Windows 10: Will a Clean Install Attempt Recognize the Windows 8.1 UEFI Stored Key

Hello Guys,

If I create a DVD with Windows 10 Home and try to perform a clean install on a computer that came with Windows 8/8.1 Home pre-installed. Will Windows 10 Home recognize and accept my genuine Windows 8/ 8.1 Home Key stored in UEFI or firmware etc?

By Clean install I mean not updating but directly trying to install on a computer, on which Windows 10 have never been installed before.

:)

 

Windows 10 deletes license

The Product Key is stored in UEFI, not on your hard disk on newer computers. Even replacing your hard disk entirely does not lose the Product Key. Older computers were not this way and relied on stickers on the physical computer or a label that came with
the install media.

This command, entered from Windows 8.1 Administrator Command prompt, should retrieve the Product Key from UEFI:

wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

It worked for me on my daughter's laptop after a clean install of Windows 8.1. I then used that retrieved Product Key to activate Windows 8.1 after installing it without a Product Key. I could then upgrade to Windows 10.

 

Error 0x8007045D - Windows 10 clean install

Did Windows 8 or 8.1 come preinstalled on the laptop? If so the Product Key for that version which came with the laptop is embedded in the BIOS to

Clean Install - Windows 8 using media provided at
Create installation media for Windows 8.1 - Windows Help. It explains in the first tutorial which how the various Product Keys are handled. You might be able to reinstall 8.1 with 8 key that came with it.

A popular solution to the error you're getting trying to reinstall Windows 10 is to cancel out of the install and reboot the PC to try again.

Do you have a UEFI BIOS? If so the installer needs to be booted as a UEFI Device or it will not install. Flash media must be formatted using Media Creation tool, or Rufus for UEFI/GPT.

 

From what I have read in other posts on this forum, it's recommended you upgrade prior to clean installing to avoid any issues . That being said I would say check this site out prior to making your decision How to do a clean installation of Windows 10 | Windows Central

 

The WindowsCentral link only walks you through how to do a clean install AFTER doing the upgrade.

So basically, I believe the current consensus (in answer to your question) is NO -- a clean install of Win10 on a PC not previously upgraded is NOT going to accept your product key to activate Win10.

Note: If anyone has actually done this -- activated Win10 by entering a Win7/8/8.1 key -- then please respond to this post, as I am very interested in doing the Win10 installations this way.

 

If planning on performing a clean installation I would recommend a full backup of your windows installation you currently have , this is due to a clean install wiping all prior OS and files out as part of the process. Have heard many horror stories of people attempting this and losing everything and having to start from total scratch by not being prepared for the repercussions a clean install brings to the table.

Also would like to add that the upgrade goes off of a hardware ID hash made as part of the upgrading process , as far as I know without buying a retail version of win 10 there is no viable product key method as windows 8/8.1 aren't compatible . Win 10 creates a hardware hash sends it to MS authentication servers which then send the machine a certificate that allows the upgrade to be activated. The only way I am aware of to acquire an actual win 10 product key is to buy the retail version which makes upgrading redundant.