Windows 10: cannot enter product key after failed win 10 install

I tried to install win 10 on my win 7 Ultimate system but it failed with an unknown error. I decided to stay with win 7 but MS deleted my OEM product key and deleted the option to enter a new product key. So I am stuck with a 'thiis copy is not genuine.'. How can I enter a product key under these circumstances? slmgr does not work.

:)

 

Why was I not asked for a product key when upgrading to Win 10?

According to your spec you have Win 10 Pro, but perhaps that doesn't reflect your PC.

You haven't stated which edition of Win 10 you have on this machine, nor what your Win 10 key is for.

For example, if you already have Win 10 Pro and your key is Win 10 Home, that would be a retrograde step.

For interest only:
Change Product Key in Windows 10

More on product key if you search this list or look at 'Related Tutorials' in the above.
Windows 10 Tutorial Index

 

Clean install Windows 10: The product key entered does not match any of the windows images available for installation. Enter a different product key

Thank you for the response.

My Windows 10 is activated.

The problem is when I tried to clean install, I got error message "The product key entered does not match any of the windows images available for installation. Enter a different product key".

I have followed the third link you gave me above which is the most similar to my issue.

There, Vinod Archak suggests:

• Make sure your PC is activated by going to the Settings >> Update & Security >> Activation.
  
  If the activation has not completed, you can click the Activate Now button to complete the activation process.
• Create your installation media for the appropriate edition of Windows 10 by clicking here.
• Skip entering the product key during Windows 10 Setup. Windows 10 will activate online automatically on such devices. The skip option is only available when booting from media and launching Windows 10 setup.

I have did the suggestions #1 and #2. But before "entering product key" page appear, I was got the error message.

 

Win 10 clean install question

So I spend the day yesterday installing the computer, using a prepared usb key with windows 10 on it.

I got it all sorted in the end but I'll share my fails anyways so others might learn:

Do not try to do a clean install win with win 10 home N, when you come from a machine with just win 10 home. It won't activate *Wink After reinstalling with the right copy, it was already activated right away after the first boot, didn't even have to initialise it.

There hasn't changed a whole lot in making clean install compared to older versions of windows, it's slightly better streamlined, though being asked at 3 different stages to enter a product key when it's not needed during install seems a bit annoying.

Further more it would be lovely if Microsoft finally learned to ask ALL questions regarding preferences updates and whatnot in one go, so you can then go away from your computer and come back to a fully installed/updated system including reboots.. Not impossible I would say.


There's still some little bugs, like when I installed realtek audio drivers, they'd go into an infinite loop asking for reboot and install the driver. And as a PDF reader isn't in the list of standard programs to select, foxitreader keeps saying it is not the default reader for pdf's even though I had said yes to the question 3x. If this fails to get file associations for PDF's I do hope Microsoft will fix this asap.


Thanks for the fast answers earlier guys, it gave me the confidence that all would be well, even when I cocked up the first install with the N version.