Windows 10: Knowing whether you are licensed for Pro or Home when reinstalling Windows 10 with an...

I recently went through the time consuming process of a clean install on a PC where the SSD appeared to be failing and the existing Windows install failed to boot. Therefore I had no way of knowing what version of Windows 10 the PC was running before, and I just had to guess between Home or Pro. There was no COA sticker but I know that the license is digitally tied to the motherboard. I guessed wrongly, installing Pro when it should have been Home, but it took a few days for Windows to realise that it wasn't licensed. Therefore I managed to waste more time installing drivers and software when

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Windows 10 upgrade license

Hello guys,

I have 1 license of WIndows 8.1 FPP/retail license. I want to upgrade to WIndows 10, but I one thing is unclear to me.
If I upgrade, will WIndows 10 license be retail or it will "turn" into some sort of OEM license?

I ask this because I upgrade my PC, you know, more memory, replace HDD, and I intend to upgrade the MB and CPU to Kaby Lake platform sometime in the future, (and of course sell the replaced hardware)
This thing is not clearly mentioned anywhere.

Thank you.

 

Windows 10 Pro's license completely glitched out after changing motherboard and CPU

We appreciate your reply. For us to know more about the issue, kindly answer the following questions:

• Did you manage to deactivate Windows 10 Pro first before replacing your motherboard?
• Do you still have the written copy of your product key?
• Are you using the same hard disk where your Windows 10 Pro product key has been activated? If not, where is this hard disk?
• Did you replace your hard disk along with your motherboard and CPU?
• What is the edition of Windows activated on your computer? To know, press Windows + S. Type About, and click it.

Meanwhile, we recommend that you deactivate and uninstall your Windows 10 Pro license from your old motherboard and reinstall it back on your machine using the steps below:

Step 1: Check your your Windows 10 Pro product key using Windows Powershell or Command prompt. Follow the steps below and note down your product key:

• Press Windows key + X.
• Click Command Prompt (admin).
• Enter the following command: wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
  and press Enter:
• The product key will be revealed, copy the product key.

Step 2: Deactivate and uninstall the Windows 10 Pro Product Key from the old motherboard since it has your license. Follow the steps below:

• To know the Activation ID of your Windows installation. Open a command prompt using the Windows search box and type in
  slmgr.vbs /dlv and press Enter. This will display the detailed license information for the installed operating system.
• A window will open up and will give you details about your Windows licensing and activation status. Look for
  Activation ID and note it down.
• On the same command prompt window, type in slmgr /upk <your Activation ID> and press
  Enter. This uninstalls the product key of the current Windows edition. After a restart, the system will be in an Unlicensed state unless a new product key is installed.

Step 3: Activate your Windows 10 Pro to your machine after uninstalling it due to a hardware change, follow the steps below:

• Open a command prompt using the Windows search box and type in
  slmgr /ipk <Windows Product Key> and press Enter.
• If the key is valid and applicable, the key is installed. If a key is already installed, it is silently replaced. If the key is invalid, an error is returned.
• Open your Control Panel you will see Windows is activated message.

Let us know if you need further assistance.

 

How to reinstall Windows 10 if my computers used the free upgrade from 7 and 8?

Will windows 10 still accept the license keys from 7 and 8 now if I reinstall my computer?

Does Microsoft keep a list of users who upgraded to Win 10 using their 7 and 8 keys so that when users need to reinstall windows 10 the old keys would work?

Do I need to call in Microsoft to ask them to activate my Windows 10 when I give them my win 7 keys?

Both computers are laptops. The windows 7 machine had the serial printed on the back, and I needed to enter that when I upgraded to 10. The windows 8 machine had the serial built in inside its boot system so I didn't need to enter the key when I upgraded to 10, but I did manage to write down the keys using a fetcher program.