Windows 10: Windows Clean Reinstall: Windows Pro changed to Home

After finally getting my drives to work (as whined about in a prior thread and I will update there), I did a clean install of Windows 10. I skipped the key part, because every where I looked, it was stated that the installation would activate the prior version.

However, I had a valid Windows 8.1 Pro, which I upgraded to Windows 10 Pro, using the free download. My drive, over the year, got buggy (especially with one who knows nothing and another who does enough to get into trouble). So, I bought a new drive, and started the install, moving the user folders to the old, completely wiped clean, drive, using the technique used here.

I have finally been cruising along, adding my users, system restore states, barebones system restore, all the things you're supposed to do. I did EVERYTHING to the T. I skipped the license key, because everyone here says the key is already restored.

My PRO version is now HOME! What? How do I fix this? I am in a flummoxed condition, because NONE of my machines have EVER been Home, ever.

Do I have to start over, install the original 8.1 with the valid key and then reinstall Windows 10, undoing everything I've managed to get done over the past two days? I'm really, really ready to cry. I do have much better things to do!

Any help would be EXTREMELY appreciated!

Tere

:)

 

Unable to update latest driver

Did you follow the steps in
Clean Install Windows 10?

Note that you can also unlock Pro Features by inserting the Pro Product Key in the lower version which you may need to do if you reinstall and an embedded Windows 10 Home Product Key forces install of Home. If it doesn't take the Product Key you can first
change the version to Pro by inserting the
Generic key to install Windows 10 Pro, then after it changes versions insert the Pro Product Key.

 

Windows 10 upgraded to wrong version (Home instead of Pro)

There is a known issue where during a Clean Reinstall of Windows 10 Upgrade in Version
1511 it will force Home version if there is embedded Windows 8 Home product key even if there is already an Entitlement for Pro. I elevated this to developers via MVP Communications channel but there is apparently no plan to change it. Meanwhile the workaround
is to insert the Pro default key to change version to Pro which will then activate with the 10 Pro Entitlement.

This thread's issue seems stranger yet since it appears it is converting versions from Pro to Home during an in-place Upgrade. Can you confirm this is what happened? Was this an in-place Upgrade of Windows 8 Pro that changed during install to Home? Was
there a Windows 8 Home embedded Product Key?

I don't think that inserting Pro Default key to change versions will work because unlike the other issue there is not yet 10 Pro Entitlement on the PC. This is supposed to be done by transferring the correct installed version of Windows 8 (Pro).

Please brief us fully so we can take necessary action.

 

Your valid Windows 8.1 Pro, was that a retail version that you purchased? I suspect the PC was originally supplied with 8.1 Home with a key for that embedded in its hardware. If so, that would have been picked up by Setup when choosing which version of 10 to install.

The good news is that (assuming its a full retail key and not an OEM one) your 8.1 Pro key should be accepted to upgrade your installed Home to Pro without the need to reinstall. Try 'Change product key' in Settings > Update & security > Activation.

 

or change product key and enter:
VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

It is the generic Windows 10 Pro product key that will activate if you had a digital license for Windows 10 Pro previously activated on that computer.

 

^^^ that would be the way to go.., a pid.txt in sources folder with that key with a clean install next time... hoping that the Creators update will give a choice as this has been an issue since Win 8.1 update.

 

I did as Bree suggested, as the original OS on the system was OEM 7, and I upgraded to 8 Pro out of the box. When I input my 8 Pro license in, let the upgrade run, remembered to connect to the Internet, and finally got the activation servers contacted -- happy, happy, joy, joy. Since I haven't done much with the system, I will make a disk image of the drive NOW, so I won't have to go through this again. This is almost three days on an installation that I had given one day for, LOL. But, now I'm cooking with gas. THANK YOU ALL! (I'm just glad that despite my daughter's insistence that I get rid of stuff like keys, I refuse and today I can say nanny nanny boo boo.) THANK YOU.

Before I mark this solved, however, will I have to do this every time if I do a clean install again, or is it SET now?

Tere

 

Read @Superfly's post below mine.

 

*Ditto to the give me a choice. It's a PITA the way it is now.

 

Windows 7 as original OS means no embedded key. And the OP posted they did a skip key. Shouldn't there have been a menu to select Home or Pro after that?

 

Yep. I was wondering that too. Unless the OP is installing Home Single Language edition or using an original build 10240 copy of Windows to install.

The order of operations for ver 1511 and ver 1607 Windows setup is:

1. PID.txt file. If it finds a product key in a PID.txt file it will use that to determine which version, Home or Pro to install, will not ask the user to enter either a product key or choose which version to install.

2. If no PID.txt file, then Windows setup will look for a product key stored in BIOS/UEFI. It will use that to determine which version, Home or Pro to install, will not ask the user to enter either a product key or choose which version to install.

3. No product key available in PID.TXT file or BIOS/UEFI, then Windows setup will ask the user to enter a product key. If the user enters a product key, it will use that to determine which version, Home or Pro to install and will not ask the user which version to install.

4. User skips entering the product key when asked, Windows setup will then ask which version to install, Home or Pro.

 

That's what I thought, thanks NavyLCDR. I haven't done a fully stock install on a PC with no embedded key in while. And my memories not what it used to be. I might have actually entered a key, and thus never saw that menu. I was pretty sure it was there though. Will the upgrade to Pro with the generic key work from Home SL? I'm thinking it won't but don't know for sure. My guess is the OP got to the Home Pro selection screen, Home was already selected as default, and just clicked next. Easy enough to do.

 

You definitely cannot upgrade Single Language to Pro with the generic Pro product key because the Pro product key is only for the full version. I'm not sure if you can upgrade Single Language to Pro using any method, but going to the Windows Store and checking there would be the way to check.

 

That's what I thought too. I'm pretty sure I've seen posts where SL was installed by accident, they thought it was the regular Home version, and it rejected any key they tried to use to switch versions. Even Home (non SL) keys.