Windows 10: Can we activate windows from USB Retail Box with different media Downloaded?

Hi, I am new to the community.


I have purchased retail license from my local store to activate my windows 10 home. However, the key cannot activate my existing installed windows which had been install from media creation tool. Is it legal to activate windows like this or Do I have to re-install windows using the USB in the box?


Thank you in advance.

:)

 

Windows 10 Retail Media

Hello Ruth:

Note that I did not buy a DVD. What I got was a really cheap USB stick and it was purchased at a Best Buy store. I had already downloaded and made a .iso disk with the media creator.

I was curious if the retail USB stick contained files or other data not available in the download version. The media creator disc is 3.10 GB and the USB stick is 6.70 GB so it would seem the retail version is different and contains data not included in
the download media creator version. I'm also curious that if the flimsy USB stick gets broken or possibly inadvertently erased will the activation key work with the downloaded .iso disc file. Is the Windows 10 installation contained on the USB stick different
than the media creator download version?

 

Installing windows off of a USB stick

Step By Step from vista:
From admin cmd prompt

1. diskpart
1a. list disk
2. select disk 1 (replace 1 with your usb drive)
3. clean
4. create partition primary
5. select partition 1 (replace 1 with your usb drive)
6. active
7. format fs=fat32
8. assign
9. exit

Copy Windows Vista's DVD ROM content to the Flash Drive

xcopy d:\*.* /s/e/f e:\ (d being your vista cd and e being your usb stick)

And that's it, boot off your usb disk

 

Windows 10 Retail Box-art Revealed

Windows 8.1 pro will download whatever language pack you select & will install it after it is marked active so I am sure windows 10 will let you do the same.