Windows 10: Why do i need to enter windows upgrade activation key everytime in reinstall Windows

Hi there, I was using the Home edition which came pre-installed from the OEM on my Dell Alienware laptop. I recently purchased an upgrade key online and upgraded my Windows 11 to Windows 11 Pro. A few days back, due to my SSD failure, I had to reinstall Windows and after reinstalling Windows the Windows version reverted to the Home Edition and I had to enter the activation key to upgrade it to the Pro version. Will I need to enter the same activation key every time I reinstall Windows? If so, does that mean I cannot upgrade my Windows version from the Home edition unless I buy another activat

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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.

 

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

Your ild keys should work but if you registered the key to your online ms persona (email address) it should be tied to your account , install without a key login with your credentials , then activate.

 

Windows 8.1 pro + WMC key activation

KMS Keys: Appendix A: KMS Client Setup Keys

Windows usually activates as soon as you change the product key from the KMS key to your Windows 8 key. You are then free to either enter your WMC key or not.