Windows 10: Upgrade from Home to Pro by transferring a retail license

Hello. I've recently bought a new laptop to replace a stolen one. The new laptop unfortunately comes with Windows 10 Home, and to enable disk encryption I'd need a Pro licence. In the stolen laptop, I had a full price retail Windows 8 licence, later upgraded to 8.1 and 10 Pro.

For what I've read in this forum, my 10 Pro licence would be transferable, since it was originally a retail licence. My questions are:
- can I transfer the licence without having access to my stolen computer?
- can I do an in-place upgrade from Home to Pro in the new laptop just by, perhaps, putting my Windows 10 Pro Retail product key somewhere?

I'm a little confused about this.

Thanks a lot!

:)

 

Windows 10 upgrade

If you buy a Pro License (not an upgrade) then that can be transferred to another computer as long as it is not in use on another computer. That would be a Retail License and can be bought online or in a shop.

The Pro Upgrade sells for $99.00 (upgrades Home to Pro).

The retail Pro License sells for $199.00 (a stand-alone version of Windows) and is transferable.

Be leary of cheap knock-off Pirated copies which are sold on the internet.

 

Transfer of Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro

I upgraded from an OEM license from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 Home. Then I upgraded with the $99.99 offer to Windows 10 Pro. My computer died. I am now building my own. I intend to buy a retail license for Windows 10. Can I buy the retail Windows
10 Home for $120.00 and transfer the Pro upgrade that I bought for $99.99?

 

Do you have the original Win8 retail disk? If so you can clean install this on your new laptop, activate and then install W10 Pro using the method here:

Clean Install Windows 10 Directly without having to Upgrade First

I am not sure you have a W10 Pro retail key since your previous laptop would only have a digital entitlement.

Added later:
Since the original laptop was stolen it would be advisable to contact Microsoft and explain that the original W8 key is now associated with a stolen laptop. They may be able to issue you with a new key and deactivate the old one.

 

pcuron,
1. You do NOT have a Win 10 Pro license. You have a retail Win 8 (Pro ?) license which you used to upgrade to Win 10 Pro in your stolen laptop.
2. Even with a Retail license, the same rule applies ....... one key, one install.
Your Win 8 Pro retail key is tied up to your stolen laptop. You can NOT use the same key to install in another
computer.

That's how I understand it.
If I am wrong, I am sure someone will correct me.

 

You can try to upgrade your Windows 10 Home to Pro if you have a legal Windows 8 Pro product key. If it fails, though, you will have to start over with a clean install, or make an image now to restore. To try the upgrade, go to the activation screen under settings, updates and security and change the product key to the Windows 10 Pro generic product key:
VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

After the upgrade to Pro finishes, go back to change product key and enter a legal Windows 8 Pro product key. This will only work if you have build 10586.xx of Windows 10, it won't work on build 10240.

If that fails, to get 10 Pro using a legal Windows 8.1 product key, you will have to install a legal Windows 8.1 Pro on that computer first.

 

To : NavyLCDR

But the OP's Win 8 (Pro ? ) key is used to upgrade to Win 10 Pro in the stolen laptop. Therefore, the key/license is tied up to the stolen laptop.
Isn't, one license, one install rule still applied ?

 

Thanks for all the replies! I'm operating under these assumptions: HOW do I transfer windows (retail license) after upgrading to Windows - Windows 10 Forums by which the licence in question would be transferable.

I don't have the install disk because I bought the .iso. I do have the original MSFT emails with the product keys. But I think NavyLCDR is right, I'll try first to upgrade using the Windows 8 product key. Then I'll contact MSFT. If that fails, I'll try with NavyLCDR's second suggestion. If everything else fails, I think I'm gonna use sinful activation methods. I don't feel like paying again for a full licence.

S

 

It is the person who stole the laptop who will have the illegal Windows installation, not the OP. And if Bitlocker does what it is supposed to, that Windows installation will be inaccessible.

 

That computer didn0t have BitLocker. But check answer #6 here: HOW do I transfer windows (retail license) after upgrading to Windows - Windows 10 Forums

 

Just because its stolen it still activated unless he calls Microsoft and they flag his 8 pro key and give him new 8 key which at that time he can take the upgrade root .

What would be the difference if a PC was stolen or if one was to sell it, coming from 8.0 to 8.1 to 10?

 

To appease the naysayers, I edited my post #4.

I thought your reason for going to Pro was to encrypt the hard drive?

 

Old mid-range mid-2011-era computer with Windows 10 Pro didn't have hardware support for encryption (and a hostile early-2012 SSD thanks to the SandForce compression heavy controller). Now I've learned the lesson and bought a new better than midrange computer with the TPM and everything, but the MSFT Signature Edition computers come with Windows 10 Home. Hence my desire to reuse my old license, **** the ****er that stole from me, and enable encryption in the new PC.

 

Well if you sell a computer with the activated OS your required to give the OS media in other words you sold the license. This situation I would call Microsoft and explain the situation and see if the would activate on the new machine. Also if the stolen was registered with the OEM if it's ever repaired is can be tracked by serial #.

 

Let's not go off topic, please.

If I understand the OP's situation correctly............................
The OP had a laptop stolen. It has a Retail Win 8 Pro installed in it and then upgraded to Win 10 Pro.
Now the OP has a new laptop running Win 10 Home.
The OP wants to know if he/she can use the same Retail Win 8 Pro key to install/activate Win 10 Pro over the Win 10 Home.

If the above info is correct, then my answer was and still is......................... the OP can NOT use the same Win 8 Pro key because it is tied to the stolen laptop.