Windows 10: Can't use win 7, 8, 8.1 keys after July 29th

A little off topic.
This is just for information only & I mean no offense to anyone. Just because they can walk, doesn't mean they are not handicap. I have some knee issue & I limp I could possibly get a handicap placard but I don't. They will see me walking but may not be able to tell that I limp.

 

Now Im confused...
I need to do a clean install, I have upgraded from windows 7 pro to windows 10 pro and have digital entitlement. Does this still mean that I can use the setup app to install windows 10 (skipping the asking for a key section) but choosing not to keep any files or apps - basically start at the beginning with a clean slate? Will it auto activate because of the digital entitlement and Ill be good to go? I am waiting for my laptop to automatically upgrade to the anniversary edition, I intend to do a clean install of that buy doing an esd to iso.
Other questions about the esd to iso process - are the files needed to create the iso deleted by windows when the computer is first restarted for the install upgrade process, I need to do the esd to iso process to save on data download size and I also have a very slow download speed. I have read through the tutorial of esd to iso and it seams pretty straight forward and easy to follow, however one section confuses me and that is step two. In the tutorial at step two, the two options given (in yellow) are "create ISO with stand install.wim or compressed install.esd" - do these create the same iso, if not what is the difference? Another source of confusion is the note by f14tomcat - what does the note mean. fast forward to after the tool is created - how do i start the install process bearing in mind that I want to partition my C drive so that windows 10 is using the entire disk.

 

Nickynoo,

It sounds like basically you want to start with a fresh, brand spanking new clean install of the Anniversary edition and you want to be able to do it while downloading the Anniversary edition only once?

I don't know how long the install.esd is left on the computer after the update completes. Maybe someone else can answer that question. Here's how I do it, though:

Either watch the updates and settings screen or watch for the restart required notification to appear. When windows update says that a restart is required to install version 1607, don't restart - copy the install.esd file from the windows~bt\sources (whatever that folder is called) to your ESD to ISO folder that you have waiting for it. Run the esd to iso command file and you want option 1, create iso with standard install.wim file.

Once that finishes, then create a Windows 10 installation USB flash drive or DVD from the ISO file created. I also like to copy the ISO file itself to an external storage location - I have network attached storage that I copy mine to, but that is optional. Reboot the computer from the USB installation flash drive or DVD, select I don't have a product key, select the custom install option, then you will get a list of all the partitions on your hard drive. Delete each of the partitions until you end up with 1 big unallocated space. If you have a data partition, you can leave that one intact if you want to. Then select the unallocated space and click next. Windows setup will create the partitions it wants during the install process.

 

Thats exactly what I want to do, thanks Navy.
The digital entitlement is not affected? It will still activate automatically - sorry this thread (the previous posts) confused me.
I dont have a data partition so its basically delete all the partitions that are there and then select the unallocated space and let windows 10 do its thing. Am I correct - you need to boot from the installation media to install? Why - can you not just mount the iso?
Just to be clear - the update is found by windows update service and it downloads - takes basically all night in my case. Windows update does a few things before it gives you the "a restart has been scheduled" screen. it is at this point that I need to do the esd to iso process. Then I let the upgrade continue installing with reboots and the other things it does. I am on a windows 7 computer now so I cant look at the options available but I think there is a section in the advanced part of update that allows a computer to automatically log in to your account to enable the entire update process to be faster and hands free - does this need to be "unenabled" because I would think that will make the first restart (when I do the esd to iso process) to automatically happen. Also I read something about downloading updates while windows is installing - is it better to install without internet access and let windows download updates once it has installed? - Im talking about my clean install and updating after Ive logged into my computer.

 

Once you have made an iso from the esd as far as I'm aware there is no need to allow the update to continue if you are going to do a clean install.

 

Valid point DooGie - logic tells me that you are correct.

 

The digital entitlement is not affected. It will activate automatically.

Mounting the ISO file only works if you are going to upgrade or update the current operating system. In order to do a clean install you must boot from an installation USB flash drive or DVD.

Correct. Copy the install.esd once WIndows update gets to the point where it wants to reboot the computer.

I think it would probably be best to uncheck that option. Just be sure to stay on top of it and catch it before Windows Update reboots to install the update.

I never check that box to check for updates during installation. I've had it hang up in that process too many times. I don't do updates until after Windows is setup.

 

thank you very much Navy

 

Although tomorrow, you may very well be able to download the update as an ISO file using a Media Creation Tool or from MS Tech Bench before you get it via Windows Update.

 

No way to know how Ed Bott managed to do it but let's make one thing very clear: Each virtual machine has its own hardware signature, its own GUID. If you create a new vm and install Windows on it, any version skipping product key, Windows will not be activated. That is absolutely not possible Windows to be automatically activated when installed on new machine.

If you however don't create a new vm but instead take an already activated Windows 10 vm and perform a clean install to that existing old vm, this vm will be activated exactly as a would happen on any physical computer; clean installing on previously digitally activated machine will be activated, clean installing on machine that has never had Windows 10 activated will not be activated.

About keys: this is not rocket science!

• You can use Windows 7 and 8.1 keys to activate 7 and 8.1 today, next month, next year if you so wish. According EULA these keys however will no longer be valid if used for Windows 10 activation and you have not rolled back
• You cannot use Windows 7 or 8.1 key anymore to activate Windows 10
• If you used Windows 7 or 8.1 key to activate Windows 10, then rolled back to Windows 7 or 8.1, your hardware has digital entitlement and you can clean install Windows 10 or in-place upgrade Windows 7 or 8.1 whenever you want to and so decide. Your Windows 10 will be activated regardless if the original key used for digital activation and free upgrade was retail or OEM
• You only need to use product key once. When Windows 10 is activated, be it your old 7 or 8.1 key or a new Windows 10 key, first and only time you need to use a key is enough to get it activated and activation stored on activation servers, based on the digital hardware signature. All subsequent upgrade installs will not even ask a product key, a clean install always asks it but you should select "I don't have a product key" to skip it
• Don't panic when on desktop after clean install on a machine with digital entitlement: speaking from personal experience after enormous amount of activations since the digital entitlement was presented, it might sometimes take up to 10 minutes before the Windows status will be changed to Activated, although in most cases it is instant
• Digital entitlement lasts the lifetime of your device. If 10 was activated with Windows 7 or 8.1 key and you rolled back to Windows 7 or 8.1, you have no hurry; according to Microsoft's "lifetime of device" promise you can wait for instance until 2020 when Windows 7 support comes to its end and install / upgrade only then

 

Respectfully @Kari, you would be mistaken:

@Kari, @simrick,

Ok. So there's this "rumor" floating around that the free upgrade has been "extended" by Microsoft. So I did a little experiment on my custom built computer that has never had Windows 10 Home on it before. Here's the results:

https://www.tenforums.com/installatio...y-expired.html

Clean install of Windows 10 Home build 14393 from an ISO file captured from a computer that did the insider upgrade - no activation:





Here's the product key to be tested:





Here's the change product key screen in progress of checking it:





And the result? - Exactly the same as would have occurred on July 28th:





Further proof, slmgr /dlv result:





So the definitive answer is that the Microsoft activation server is working on 8/1/2016 at 7:30PM 1.5 hours North of Microsoft in Stanwood, WA just exactly the same as it worked on July 28th.

 

Hi

I thought I'd report back. I clean installed the anniversary update this weekend from the media creation tool and everything was perfect. However I do think the there should be an easier way to boot from usb, I know with the various laptop/computer/etc. manufacturers out there it is difficult to have a standard method. Well I eventually got it right but I'm still not sure why you have to usb boot to clean install. The confusing part was when I came to the disk partitions, I can see the logic of having just the disk you want to install windows 10 on connected and no others - it simplifies things. Now my disk (c) had a few partitions on it that I wanted to get rid of, ending up with just the windows partition and the system reserved partition it creates. I have read in one of the forum threads here on 10 forums that I needed to delete the partitions not needed so they turn into unallocated space, I did this until I was let with the partition that my windows was installed on (prior to the clean install) - now for the confusing bit - do I delete that partition as well, well logic eventually told me that I had to because it was the "old" partition and that the new partition with its install was yet to come, but it seems that you are doing the wrong thing. I think the clean install tutorial needs to be updated with an explanation on this partition deletions, because lets face it the average computer user is rarely faced with partitions. Fast forward to after the install - I browsed through a forum a moment ago that reported that drives were lost after the anniversary upgrade, thankfully that didn't happen to me, I wonder if it has anything to do with me disconnecting all other drive prior to the install? Anyway I'm posting this in case it help some person who is installing and faces the same "problem" Thank you for all that help that I received leading up to my clean install.