Windows 10: Dont do a clean install / swap HD until you upgrade.

So I thought ok time to upgrade this laptop. Give it a speed boost too, by putting in a new SSD.

However it won't allow me to activate because of Win 10 Activation failed (Error code: 0xC004C003) I think its because I didn't upgrade first, and just put the new HD in, and went in for ISO download and cleaned installed.

I should be ok, in that I can throw my old HD in, and then upgrade, and then hopefully put my SSD back in and try the activation again.. If that doesn't work, I guess i'll need to install Win7 all over again, install the 2GB of patches and then upgrade. ugh.

I wish MS would just allow us to use our older OEM product key.

:)

 

The free upgrade lets you do a clean install on a blank Hard Drive, YES or NO?

Read the Answer at Andre Da Costa replied on June 2, 2015

All it mentions is that you have to have a qualifying Operating System to upgrade from.

 

The free upgrade lets you do a clean install on a blank Hard Drive, YES or NO?

Andre Da Costa wrote:

You need to start the upgrade from within a qualifying version of Windows 7 or Windows 8 whether you user the reservation app or download the .ISO.

You can't do a clean install with it on a blank SSD or hard disk.

Can we somehow do a clean install with the free upgrade of Windows 10 on a new blank SSD ?

YES or NO ?

How about this:

• Start upgrade process by getting the ISO on a qualified Windows machine
• Format the computer
• Reinstall using the downloaded iso

?

 

I was using 8.1 then did the ISO upgrade. It activated and I had skipped entering the code at every prompt for it. THEN I did a clean/custom install. Deleted ALL partitions, created a new one and then installed. Skipped all the activation prompts and its installed and activated.

Just sayin, that's how I did a clean install....might be a better way but that's all I could come up with. It would be nice if we could just use the Win 8 DVD or the code for it...