Windows 10: Windows 10 Pro Upgrade from Win 8.1 Pro license key

"You upgraded to Windows 10, but didn't have a previous version or the correct edition of Windows installed (error 0xC004F061)

If you see error 0xC004F061 when you try to activate Windows 10, it means one of the following:

• You're using a product key to upgrade to Windows 10, but a previous version of Windows wasn't installed on your PC. To update, you need to have Windows 8 or Windows 7 already on your PC.
  If you formatted or replaced your hard drive, you won't be able to use a product key to update to Windows 10. You'll need to install your previous version of Windows, and then reinstall Windows 10."
  
  I don't think it gets much clearer than that , quoted straight from Why cant I activate Windows 10? - Windows Help
  

 

Unfortunately, people won't read that until it's too late.... but, I'd be willing to bet a dollar against a doughnut that all they would have to do is call Microsoft Activation Help phone number, give them the product ID their computer shows and get the return code to activate it.

 

I'll take your dollar *Smile People have already tried that and been told the have to reinstall their qualifying OS then upgrade and activate, then they can do a clean install.

 

I do agree Ms could have made the clean installation a bit easier. However it is FREE after all , so I would expect some hiccups with attempting to clean install a "free upgrade"

 

I did find this eventually and did call MS to see if there was a way to use my genuine product key on a clean install but they said to follow the instructions as per the "Why cant I activate Windows 10? - Windows Help" . In the old days as long as you had a genuine product key from a qualifying OS you would have been ok but the rules have changed . Never mind all's well that ends well .

 

As NavyLCDR rightly stated, Windows 10 doesn't care about keys. Everythign is based on a hardware has that is generated and stored on a Microsoft server. The use of Keys (so far) is gone with Windows 10 though we don't know yet what happens with a retail version you purchase. There has top be some validation method, I wonder what it is?

 

When you install a retail version, you would enter the retail key for it when prompted during the install. This would allow Windows 10 to activate itself using a hardware ID not found on the MS Activation Server - and then just like the upgrade, I would be willing to bet the new hardware ID would then be stored and future installs on that same PC would not require a key to be entered.

Windows 10 first looks on the activation server to see if the unique hardware ID is present for that version of Windows 10 (pro or home). If it is, it activates. If it doesn't find that unique hardware ID on the activation server, it looks for an authorized method of adding it - such as it was a qualified upgrade installed, or a valid license key was manually entered. Then it will store the hardware ID on the activation server for future activations.

 

Thank you for the information.....and that sucks.

 

I think its a good way forward for the everyday pc/ laptop user who might do a fresh install only occasionally but annoying for pc enthusiasts who often upgrade hardware to keep up with the latest and greatest who would probably need to call the activation line if they changed major components or created a new rig but wanted their windows 10 on that new rig ( also if I was buying a second hand machine I would need to see the OS running and activated rather than as is usually done seeing set up paused at the beginning of the OS set up because the previous owner wiped ( for security reasons) the HDD ) , in other words the windows 10 OS now belongs to the machine . S

 

I got the same serial number !! Now same serial will be on more than one PC !! Also my friend got a serial that is the same as his brother's !! What does that mean?!
Thanks

 

Once again, this should be a "sticky" *Smile No keys are involved

"The basic process is that when you perform an upgrade to Windows 10 (over a genuine Windows 7 or 8.1 system), an anonymous and unique hardware hash is generated that is based on your systems hardware configuration. Since it is anonymous, you do not have to use a Microsoft Account. This hardware hash is generated even if you choose to install Windows 10 with a Local Account.
That same hardware hash is sent to Microsoft servers and a corresponding certificate is created to validate your systems activation status. From this point forward any future installs, including one where you delete all partitions and install Windows 10 from scratch, will be activated because of that unique hardware hash and the corresponding certificate. Since it is all stored on Microsoft’s servers there is no reason for us to keep a backup either."
http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/h...s-10-activated

 

I can't recall any Microsoft OS upgrade that directly accepted the key from an earlier product.

XP required insertion of an installation CD from an earlier product. (No install key for that earlier product was needed. As the Win95 and 98 CDs were copyable, there's an obvious form of casual piracy that was available.) Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that all upgrade versions from Vista on have had to be installed from an installed and activated qualifying OS.

 

Thanks

 

ok, someone else brought this up . Lets say you have a windows 8.1 pro install and a windows 8 home . Now if you disconnect the windows 8 home and only have 8.1 pro, you go to upgrade to the free windows 10 pro . Afterwards you make sure your activated ( certificate ) and are . Then create a windows 10 pro disk . Then disconnect the now new 10 pro drive and reconnect the 8 home drive . Now the question ... Can you use the 10 pro disk to upgrade the 8 home version to 10 pro since the PC has been certificate to 10 pro . This way all the files, programs and what not stay intact from the 8 home to a 10 pro ... Can it be done ?

 

No, there were various tricks for clean installing W7/8 upgrades. I used to favour the "double install" trick, there were other methods.
http://winsupersite.com/article/wind...e-media-128512