Windows 10: Will windows 10 update provide a product key for clean install?

Many thanks - at least i know that now I have activated I can take the time to setup a dual boot and work out my raid drives. thanks for the quick response

 

There is a bug in the installer that sometimes insists on a product key so if that happens, go ahead with the dummy key and then use phone activation. It took me an hour on the phone but the retail key made that worthwhile.

 

Thanks for input. I have successfully installed Windows 10 in a dual boot as before with Win 8.1. According to MSoft Technical via a phone call there is no way to activate Win 10 this way unless I first upgrade Win 8.1 by overwriting it which I did not want to do.

Why this is necessary when MS could still read my Win 8.1 and hardware config via clean install of Win 10 on my dual boot arrangement. Its all on same machine!

 

Pro is typically used when group policy is needed or you have an Active Directory to join. Often times this is in a business, but it's not necessary. If you have these needs, buy Pro. Otherwise, save your money and buy Home. There is no stability differences in these versions.

 

To be clear, as long as you don't change you'r hardware you will be fine to re install as many time as you want WITHOUT entering any keys. It is actually saved with your motherboard in the Microsoft activation server.

 

You do not need to overwrite your current Windows 8.1 installation.

1. Do a clean installation of Windows 8.1 to another partition or hard drive to create a dual boot setup.

2. Upgrade Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 from Windows 10 USB/DVD/ISO.

 

You might try this, although I don't know if it will work once you have tried once to activate Windows 10 clean install and failed:
Why Activate? - Windows 10 Forums

Basically, make sure your computer has no ability to connect to the internet. Run the gatherosstate program on your Windows 8.1 partition. Copy the resulting XML file to the proper location on you Windows 10 partition. Reboot Windows 10 at least once with the XML file saved. Then connect to the internet again with Windows 10 and hope for the best.

 

Windows 10 Pro also has BitLocker..

 

Because ... MS decided to change the Activation method for the free Upgrade. However, I did read recently where someone had a long discussion with MS Support and were told that MS is possibly working on this activate-with-a-key approach -- which would be nice, if it turns out to be true.

 

Thanks:-well if the 30 days grace to activation still exists I will live in hope.

 

There is no 30 day grace period to activate. There is permanent reduced functionality and increasing nagging to activate.

 

Here's the way to do it, Miklos:
Activating windows 10 after major hardware change help - Page 2 - Windows 10 Forums

 

Thanks again. Thats seems a way to connect the two eligible OS without actually merging them in an overwrite. Will give it a try.

 

Hi all,
I thought I would share what happened when I tried to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10. I received the free offer to upgrade so I tried several times through Windows Update only for it to fail in the middle of it with a black screen. I would then have to force a shut down and it would attempt the repair of the upgrade and then would revert back to Windows 7. I did this 3 times and then started to search for a better way. I then tried using the MediaCreationTool provided by Microsoft directly from the PC I was trying to upgrade (I have several PC's, the one I'm typing on was 8.1 and successfully upgraded to 10 the first time). The upgrade failed again in the middle of the install with a black screen. Again, forced a shutdown and it went back to 7. After a little more digging I found a forum where someone tried by making an install disc from the mediacreationtool and then completely shut off the internet and the virus scan software. So I started the process and I only shut down the internet, it asked me if I wanted to upgrade this PC or save the files to upgrade another PC. I chose the second option and it also asked if I wanted to burn an ISO or save the files to a USB stick. I chose the USB stick and it went through the download and saved everything to my 16GB USB. Now for the extremely annoying part.... the actual upgrade.... So, I shut down the internet, I plug in the stick and start the upgrade. It goes through an initialization that I can't quite remember (sorry, I wasn't really paying attention.... thinking that it would just SHABANG and install without my help at all!! Silly me....). Then you get to the black screen that says "Upgrading Windows" and "Your PC will restart several times. Sit back and relax." which is a complete farse!! Big circle in the middle that shows your progress and then at the bottom of your screen you'll see three phases of the install:
Copying Files
Installing features and drivers
Configuring settings

Now... here's the tricky part. After it goes through the first phase of copying files (you'll see the percentage go up to 100%), it's going to go to restart, right when the PC restarts, you need to remove the USB stick. Wait until it goes back to the "Upgrading Windows" screen with the circle showing your progress, then plug the stick back in again. You'll then see that it's at the second phase, "Installing features and drivers" and that percentage will go up to 100%, the PC will then restart again. You, again, have to remove the USB stick once the PC shuts down to restart. Again, it will go back to the upgrade screen and you can then plug the USB back in. You'll now see it's at the last phase, "Configuring settings" and that percentage will slowly go up to 100%, or so I thought. I'm not as the last phase, the upgrade is 76% complete... and I'm hanging at 4% Configuring Settings.... doesn't move... I do a hard restart, unplug the USB, and expect to get back to the install screen and BOOM.... it tells me that it's "Restoring your previous version of Windows". It appears as though 5 times is NOT A CHARM!!! If anyone has any answers I would greatly appreciate it!! Extremely irritated that this wasn't tested and user's weren't informed of upgrade issues with the different versions. Don't offer me the darn free upgrade if I'm going to have to spend hours to try and troubleshoot what you should have already done the troubleshooting on!!! Sorry.... aggravated! *Sad

 

Prior to removing the USB stick throughout the install, it would ask me for a Key that I obviously didn't have and entering my Windows 7 key wasn't working. Then I realized that it wanted me to remove the USB prior to each phase and then it no longer asked me for a key. Hitting the "skip" button only brought me to a screen that said "shut down your PC and removed the media". But it bombed 3/4 of the way through anyway... ugh *Sad