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Thread: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

  1. #33
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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Quote Originally Posted by DDY View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by GuidoLS View Post
    I understood your question just fine. The people I've seen on Hexus who said that s/he entered a key also stated it didn't work - those being Jonj1611 & Lil-Diabo. Those that did an in-place upgrade had an activated Win10 at the end of the process. I'm not sure what happened with Stevie Lee's system, as he is the first person I've seen doing an update from an extracted ISO to HD.

    For those that tried using the clean install from the start, and got "Error code: 0xC004C003. Activation server determined that the key has been blocked", pull up an administrator command line (OMG DOS) and type the following command:

    slmgr.vbs /ato

    You may have to do this a few times, as the activation servers got slammed hard today (over 14 million upgrades went through on day 1. That's roughly 162 per second for those doing the math - Source).

    As an FYI to everyone, neither Speccy nor Magic Jellybean are returning the actual license key that's generated. They're posting a generic code that everyone seems to be getting (VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T). This is NOT your Win10 key. I'll post a VBS script that returns the actual key in its own thread so more people can find it. Can you use this key to activate another machine? I don't know, and I'm not apt to test it. I'm not going to say your usage is unique, but it does seem a bit unusual...
    I wouldn't say my usage is unusual, in fact I'd say on a forum like this, where re-installing Windows after a major system upgrade which in licencing terms would constitute a different machine, is fairly frequent.

    So back to my original question, which to be fair you first answered "do nothing" which is what lead me to believe you've misunderstood my question.

    Quote Originally Posted by DDY View Post
    I've got a number of Win 7 and 8 retail licences which I transfer between machines, how would I go about transferring the activation after doing an in-place upgrade?
    I tried your script form your other thread and it produced a key, however Windows 10 setup says it is an invalid key, so I doubt you can use said key to do transfer of licenses to another machine.

    And I previously answered the question about transferring license, by re-installing old OS either Win 7 or win 8.1 then doing phone activation, then doing a windows 10 upgrade again to register new hardware details with Microsoft (as long as within year free upgrade period), you can then clean install on the new machine as much as you like forever as long as you don;t change motherboard.

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Quote Originally Posted by mjgr33n View Post
    I tried your script form your other thread and it produced a key, however Windows 10 setup says it is an invalid key, so I doubt you can use said key to do transfer of licenses to another machine.

    And I previously answered the question about transferring license, by re-installing old OS either Win 7 or win 8.1 then doing phone activation, then doing a windows 10 upgrade again to register new hardware details with Microsoft (as long as within year free upgrade period), you can then clean install on the new machine as much as you like forever as long as you don;t change motherboard.
    I know you said that it windows setup says it's an invalid key, but I wonder if you could proceed to install without a key and then use slmgr /ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx afterwards

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Quote Originally Posted by Lil-Diabo View Post
    I know you said that it windows setup says it's an invalid key, but I wonder if you could proceed to install without a key and then use slmgr /ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx afterwards
    Like you could with upgrade keys? I used to have to do that with a Windows 8 pro upgrade key when I was installing Windows 8.1, until they came out with IR5 media which did not care about such.

    Certainly a possibility, but a complete headache for me to attempt as would have to test on a separate machine, because as soon as I do not put a key on the install of machine I have activated with already it will just activate itself anyway

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Quote Originally Posted by leejay_1145 View Post
    I had a chat conversation on one of the Microsoft help desk. and he said that the windows 10 validates the license on the base o.s of the machine so you can't do a clean installation of windows 10.. if you do the clean installation it will remove everything in your drive so windows 10 has nothing to validate instead it will ask a product key.. I told him the procedure of upgrading first until windows 10 recognize the device as license then do the clean installation. he said the it won't works.
    what can you say about that?
    The guy you spoke to is a moron who does not even read their own media

    FYI I have upgraded 2 desktops and 2 laptops with Windows 10 then proceeded to clean install Windows 10 on them. Clean install works fine as long as machine has been activated before with windows 10, when it comes to entering the key, just skip it each time and it will actiavte fine.

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    For the second time my laptop has been on, at login screen, when I've woken up in the morning. I can only assume that Windows 10 takes itself out of sleep and either gets stuck at login in an effort to apply the updates during the early hours or it installs updates and then doesn't switch off.

  6. #38
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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Quote Originally Posted by mjgr33n View Post
    The guy you spoke to is a moron who does not even read their own media

    FYI I have upgraded 2 desktops and 2 laptops with Windows 10 then proceeded to clean install Windows 10 on them. Clean install works fine as long as machine has been activated before with windows 10, when it comes to entering the key, just skip it each time and it will actiavte fine.
    This is correct according to what I've read, you upgrade first and the activation generates a unique key for your hardware on Microsoft's servers. When you do a clean install, skip when it asks for the key, when you connect online Microsoft's servers will identify and activate based on your hardware key.

    The 3 questions I haven't seen answered:

    1) What components can be changed to still be considered as same hardware key? Presumably it is just the motherboard and BIOS upgrades are allowed...?

    2) Presumably the product key, if extracted after the upgrade, is tied against the hardware key. So, if I upgrade/clean install on my current machine and decide to buy a new machine next year I can not transfer the license...?

    3) There is mention of an "MS account". What is this? MS Live/Games? Is it required or optional?

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Quote Originally Posted by f350 View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by mjgr33n View Post
    The guy you spoke to is a moron who does not even read their own media

    FYI I have upgraded 2 desktops and 2 laptops with Windows 10 then proceeded to clean install Windows 10 on them. Clean install works fine as long as machine has been activated before with windows 10, when it comes to entering the key, just skip it each time and it will actiavte fine.
    This is correct according to what I've read, you upgrade first and the activation generates a unique key for your hardware on Microsoft's servers. When you do a clean install, skip when it asks for the key, when you connect online Microsoft's servers will identify and activate based on your hardware key.

    The 3 questions I haven't seen answered:

    1) What components can be changed to still be considered as same hardware key? Presumably it is just the motherboard and BIOS upgrades are allowed...?

    2) Presumably the product key, if extracted after the upgrade, is tied against the hardware key. So, if I upgrade/clean install on my current machine and decide to buy a new machine next year I can not transfer the license...?

    3) There is mention of an "MS account". What is this? MS Live/Games? Is it required or optional?
    1). Gabe from Microsoft said they have been more forgiving on hardware changes with Windows 10, you cna change most things no problem but definitely not motherboard, there have been cases of people updating there BIOS and it losing activation, but I assume this is very isolated cases which involved a very dodgy BIOS, but yeah BIOS in general is fine also )))

    2). Everything myself and numerous other experts have seen and form what have gleaned from Microsoft and Gabriel Auls tweets suggest there is no key you can extract, your hardware ID is activated against a generic key for life, if your hardware ID is not registered then it will go into a trial mode.

    3). No need to have a Microsoft account unless you either want to be an Insider or use some features, definitely optional.

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    FYI I tried that script to extract key in other forum and it gave me the same key back for all my machines, so definitely not a unique key either.

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Have upgraded my netbook for target practice, but trying to download the Pro media, the download is crawling. I guess the MS servers are really overloaded.

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    My goal had been to upgrade my old Win7 laptop with Win10 and an new hard drive, figured I would be able to just swap the drive, install Win10 and then input the old Win7 Key to activate. I had hoped to keep the Win7 system disk as an emergency backup if Win10 doesn't work out.

    It sounds like this won't be possible.

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Quote Originally Posted by gordon861 View Post
    My goal had been to upgrade my old Win7 laptop with Win10 and an new hard drive, figured I would be able to just swap the drive, install Win10 and then input the old Win7 Key to activate. I had hoped to keep the Win7 system disk as an emergency backup if Win10 doesn't work out.

    It sounds like this won't be possible.
    Upgrade to Win 10 then swap hard drive then do a clean install.

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Quote Originally Posted by mjgr33n View Post
    I tried your script form your other thread and it produced a key, however Windows 10 setup says it is an invalid key, so I doubt you can use said key to do transfer of licenses to another machine.

    And I previously answered the question about transferring license, by re-installing old OS either Win 7 or win 8.1 then doing phone activation, then doing a windows 10 upgrade again to register new hardware details with Microsoft (as long as within year free upgrade period), you can then clean install on the new machine as much as you like forever as long as you don;t change motherboard.
    My script? You mean GuidoLS's right? http://forums.hexus.net/windows/3424...ml#post3508490

    I can just about stomach installing Windows three times, but what happens after a year and I change machine? No more Windows 10?

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Quote Originally Posted by mjgr33n View Post
    Upgrade to Win 10 then swap hard drive then do a clean install.
    Yes, but that means doing two Win10 installs rather than just the one and also means I no longer have my Win7 downgrade option as I have no media for the OEM Win7 install. So sort of a lose-lose result.

    Also from the test phase on Win10 I found new installs were mush quicker than upgrades.

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Quote Originally Posted by gordon861 View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by mjgr33n View Post
    Upgrade to Win 10 then swap hard drive then do a clean install.
    Yes, but that means doing two Win10 installs rather than just the one and also means I no longer have my Win7 downgrade option as I have no media for the OEM Win7 install. So sort of a lose-lose result.

    Also from the test phase on Win10 I found new installs were mush quicker than upgrades.
    How about clone old hard drive to new drive, using external usb3 to sata converter, then swap the new hard drive in then upgrade to windows 10, that should surely be easiest option.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Startech-inch-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ is under £10.

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Quote Originally Posted by mjgr33n View Post
    1). Gabe from Microsoft said they have been more forgiving on hardware changes with Windows 10, you cna change most things no problem but definitely not motherboard, there have been cases of people updating there BIOS and it losing activation, but I assume this is very isolated cases which involved a very dodgy BIOS, but yeah BIOS in general is fine also )))

    2). Everything myself and numerous other experts have seen and form what have gleaned from Microsoft and Gabriel Auls tweets suggest there is no key you can extract, your hardware ID is activated against a generic key for life, if your hardware ID is not registered then it will go into a trial mode.

    3). No need to have a Microsoft account unless you either want to be an Insider or use some features, definitely optional.
    This is good, not interested in optional features associated with MS account. Thanks.

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    Re: How to clean install Windows 10 from a USB drive

    Quote Originally Posted by DDY View Post
    I wouldn't say my usage is unusual, in fact I'd say on a forum like this, where re-installing Windows after a major system upgrade which in licencing terms would constitute a different machine, is fairly frequent.

    So back to my original question, which to be fair you first answered "do nothing" which is what lead me to believe you've misunderstood my question.
    I believe noone here really grasps what you (and I, for that matter) would like to know. Namely, what happens with the product key of that retail Win 7/8.1 you upgrade to Win 10. Everyone keeps blabbing about in-place upgrades, but that's completely beside the point. The point is: will I be able to take that Win 10 I've upgraded to from a retail Win 7/8.1 to a new machine or not (retiring the old machine, of course). And I *still* haven't seen this answered unequivocally. Seems, neither have you.

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