Windows 10: Activating Windows 10 after installing it on a new machine

Discus and support Activating Windows 10 after installing it on a new machine in Windows 10 Updates and Activation to solve the problem; In 2013, I bought a retail copy of Windows 8, and I installed it on a PC that I built. In 2015, I upgraded to Windows 10.In August 2021, I built a new... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Updates and Activation' started by rm868, Aug 31, 2021.

  1. rm868 Win User

    Activating Windows 10 after installing it on a new machine


    In 2013, I bought a retail copy of Windows 8, and I installed it on a PC that I built. In 2015, I upgraded to Windows 10.In August 2021, I built a new PC. I wanted to transfer my Windows activation key from my old machine to my new machine, so I did the following: 1 deactivated the activation key, and 2 removed the activation key from the registry.I created a bootable Windows 10 installation USB drive and installed Windows on the new machine without issue. When asked, I entered my activation key; it seemed to work just fine. A few days later, a watermark on my desktop popped up, telling me

    :)
     
    rm868, Aug 31, 2021
    #1
  2. CK011885 Win User

    Installing Windows 10 on New PC?

    I'm going to be building a new PC on Christmas and want to install Windows 10 on it. I have Windows 10 on my current PC, which I installed upgrading from 8.1 with the files on a USB. How do I go about installing a clean copy of Windows 10 on this new PC? I think I recall something about installing it once makes Microsoft recognize your hardware, but since this will be a PC I'm not sure what steps I need to take. Do I need to go 8.1 -> 10 or is there a method of going directly to 10?
     
    CK011885, Aug 31, 2021
    #2
  3. Kari Win User
    Clean install of W10 not possible in Virtual Machine.


    Please get a cup of coffee, lean back and think an answer for these two questions. Take your time, then check the answers below the questions:

    Questions:
    1. If you do a clean install of let's say Windows 10 Insider Build 10525 on a totally new computer which has never had an activated Windows 10 on it, does it activate?
    2. If you do a clean install of Windows 10 Insider Build on a computer where the underlying Windows 10, upgraded from a qualifying old operating system has already been activated, does it activate?

    Answers:
    1. No, of course not.
    2. Yes, of course.

    Why do you think that a virtual machine would make any difference? You have tried to install Windows 10 on a totally new machine which has never had an activated Windows 10 installed, therefore the Microsoft activation servers block the activation due invalid machine ID. In the highlighted part in below quote you admit your mistake yourself, plain and simple, yet you when doing this wrong draw conclusion that even if done correctly it would not work:

    What you have tried is essentially the same as if you took a brand new real physical PC without any operating system, which has never had any operating system, and then installed Windows 10 Insider Preview wondering why it does not activate! Virtual Machines behave exactly the same way; if you want to clean install Windows 10 Insider Preview and get it activated you must do it on an existing virtual machine, one which has already had an upgraded Windows 10 activated. This "computer", the virtual machine, its machine ID is marked on activation servers as valid and activated and it will of course activate.

    Be it a virtual machine or a physical computer, you cannot activate a clean installed Windows 10 Insider Preview on a totally new machine. How difficult can this be to understand?

    When clean installing Windows 10 Insider Preview on a computer which has already had a previous Windows 10 Insider activated, you do not use the product key! It will be asked twice, once before the installation starts and once after the last reboot to OOBE phase. In both cases you skip the product key and your Windows will be automatically activated.
     
  4. Activating Windows 10 after installing it on a new machine

    windows xp installation and dual core am

    could someone please list the steps they follow to install windows with a dual core processor and windows xp service pack to. I'm reletively new to amd dual core and i feel i'm missing a step. All help will be appreciated. thanx
     
    exodusprime1337, Aug 31, 2021
    #4
Thema:

Activating Windows 10 after installing it on a new machine

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