Windows 10: Help me determine what version of Windows 10 I am legally entitled to

OK guys, so I have an ASUS ZenBook UX305CA, which I bought new a little over 6 months ago. It came with Windows 8.1, but I can't remember whether it was Home or Pro. I know it had to be one or the other. I wiped the internal SSD within hours of buying it, replaced with Linux. But now I need to dual-boot.

So.....I extracted my Product Key from my BIOS with a portable utility called RW-Everything, as per the instructions at 3 Ways to extract the Windows 8 Product key from the BIOS. Of course I can install a pirated Pro or Enterprise copy of 10, but if I can legally upgrade from 8.1 to 10 then that would be the better approach.

I would rather have 10 Pro, and I think if I had 8.1 Pro then I should already be able to upgrade to 10 Pro for free. Home isn't desirable. I like to be able to use tools that are only present in Pro and higher editions, like the Group Policy Editor.

Which version of 10 am I entitled to? Do I need to upgrade from 8.1 to 10 for my activation to be valid, or can I just do a clean install of 10? It should read my BIOS's embedded Product Key and activate automatically, right? How do I determine in advance which edition will be installed?

Thanks!

Edit: If I then want to install the Insider Preview edition of 10 Home/Pro, will this work? Do I first need to upgrade from the regular non-IP, or can I just do a clean install of the IP?

:)

 

Unable to activate Windows 10 Pro

I've been trying to upgrade my 32 bit Windows 7 OS on my PC to a 64 bit Windows 10 OS. I installed the 32 bit version of W10 and then did a clean install of W10 64 bit. When the install finished it said in the settings (I am connected to the net)
that I don't have the “digital entitlement” to Windows 10 Pro”. I had the Pro version of Windows 7, presuming that's what would entitle me to a Pro upgrade of Windows 10. I restarted the PC. It remained in an unactivated state but now said that it was “unable
to reach windows activation severs”. This is causing me a lot of pain. Please help.

 

windows 10 upgrade

i am running windows 7 sp1 and the windows update is showing like its up to date and i didnt get any notification for registering for windows 10. my system is running on the legal version. please help me out

 

The standard Windows 10 USB installation disc (USB flash drive or DVD) will contain both Home and Pro versions. When you boot the computer from it, it will read a product key if there is one stored in UEFI or BIOS (and it sounds like there is) and automatically install the correct version. It should not ask you for a product key or which version you want to install.

 

@NavyLCDR: But that's the thing.....I want to know *IN ADVANCE* which version is being installed. I know the installer will read the PK embedded in the BIOS. But if it auto-chooses Home, then no go. And I also want to be assured that there are no activation issues later.

Are people still allowed to run the Pro or Enterprise Insider Preview while still remaining activated? Or did Microsoft remove that loophole? I remember being able to run Enterprise IP basically for free. Because if so, I'll go that route.

 

I, and probably all the other more senior members on this forum, would recommend that you start with the regular released version of Windows 10 that your computer is entitled to. Currently Microsoft is still handing out free activations of Windows 10 based upon the Windows 8.1 product key. Everything should install and activate automatically when connected to the internet. Then, if you get Home version installed and activated, you will have to purchase an upgrade to Pro. It will just be a relatively quick upgrade to Pro and you won't lose anything. If the computer is entitled to Pro version, that will install and activate automatically right from the start.

You do have to start with the released version first and get that activated, then you can join the insider program.

You can enter your existing product key into showkey plus from this forum and it will tell you what version it is for:
ShowKeyPlus

 

@NavyLCDR: I would much rather not install 8.1, just to end up upgrading to 10 anyway, regardless of edition. A clean install is the preferred approach.

 

You don't have to start by installing Windows 8.1. Windows 10 clean install will pick up the product key from UEFI automatically.

You can enter your existing product key into showkey plus from this forum and it will tell you what version it is for:
ShowKeyPlus

 

I'm fairly certain that ShowKey is giving incorrect info. The PK it shows matches the one that RW-Everything gave. But it says 10 Core (same as Home). I know the diff between 8.1 and 10, 8.1 was factory-installed for sure. I'm just not sure which edition it was.

Either way, MS wants $200 for Pro. I cant work, I'm on a fixed and very limited income per month, I barely have $20 left after rent and basic utilities are paid.

Ideas?

Edit: I'm open to using any loopholes whatsoever that dont violate the EULA.

 

@Superfly will confirm that Showkey Plus is not providing you with false information. What is it you need in Windows 10 Pro that you won't have in Windows 10 Home?

More information for checking your product key:
How To Check Product Key Version & Edition In Windows

 

Well, I already said what Pro has that Home doesnt have. Group Policy Editor. So I can completely and truely disable abominations like Defender, Windows Firewall, Metro apps, and most importantly, UAC. Among other things. I'm a power user, I dont need MS trying to hold my hand, tell me what to do, control my PC, collect personal info, force automatic updates, etc.

 

@AnonVendetta, sorry, I did miss that in your opening post. We can't tell you how to do anything that violates the EULA. Microsoft is still honoring activating Windows 10 with Windows 7 and Windows 8 product keys, so you might be able to purchase a Windows 7 or 8 Pro and activate Windows 10 with it for now. First once you get your Windows 10 Home installed and activated, you can go to the change product key option under the activation Window and enter the Windows 10 Pro generic product key to upgrade to Pro - but it will not activate. You can google for it, it ends in -3V66T. After the upgrade finishes then change the product key again, enter a valid (not blocked from online automatic activation by Microsoft) Windows 7 or 8 Pro product key and it should activate.

Once you get Windows 10 Pro to activate that way, then it should activate with the generic Windows 10 Pro product key thereafter by retrieving a digital license stored on Microsoft Activation servers.

 

Thanks for the info. But loopholes dont violate the EULAs. Kind of like the tax loopholes Trump has used to avoid paying taxes since the 90s.

Linux has always been free, Apple made OSX free awhile back, Android is free, MS is the only company that hasnt jumped on the bandwagon by offering a forever free version of Windows. They now even want $$$ for Home.

At this point I'll just stick with Linux. I wont break my principles under any circumstances.

 

Yes, Linux is free. And it's a great operating system that you can modify in which ever way you see fit.

OSX isn't exactly free, since according to the EULA you HAVE to run it on Apple hardware. So, it's not like you can buy a pile of hardware and install OSX onto it.

Microsoft has always charged for Windows. Even the most basic of versions. So your comments that "they now even want $$$ for Home", has always been the case. You can take advantage of the Windows upgrade anytime option. So, you can upgrade from the Core/Home package to Professional to get those features that you want. However, that's going to cost you like $100 to be legit, so that may or may not be an option for you.


Unsure why the hatred for UAC. It's extremely similar to the sudo system or limited user access control within Linux, and Mac OSX also does a very similar thing. Every now and again you simply have to acknowledge that "yes, I want to elevate from a standard account to an admin account". It's certainly not something that you are going to endlessly face.

I understand your belief that you are an admin user and should be able to do what you want, but UAC is there so that things like "browser hijacks" don't happen and your browser doesn't all of a sudden want to become an admin to install some malware. It's there to get your attention. If you expected it great, if you didn't expect it, it's a warning. It's like having an anti-virus that says, "woah, this file might be infected, what would you like to do".

 

Getting updates is a good thing. Sometimes people get infected or hit a bug that was previously fixed, but since they have elected to stay behind they simply don't know.

With Windows, you don't own the software. You are accepting a license to run the software. Staying updated really is in Microsoft's best interest to have a stable and robust operating system. Like you said, if you don't like those terms, stick with with something else that you have more control over, like Linux.

I'm using a MacBook Pro right now...but I do have 2 Windows laptops and 2 Windows desktops in my house. 1 is still on 8.1 Home, 1 is on 10 Home, and 2 are on 10 Pro. It does come at a cost, but unfortunately Linux doesn't cater to the gaming and the video editing software that my son is using...so I pay for Windows licensing.

Maybe someday Microsoft will include the OS in something like Office 365. I pay $99 a year for Office 365 and can install on 5 computers, and 5 tables, and 5 phones, and I get 1TB of OneDrive storage space for 5 different user accounts. That's a good deal for just $99 each year. A no-brainer for me.