The following extract from the link provided in post #5 above is of particular relevance to many, IMHO:

“Can I reinstall Windows 10 on my computer after upgrading?”

“Yes. Once you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer, you will be able to reinstall, including a clean install, on the same device. You won’t need to purchase Windows 10 or go back to your prior version of Windows and upgrade again.

You’ll also be able to create your own installation media like a USB drive or DVD, and use that to upgrade your device or reinstall after you’ve upgraded.”

My Rig: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-Core CPU; ASUS Cross Hair VIII Formula Mobo; Win 11 Pro (64 bit)-(UEFI-booted); 32GB RAM; 2TB Corsair Force Series MP600 Pro 2TB PCIe Gen 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD. 1TB SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 NVME SSD; MSI GeForce RTX 3090 VENTUS 3X 24G OC; Microsoft 365 Home; Condusiv SSDKeeper Professional; Acronis Cyberprotect, VMWare Workstation Pro V17.5. HP 1TB USB SSD External Backup Drive). Dell G-Sync G3223Q 144Hz Monitor.

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When you buy that new computer running Windows 8 there is a product key associated with that operating system. The same applies to the 8.1 upgrade and Microsofts most recent upgrade to Windows 10.

A good practice before doing any upgrade is to retrieve your product key that belongs to each operating system, especially if you do not have it physically somewhere on a key card or piece of paper.

The easiest way to do this is to run a profile scan of your computer with this free tool from http://www.belarc.com it will scan your computer and generate a report that will display in your Web browser. From there you will have the option to print the profile generated from the scan of your computer, or you can just scroll down and write your product key down. I do this before each upgrade.

So basically if you just upgraded from Windows 8.1 to 10 and want the product key for 10 just run the Belarc tool. The Belarc tool must first be installed to generate a report. If you wanted the key from 8.1 after you have already upgraded to 10 it’s too late unless you were to revert back to your prior operating system, which Microsoft only gives you 30 days from installing the windows 10 upgrade to do so.

Because Windows 10 was built on Windows 8.1 build platform you will notice on the Belarc report the your product key will be listed as Windows 8.1 as shocking as that is it honestly is Windows 10, Microsoft didn’t care how the keys wording was to be displayed because they had no plans on ever telling you how to retrieve your key for future refrence. But on a clean install you will need this key.

So do yourself a favor if you haven’t already and go get the tool from Belarcs site, save the tool to your pc and install it, share it with your friends and make them aware also and print that key and keep it somewhere safe…

Your welcome 😉

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When you buy that new computer running Windows 8 there is a product key associated with that operating system. The same applies to the 8.1 upgrade and Microsofts most recent upgrade to Windows 10.

A good practice before doing any upgrade is to retrieve your product key that belongs to each operating system, especially if you do not have it physically somewhere on a key card or piece of paper.

The easiest way to do this is to run a profile scan of your computer with this free tool from http://www.belarc.com it will scan your computer and generate a report that will display in your Web browser. From there you will have the option to print the profile generated from the scan of your computer, or you can just scroll down and write your product key down. I do this before each upgrade.

So basically if you just upgraded from Windows 8.1 to 10 and want the product key for 10 just run the Belarc tool. The Belarc tool must first be installed to generate a report. If you wanted the key from 8.1 after you have already upgraded to 10 it’s too late unless you were to revert back to your prior operating system, which Microsoft only gives you 30 days from installing the windows 10 upgrade to do so.

Because Windows 10 was built on Windows 8.1 build platform you will notice on the Belarc report the your product key will be listed as Windows 8.1 as shocking as that is it honestly is Windows 10, Microsoft didn’t care how the keys wording was to be displayed because they had no plans on ever telling you how to retrieve your key for future refrence. But on a clean install you will need this key.

So do yourself a favor if you haven’t already and go get the tool from Belarcs site, save the tool to your pc and install it, share it with your friends and make them aware also and print that key and keep it somewhere safe…

Your welcome 😉

I saw this discussed on another forum and Belarc v8.5a now does recognise Win 10 on an 8.1 system.

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When you buy that new computer running Windows 8 there is a product key associated with that operating system. The same applies to the 8.1 upgrade and Microsofts most recent upgrade to Windows 10.

A good practice before doing any upgrade is to retrieve your product key that belongs to each operating system, especially if you do not have it physically somewhere on a key card or piece of paper.

The easiest way to do this is to run a profile scan of your computer with this free tool from http://www.belarc.com it will scan your computer and generate a report that will display in your Web browser. From there you will have the option to print the profile generated from the scan of your computer, or you can just scroll down and write your product key down. I do this before each upgrade.

So basically if you just upgraded from Windows 8.1 to 10 and want the product key for 10 just run the Belarc tool. The Belarc tool must first be installed to generate a report. If you wanted the key from 8.1 after you have already upgraded to 10 it’s too late unless you were to revert back to your prior operating system, which Microsoft only gives you 30 days from installing the windows 10 upgrade to do so.

Because Windows 10 was built on Windows 8.1 build platform you will notice on the Belarc report the your product key will be listed as Windows 8.1 as shocking as that is it honestly is Windows 10, Microsoft didn’t care how the keys wording was to be displayed because they had no plans on ever telling you how to retrieve your key for future refrence. But on a clean install you will need this key.

So do yourself a favor if you haven’t already and go get the tool from Belarcs site, save the tool to your pc and install it, share it with your friends and make them aware also and print that key and keep it somewhere safe…

Your welcome 😉

It’s pointless for Windows 10 upgrades though:

No license key is needed to update from 7/8/8.1/10TP to 10.

On Windows 10 upgrades we now all have the same license key (as activation is now via hardware ID).

There’s currently no difference between Windows 10 and Insider Preview; they’re all 10.0.10240.16384 and can be opted in/out of preview builds.

My license key for Windows 10 Pro (updated from 8.1) AND Windows 10 Pro (Insider Preview) is VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T. What’s yours?

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It’s pointless for Windows 10 upgrades though:

No license key is needed to update from 7/8/8.1/10TP to 10.

On Windows 10 upgrades we now all have the same license key (as activation is now via hardware ID).

There’s currently no difference between Windows 10 and Insider Preview; they’re all 10.0.10240.16384 and can be opted in/out of preview builds.

My license key for Windows 10 Pro (updated from 8.1) AND Windows 10 Pro (Insider Preview) is VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T. What’s yours?

Indeed. During my last upgrade on this machine, there was indeed a dialog box asking for a Product Key. In small font near the bottom right was a “Skip” link, which I clicked. The upgrade proceeded without incident, and Windows 10 Pro is activated with the generic 10240 Product Key.

Bottom line, ignore the Product Key input dialog box; no Product Key is necessary unless you have a new bare metal custom built PC and you’re installing a purchased Windows 10 for the first time.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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I have never had a product key as the shop installed WIN8.1 and I just pasted slmgr /dlv and Belarc to a command prompt and got product key not found and “software licensing service version: 10.0.10240.16384 This is a load off my mind as it bothered me not having a product key and now this shows you don’t need one. Is that right. BTW why has this printing text changed size, the first sentence is different then the rest,what did I do to change it.41626-Screenshot-7

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I just pasted slmgr /dlv and Belarc to a command prompt

The command is just slmgr /dlv

Belarc (Advisor) is a downloadable program.

BTW why has this printing text changed size, the first sentence is different then the rest,what did I do to change it.

You copied the font used by bbearren.

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Got it that time and it says for Product Key “Retail Installation ID ” so that is good.

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Retrieving your key is possible, I had written a very detailed description on how to retrieve your product key for Windows 8.1 and 10 but it did not post for some reason, I’m aggrivation now so below is the more vague simple answer because I’m not in the mood to retype all of what I typed earlier.

Visit http://www.belarc.com download the tool at the top under downloads. This will scan and create a profile of your computer and all installed devices, product keys etc.

I recommend using this tool before any upgrade to retrieve your product key to have in safe keeping. Microsoft does not provide you the key and you will need it for a fresh install.

Once Belarc creates your profile it will display the information using your Web browser. From there you can either print the report that contains the product key or write it down for safe keeping. You will notice on the report that even though you have upgraded to Windows 10 your key is listed as 8.1 thus is normal because Windows built this on the 8.1 platform and did not bother to change the name of the product key, besides they don’t care because they know the public would not see the key anyway or at least they had no intentions on giving you the key or telling you where it was. I find that Gunn because this was something along with discs everyone received.

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You get a new Win10 Key.

FWIW, both “Elevated Command Prompt”:>slmgr /dlv and Belarc report that my Windows 10 Product Key is the IP 10240 Product Key, the last group being 3V66T.

From the reading I’ve done, what one gets is a unique hardware ID. If one wishes to do a clean install of Windows 10 after upgrading, Windows is recognized as valid through this unique hardware ID stored on the MS servers, not necessarily through the Product Key.

The desktop from which I am posting this has been upgraded twice to Windows 10 Pro, the first being My Next Challenge. That first upgrade ran afoul of Windows Activation IMO because of my unsupported installation of Windows 7, and I bought a license via the Store, which indeed had a unique Product Key.

The second upgrade, Piece of Cake, however, sailed through without incident, and was recognized as valid and activated. This machine has not been involved in the Windows Insider program except through a Hyper V VM, no direct installation of Windows Insider Windows 10 preview. The one thing that all three have in common is my MS account being used as my created account in the Administrators group.

To sum up, two desktops and one laptop all have the same Product Key, the last group being 3V66T, and the Windows Software licensing service version is shown as 10.0.10240.16384 via slmgr /dlv. This seems logical since the upgrade is officially issued via the Windows Update channel.

This all seems reasonable, since the MS instructions for doing a clean install after upgrading to Windows 10 specifically say that entering a Product Key is not necessary.

As always, YMMV.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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My license key for Windows 10 Pro (updated from 8.1) AND Windows 10 Pro (Insider Preview) is VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T. What’s yours?

From an HP laptop win 7 pro to win 10 pro, I have the same key as you so they are all the same. When I run Produkey there is another set of numbers in front of the key, I wonder if that set is unique?

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does 🙂
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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From an HP laptop win 7 pro to win 10 pro, I have the same key as you so they are all the same. When I run Produkey there is another set of numbers in front of the key, I wonder if that set is unique?

No, I think the Product ID is the same for everyone too (per edition, Home v. Pro etc.). 00330-80000-00000-AA596 for Windows 10 Pro?

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No, I think the Product ID is the same for everyone too (per edition, Home v. Pro etc.). 00330-80000-00000-AA596 for Windows 10 Pro?

Nope, mine is different for win 10 Pro 00330-80000-00000-AA014 so maybe it is unique.
BTW, I keep seeing reference to making a “Repair Disc” for Win 10 and I can find no reference on my win 10 Pro for that option. Is it called something else or am I not looking in the right place?

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does 🙂
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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BTW, I keep seeing reference to making a “Repair Disc” for Win 10 and I can find no reference on my win 10 Pro for that option. Is it called something else or am I not looking in the right place?

“Recovery drive” (at Control Panel, Recovery).

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”Recovery drive” (at Control Panel, Recovery).

It’s a bit confusing since it is under “Backup and Restore (Windows 7)” which I didn’t want to do. Found it and burned it, thanks

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does 🙂
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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Paul Thurrott, Mary Jo Foley, and Leo Laporte discuss this at length on a podcast.

https://www.thurrott.com/podcasts/5100/windows-weekly-425-dont-pull-my-bits

The Windows activation server decides whether the computer you are upgrading from has a valid license, and then gets information about your motherboard, your processor, and something else, I don’t remember, and records that in it’s database. After that you can do pretty much anything you want, and it will load and activate the edition of Windows that it has validated onto that computer.

If you get a new motherboard, it will not recognize your computer anymore, and you will have to call and convince someone on the phone that they should activate it for you.

It sounds like once a computer has been activated that it no longer uses License Keys.

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I upgraded, using an ISO. Before setup would actually start, it asked for a product code. I entered my 8.1 code, but it was rejected. I also entered an actually unused code. It was also rejected, but there was an option to skip entering the code. Which I did. When everything had finished, I found that Windows 10 had actually been activated.

When I later did a fresh installation, on a different disk, same story. The system ended up activated. The details are probably pulled from the Microsoft account.

Best regards,

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The system ended up activated. The details are probably pulled from the Microsoft account.

Activation is for the licensed device, not user:

What gets sent to Windows Store is interesting: it’s a hardware ID, unique to your PC, which is comprised of information about its CPU, motherboard and, if available, TPM. What’s not sent to Windows Store is your Microsoft account information. Instead, it is the PC that is registered, essentially, which makes sense since you may later sell it or give it away. That PC will always activate new installs of Windows 10 going forward.
https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/5008/windows-10-tip-associate-your-pc-with-your-free-windows-10-license

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