Windows 10: MS to Allow Windows 10 Activation with Windows 7/8.1 Keys Start Nov.

Read more: Microsoft to Allow Windows 10 Activation with Windows 7/8.1 Keys Starting November - Softpedia

:)

 

Did a clean format and installed windows 10. Tried activating with windows 8 key. Doesnt work and no option to go back to windows 8

Using your key is allowed since the Nov release. If it is embedded in the bios you shouldn't need to manually enter a key to get activation. Just be sure you are using a like for like version. Windows 8 Home gives Windows 10 Home.

"Starting with the November update, Windows 10 (Version 1511) can be activated using some Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 product keys. For more info, see the section
Activating Windows 10 (Version 1511 or higher) using a Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 product key in this topic."

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/12440/windows-10-activation

 

Using old Windows 7 key to activate Windows 10

So i have an old PC with Windows 7 already activated on it. I'm building a new PC and going to install Windows 10 on it, but i was just wondering if i can still use my old Windows 7 key to activate Windows 10 as i heard Windows 10 now allows users to use
Windows 7,8 or 8.1 keys to activate Windows 10.

 

Now this is great news. With luck it should help people transfer to the new OS with less issues.

 

That is good news, I wish this would have been in place when I tried my clean install in August. It would have saved me a lot of grief.

 

A nice change to see

But how does the average user know what there product key is?

Say for example I re install 10 and it fails to activate, I have no key sticker on my laptop, what do I do?
(I know there are utilities to show it, but how obvious is this for the average user)

 

Good question.. I would hope they have that but in a lot of cases it's all pre-installed so I doubt they know what it is.

 

It will probably require a COA sticker.

Doubt it will retreave 8's key from the BIOS, either. If your COA sticker melted, then you should do the in-place upgrade instead.

 

They heard our complaints, and I am glad that they are doing something about it.

 

@paulsalter and bromanbro,
PCs sold with windows 8 will have the prod id in the bios/motherboard, so win 8 and win 10 will find and use this.
Win 7 has a sticker and you'll need to enter this in win 10 clean install (when the new version comes out).
If you've already upgraded from win 7 and activated win 10 then, in theory, you can do a clean install as Microsoft now has your pc details on file.
Hope that helps.

 

Upgraded about a week or so ago. No problems at all with activation. Have been wanting to do a clean install but may wait a bit now to take advantage of this.

 

Hopefully this can stop the problem I had. Flashing to a new BIOS version and a new graphic card un-activated my Windows 10 Pro, and it could not reactivate, allmost like this guy at Guru3D:

http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/mot...-inactive.html

I'm not an insider anymore, so I'll have to wait to let MS make this working for ordinary users (I have an old Windows 8 Pro CD-key)

 

You know what gets me..

Microsoft clearly want Windows 10 on as many devices as possible and are especially keen for people to upgrade.

Why don't they simply make it keyless for anyone who upgrades before the free offer has done, they could still make it activate one that device. And when it's not free I assume you will need a key anyway. In other words simply clean install it on any computer you want and it will activate on that machine, regardless of the O.S. that was on before.

zoo

 

It's more like a free upgrade and not "free" to anyone. That's why a key of sorts is need to activate it from a previous OS.

 

Oh yes I understand that, but why not simply make it 'free completely' I doubt there is anything to be gained from not doing that.