Windows 10: Install W10 Pro without having a key yet ?

Just a side note!

My customer experience with the MS service desk, regarding a new reactivation for a Win 8 OEM license I moved from a Mac Pro 3.1 to a Mac Pro 5.1 - so different hardware - was top notch! My MS NPS=10 therefore.



Good Luck & Cheers

 

Yes but there was one difference in 10240. If you installed Windows 10 (instead of upgrade) using a product key, you did not get granted digital entltlement, and had to re-enter key upon a new install.

In later versions (can't remember if TH2 or AU), you got granted a digital licence if you used a product key to install it, and no longer needed a product key. So at least from AU onwards, you do not need to re-enter product key any more.

It is all irrelevant now, as OP has confirmed PC was upgraded to Windows 10 before drive failed from Windows 8 so will have a digital licence.

 

Thanks for the clarification. My 10240 was an upgrade, so I didn't get to see that.

 

(Snicker) I suppose legally there is a difference between digital entitlement vs digital license, but MS seems to have trouble naming things either of themselves or by others. Remember the SkyDrive fiasco? *Rolleyes

 

It was simple rename as the term entitlement was unclear.

 

Thanks for all the help from all of you.
It went through the install up to the point where it asks me to sign in to the MS account.
I put his email address (but it perhaps should be the wife ?).
It is awaiting me entering the password.
It is 3 AM here in Aust, so I won't be ringing him till tomorrow.
I have left it turned on, as it seems content to sit there awaiting the password.
I notice there is no back button (in the event I should have used the wife's email address instead).
If we are in trouble at that spot, what should I google to get an appropriate MS Aust phone number ?
Thanks,
Rob

 

Hit cancel or back, and it should go back, and then click link near bottom to enter an offline account (local account). Then you can choose to enter any name and password you like. You can change it to an MS account after installation.

 

But why put a 40 GB hard drive in it ??

Go buy at least a 256 GB SSD.

SSD 850 PRO 2.5" SATA III 256GB Memory & Storage - MZ-7KE256BW | Samsung US

 

Hi All,
My latter part of the problem ('accessing' MS account), was not a hurdle in getting activated, it was just MS suggesting we could have the online/connected/whatever logon, instead of just having a local logon.
On re-reading your posts, I now believe that was what most of you were telling me.
So it is now fully installed, and activated(as most of you were saying it would be).

Thanks again for all of your help. It was much appreciated,
Rob
PS

I am on the pension and my rent takes up 56% of that pension.

 

Very good, Rob, and you're welcome.

How exactly did you install and activate? Skipped filling in keys and do it afterwards? It activated by itself? Run the troubleshooter?

Yes, it would be called an MS (online) account vs a local account. There are pros and cons to both.

 

I am 75 and the one thing that does not work is my memory.
I installed with the DVD, which was fairly painless, and it even had Cortana chatting to me as it did it.
I think I skipped entry of key (I recall it saying I could do it later).
I briefly (incorrectly) suspected that the prompting to 'connect to the MS account' was for activation. Which I am now pretty sure was not for activation.
So it seems that it activated by itself automatically

 

Thanks for posting that. I can relate to the short-term memory problem.

All in all, glad it went well for you. You may want to mark this thread as solved.

 

I did that a few hours ago.
I looked in the usual places to see if the thread was marked 'Solved'
I could not see that anywhere.
Except at the top left of the page, the green label was(and still is) now saying 'mark unsolved'.
It has been showing that for the few hours, since I attempted to 'solve' it

 

Ok. my apology. I didn't notice it.

The best of luck to you. Happy computing. *Smile

 

I am on the pension and my rent takes up 56% of that pension. 40GB will be a little tight on space. There may not be enough free space to perform the upgrade when Fall Creators Update comes along. If so, there are several things you can do that may increase the free space. One is to check to see if your system is running as a Compact OS. It probably already is, but you can compress it if it isn't. The other is to use Disk Clean Up to its fullest extent.

Compress or Uncompress Windows 10 with Compact OS
Open and Use Disk Cleanup in Windows 10

Microsoft can't understand why anyone would not want a Microsoft Account, so they put it as a big and obvious default choice as your first account when installing. The local account option is small and unobtrusive, Microsoft would prefer you not to spot it lurking there *Smile