Windows 10: Why do you need a key to upgrade to Build 10240?

Hi. All along I have been running Win10 preview in dual boot. Today I decided to upgrade Win 7 with Build 10240. THe installer is asking me for a key. I could give them the key from the Insider website. But I don't understand... I am installing this from inside Win 7; my Win 7 is legitimate and was activated long time ago. So if I use the Insider key now, what happens when Win 10 is released as RTM and it is supposed to base itself on your existing Windows product as validation? I can't believe that all people using Win 10 preview have been dual booting.

:)

 

do you need product key to upgrade to windows 10

I have been able to download Windows 10 to my flash drive but I cannot get it installed without a product key.

 

do you need product key to upgrade to windows 10

I have a Gateway laptop that came with Windows 8. I contacted Gateway to get a product key and they said I should buy one from Microsoft. But was not very forthcoming about how to do that.

 

No dual boot for me, Windows 10 is my only OS.

 

Thanks, Rocky. But did you do a clean install or an upgrade? And did you use the key from the Insider website, specific for win 10?

 

I'm telling this long story to provide all the steps I went through to get to where I am today.

I bought a refurbished Dell about 3 weeks ago. I bought it from Dell, it's a business desktop returned from lease. Dell shipped it to me with a fresh install of Windows 7 Professional x32.

When I turned on the computer for the first time, I registered the Windows 7 Pro x32 to me with my Microsoft account and the Windows 7 Pro Key that Dell provided to me. After that, Windows 7 Pro loaded all of its updates and I upgraded the computer Bios from ver A7 to ver A18.

I then installed Windows 10 x64 ver 10162. But I did a clean install of Windows 10 x64 10162 on another hard disk, replacing the original hard disk. During install, it asked me for the Windows 10 Key. I entered the generic key for 10162 and it was happy and activated. It installed Windows 10 Pro. It has never asked for a Windows 7 Pro key during a Windows 10 clean install.

The computer later upgraded to Windows 10 Pro x64 10240. Two days ago, I bought a new hard drive and did another clean install of Windows 10 Pro 10240 from a DVD I made from the .esd file on the old hard disk. Once again it asked for the generic Windows 10 key and I entered it for ver 10240. Windows 10 was once again activated. Never has asked for a Windows 7 Pro key while installing Windows 10.

Microsoft must be tying some motherboard serial or bios serial on the computer with the original Windows 7 Pro key and my Microsoft login account.

 

I figured out since then that I did something wrong: My Win 7 install is Home Premium and the 10240 install disk was created by esd-to-iso from am Insider Pro Installation. So the two do not correspond. Guess I need to wait until MS releases Win 10.

 

WRONG. Serial keys are NEVER attached to a MS Account. They're attached to the BIOS if Windows is an OEM copy, which your Dell desktop is.

 

Upgrade from 10166: No key, no dual boot (alone) and no BIOS setup. Win Ten is a better system then Se7en with 4Gb of RAM. RTM is made for you (7 and 8) and you have to register.

Best of luck!

 

Thanks, Bobjoe and MikeMecanic. Getting any build other than 10240 Pro is now impossible, because Microsoft has shut down the Insider download site. I'll just have to wait.

 

The ISO has been uploaded to various websites... (cough cough P2P cough cough)... or on YouTube. Not the safest way, but surely you can find it.