Windows 10: Clean re-install of Win10 question re activation

Discus and support Clean re-install of Win10 question re activation in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade to solve the problem; I'm upgrading a friend's laptops (yes a Celeron!!! & a 2nd Gen i5, lucky me) from HDD to SSD, increasing memory and reinstalling Win10 using a W10 USB... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade' started by Gusgf, Jun 16, 2020.

  1. Gusgf Win User

    Clean re-install of Win10 question re activation


    I'm upgrading a friend's laptops (yes a Celeron!!! & a 2nd Gen i5, lucky me) from HDD to SSD, increasing memory and reinstalling Win10 using a W10 USB drive that I'd done a year ago using MS MCT. So my first question is

    During the installation process I presume I skip the step which asks for a product key and select the option 'I am Reinstalling Windows 10 on this PC'. Am I correct in assuming now all activation takes place via a digital entitlement stored on the Microsoft Servers? Since I'm upgrading memory & storage isn't this going to change the devices digital signature quite a bit. So how will MS recognise this as essentially the same laptop or has this digital recognition thing moved on. As I seem to remember cases where people had to ring up MS after upgrading various components (I assume motherboard upgrades would still throw a spanner in the works)

    My second question is if I now wanted to create an up to date Win10 USB drive using MCT can I just as easily do it on a third PC if say it ran Win7 (fully activated of course)?

    Appreciate any help

    :)
     
    Gusgf, Jun 16, 2020
    #1

  2. Clean Install Workaround for Vista

    You may remember this news story on techPowerUp! a couple of days ago relating to the lack of clean installs when using the Upgrade Editions of Vista, which required an old OS to be installed. However, Paul Thurrott has managed to find a workaround for this issue, which ironically lets users do a clean install Vista without any previous version of Windows, albeit a little tedious. Here are the steps:
    • Boot from the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD as normal
    • When prompted for a product code, leave this blank
    • Select the version of Vista you have purchased and let Vista install
    • When you boot to your desktop for the first time, run the Vista setup from Windows
    • This time enter your product key
    • When asked whether you want to do an Upgrade of Custom install, select custom and choose a clean install
    • Windows will now install for a second time and you should be able to activate it
    Remember, these steps are only advised for use in order to achieve a clean install of Vista, it is only legal to use the upgrade editions if you have previously purchased the appropriate version of Windows.

    Source: DailyTech
     
    Jimmy 2004, Jun 16, 2020
    #2
  3. JeffBB Win User
    Win10 clean install steps

    • Client has laptop that came with Win8.1 (ASUS).
    • Does not have original Product Key though (on box, media, etc.). Copy is clean and has been activated.
    • From what I see, plan would be upgrading online to Win10 using upgrade app.
    • Activate.
    • Create Win10 install media (done previously).
    • Boot from that and do fresh install. (does this allow different partitioning of drives?)
    • Do I need activation key or how is that handled - now and in future if needed?

    Thanks
     
    JeffBB, Jun 16, 2020
    #3
  4. Kari Win User

    Clean re-install of Win10 question re activation

    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.
     
Thema:

Clean re-install of Win10 question re activation

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