Windows 10: Windows 10 Home Full-Retail license to Windows 10 PRO using MSDN Key

Hi

A question about license and activation. I bought several months ago a Windows 8.1 Home Full-Retail license that I had used until I've upgraded to Windows 10 on the day-one (29-7).
Since a couple of month I've a Msdn subscription from my business company so I've five Windows 10 Pro license keys at least to upgrade the Home edition installed.

My worry is:

1) May I upgrade to Pro from Home without a clean install?

2) May I come back to Home full-retail license from Pro license (Oem?) using the Windows 8.1 product key I've printed on the original package?

Thanks a lot.

:)

 

Information about MSDN Product Key

I need to know about MSDN code. I bought an MSDN Key for Windows 10 Pro, what will be differences if I had bought Retail License?

Will I have the license if I need to Re-Install Windows when I had activated the Windows using MSDN Product Key??

 

I own windows 10 pro and windows 10 home. Can I switch the product keys between the pc's

If both are retail Windows 10 Home and Pro are retail store bought licenses, yes, you can swap them.

If either one is an OEM license, the answer is no.

Only one would be eligible for switching if both are retail.

Windows 10 Pro will not downgrade to Home, but Home will upgrade to Pro if you enter the key.

The system running Windows 10 Pro will need to be downgraded manually.

 

Yes. Go to settings - update & security - activation tab. Change product key. If the Windows 10 Pro product key from MSDN is not accepted then enter the Windows 10 Pro generic product key to trigger the upgrade, then go back a second time and enter the MSDN product key to activate it. The Windows 10 Pro generic product key is:
VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

You will have to do a clean install to go back to home version, though, but you will still have your previous activation stored, so it will activate.

 

Thank you

No problem with the upgrade , quite fast , maybe five-ten minutes only.

The "multiple activation" type in the Msdn product key requested doesn't work. Instead the "Retail" activation type work fine.

Retail Retail keys allow multiple activations and are used for retail builds of the product. In many cases, 10 activations are allowed per key, though often more are allowed on the same machine. Multiple Activation A Multiple Activation Key (MAK) enables you to activate multiple installations of a product with the same key. MAKs are generally used with Volume Licensing versions of products. Typically, only one MAK key is provided per subscription.

 

MAK's are for Pro Volume Licence and Enterprise ISO's - they will not work with with Retail edition installations.

PS: Some useless info: Retail keys work on a VL iso though...

 

Which VL ISO? MSDN only lists a Multi edition Windows 10 ISO and an Enterprise ISO. There isn't a separate Windows 10 VL ISO. My MSDN MAK key works with the Multi Edition ISO, as far as I know. I haven't actually used it, not yet anyway. With the free upgrade I haven't used any of my MSDN Windows 10 keys.

 

The ISO's available to VL subscribers :
Volume Licensing Service Center

 

Is that ISO actually different from the Multi edition ISO?

 

Yep, they have a built in key for VL (KMS) activation - also in Win 8 they did not have Media Centre (i.e. one could not upgrade to WMC as with a Retail version).

 

Ok, thanks for the added info. That's something I didn't know. Enterprise ISO's have a built in key too. They won't activate with that key though. You have to do a change key and enter your key after the install is done. That had me scratching my head the first time I installed Enterprise. Anyway Happy Christmas and a Merry New year.