W10 – cannot get it to accept my product code

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I use W7 Home 32-bit with an OEM version on Toshiba laptop. It has SP1 installed. I live in the United Kingdom.

I used Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder to find my product code. I also ran Belarc Advisor to confirm the code. Both agreed.

Although Toshiba claim my laptop will not run W10 I know it does as I had trialled it using the Insider program.

When I asked GetWx app to upgrade I got a message along the lines of – working with partners and will notify you when the upgrade can proceed.

Wanting to install I downloaded an iso from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO In Select edition I picked Windows 10 and in Select product language I picked English. The iso was titled
Win10_1511_English_x32.iso

When it came to install the only language in Select Language, etc was US where I was expecting to see at least United Kingdom. I continued but my product code was rejected – I only tried twice in case there was some form of “lockout”. I am fairly confident I typed in the correct letters and numbers. I completed the install and W10 is running sweetly.
Question 1. Was the rejection linked to trying to install a US version when I have a UK product code?

I wonder if when downloading I should have selected the fourth entry in Select edition, Windows 10 Single Language. I tested but did not download (I have a download limit and was close for the month) and the version that would have been downloaded would have been
Win10_1511_SingleLang_English_x32.iso
Question 2. Will using the Single Language work with my UK product code?

Brian

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I started with a new hard-drive and fresh install when I upgraded thinking I always had a way to go back if my wife found Win 10 unacceptable. Anyway I did the fresh install on the new drive first and found it would not accept my product code either. Then I discovered I had to do an upgrade first and let it re-register Windows before I could do fresh install. I let it do that then plugged in the new hard drive and it accepted my product code just fine. I don’t know if this will help you however. Sorry I don’t know anything about question 2.

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Were you trying to do a clean install or an upgrade install? The upgrade install “registers” your machine with Microsoft. Then you can install W10 without needing to use a product key. You can do a clean Win10 install with a valid Win7 key if you install the proper version.

If your product key is not accepted, eventually Win10 will go into “reduced functionality” mode.

I have read that keyfinder programs do not always reveal the true product key for OEM installs. The system I am using now had OEM Win7 HP. When I ran Belarc the product key it listed did not match the key on the COA sticker. Moot point now because I bought Win8 retail and upgraded it to 8.1.

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It appears from your description that you tried to enter the product key during Windows 10 installation and it failed. Have you tried since the installation was complete?

Joe

--Joe

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The product key that Belarc etc. gives is the Toshiba generic key and will differ from what is on the COA sticker key.

I have two Toshiba Win 7 x 64 HP laptops and Belarc gives the same generic product key for each, although the COA sticker differs.

The generic key will not validate an install even if you were to perform a repair install on Win 7 – got the T-Shirt.

However, once you have Win 10 installed, you can try this method to change the product key to your COA sticker key –

http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/7209-product-key-change-windows-10-a.html

What reason did Toshiba give for your machine not being Win 10 compatible ?

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A composite reply and thanks for your comments so far.

nate01pa
“Were you trying to do a clean install or an upgrade install?” As GetWX app stated I could not upgrade yet I tried the iso approach. As I was overwriting W7 with W10 I assumed that I was doing an upgrade.

JoeP517
“It appears from your description that you tried to enter the product key during Windows 10 installation and it failed. Have you tried since the installation was complete?”
I input the product code when prompted as part of the install.
I input the code when W10 had been installed and got 0x80041024 error. When I “googled” the error code I got an MS site that suggested trying ShowKeyPlus. I did, it failed with error 0x803f7001 – I have still to pursue that.

Sudo15
“The product key that Belarc etc. gives is the Toshiba generic key and will differ from what is on the COA sticker key.” Thanks for that. I now realise that my hope of using two apps to find and confirm the product key was unworkable.
“What reason did Toshiba give for your machine not being Win 10 compatible ?” I found the Toshiba site, input the key information and got
“PSLY0E : The part number you entered is not a recognised device supporting upgrade to Windows 10. Please double check your part number and re-enter.”
I tried the url you provided. In all the solutions was – “Enter the 25 digit product key number from the top of this tutorial for the edition of Windows 10 you have installed.”
I could not see any keys at the top of the tutorial so I must be misunderstanding something.
My installed version is Windows 10 Home

Brian

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Do you have either the COA or Win7 media?

Joe

--Joe

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FYI form personal experience, being able to run Insider 10 on a particular machine does not imply you can upgrade to W10 on that machine. I tried to do so and ran into a ‘processor limitation’ which caused the install to fail. In my case it was the extension that enabled the ‘no execute bit’ that was declared not present. (It is on my cpu but possibly not implemented correctly. ) Very frustrating as I was counting on being able to do this.

If you can get W7 registered and activated you might be able to do an Insider’s upgrade and then bow out of that. In truth I do not know. If this would work for sure I would try, but I have put enough energy into the problem for now. Good Luck

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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On the underside of the laptop there should be a Microsoft sticker with the product key on it below the Bar Code, but for some reason this can degrade so that the 5×5 alpha numeric become illegible.

When I noticed mine starting to fade, although I can still read it, I made a note of it should it be needed at a future date.

If yours is illegible, then see if you can use that tutorial to change the key to Toshiba’s generic key to see if it will be accepted and activate Win 10.

Failing that, contacting Toshiba and giving the model and serial number, they may be able to give you the corresponding MS product key.

http://www.toshiba.co.uk/innovation/generic/computing-support/

I also got an error when I entered that serial number but on checking mine, they are 6 characters so perhaps you should have another look at yours and try again – although in this list of compatible machines they are only 5 characters.

http://win10upgrade.toshiba.com/swupdate/modellist.aspx?region=TEG&lang=EN&country=GB

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Hello Tom.
I had this problem with keys too. The stump was that I was going from a W-7 Home and using a W-10 Pro to install. That does not work ! You know, and this is for Brian, in case he was faced with this set up. Home to Home, Pro to Pro !

All fine wishes. Jean.

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Hi Jean,

I don’t think this is the case for Brian, as he was trying to activate a clean install with Toshiba’s generic key which won’t work.

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Glad to hear, Tom. Sometimes a fine/little detail will foil any operation. Not the case ? Good !

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…. Although Toshiba claim my laptop will not run W10 I know it does as I had trialed it using the Insider program.

When I asked GetWx app to upgrade I got a message along the lines of – working with partners and will notify you when the upgrade can proceed….

I’d just wait and let the automated process do the download and eventually let you know everything is waiting for your approval to install. That should accept your current volume license product key.

In the mean time you could remove any apps that you don’t use. clean up the system. Even defrag. Get the PC ready for an in place (upgrade) install. Update and BIOS and firmware.

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I’ve just done a clean install on an HP laptop that originally came with Windows 8 Pro (hence no COA sticker available) and was then downgraded to Windows 7 Pro.

I wasn’t sure whether Windows 10 would pick up the product ID from the UEFI so used this How to Directly Clean Install Windows 10 without having to Upgrade First method. It worked perfectly to get Windows 10 installed and activated using the GenuineTicket.xml file generated from Windows 7.

I’ve used this method several times now for people who want a clean install rather than an upgrade.

Hope this helps…

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Another composite reply and again thanks for the suggestions.

JoeP517
“Do you have either the COA or Win7 media?”
W7 was from Toshiba and so was an OEM. I have the Toshiba media, and have used it to re-install and that is what I started the upgrade from.
There is a sticker on the base of the laptop but is so worn I cannot read anything from it.

wavy
“being able to run Insider 10 on a particular machine does not imply you can upgrade to W10 on that machine”. When I looked at System within W7 it showed I had SP1 and it was activated. No errors were reported during the Insider install or the current attempt to upgrade.

Sudo15
“When I noticed mine starting to fade, although I can still read it, I made a note of it should it be needed at a future date.” Unfortunately when I spotted it had faded it was too late to read it. I must admit I lacked the foresight to see it may be needed in the future.
“.. got an error when I entered that serial number but on checking mine, they are 6 characters so perhaps you should have another look at yours and try again.” On the code I will need to return to my W7 image to investigate.

Fascist nation
“I’d just wait and let the automated process do the download and eventually let you know everything is waiting for your approval to install.” That has to be my fall back position but I am keen to make the transfer to W10 as soon as possible.

Rick Corbett
If I have to return to my W7 image I will give your suggestion a try. The comments in that url are very positive about the process.

Brian

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There’s a difference between the Part No. and the Serial No.

The Part or short model number for this machine is PSC1YE so I assumed they would all be 6 characters, but in the link I’d posted with those model numbers, I noticed they were all 5 chrs, so you may have posted the correct number.

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