cookie_monster Posted August 3, 2015 Posted August 3, 2015 Can you restore to a different drive? If not you'll need to make/get 8.1 media. I backed up the recovery partition to USB before upgrading to 10. So I guess I'll just restore that and then upgrade if I need to do a clean restore. I'm hoping not to have to do it for a while anyway.
BassTech Posted August 3, 2015 Posted August 3, 2015 (edited) So I'm better off imaging my current set up to my SSD and then by using the recovery options in windows 10 to start fresh? This is what I did to do a clean install from Windows 7 Ultimate > Windows 10 Pro fully activated, using my Windows 8.1 Pro license: Clean installed 8.1 Pro onto a new SSD drive and activated. Upgraded 8.1 Pro > 10 Pro (using the Win 10 ISO burnt onto a DVD) and activated it. Used magicaljellybean to backup/save my Windows 10 Pro key. Booted from the Win 10 Pro DVD used to upgrade from 8.1, formatted the SSD drive, created a new partition and clean-installed Windows 10 Pro. When prompted, I entered the key got from magicaljellybean. Once Win 10 installed, checked to see if it was activated and it was! Edited August 3, 2015 by BassTech
Arthur Posted August 3, 2015 Posted August 3, 2015 I upgraded my current Windows 8.1 installation to 10, created the media, installed a clean copy of Windows 10 to my new SSD and it didn't activate. I then spent 2 hours with a service contact at Microsoft who remoted in and finally confirmed to me that it wouldn't activate because the license is linked to the original drive and the clean install will only activate on the same drive that I originally upgraded to 10 on. Just spotted the following on the MS website. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/why-activate-windows-10 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'm guessing that if you replace your HDD/SSD after 29/07/2016 you will either have to buy a brand new Windows 10 license or activate by phone (and maybe say your drive failed)?
JRowley Posted August 3, 2015 Posted August 3, 2015 (edited) Just spotted the following on the MS website. Why can't I activate Windows 10? - Windows Help I'm guessing that if you replace your HDD/SSD after 29/07/2016 you will either have to buy a brand new Windows 10 license or activate by phone (and maybe say your drive failed)? Yeah I read that, but as I wasn't getting that error I ignored it, and I didn't think it was applicable as I didn't use a product key to update to Windows 10. But anyway done now. Yeah this whole situation is really messed up. I don't know if anyone remembers the upgrade offer from 7 to 8, but basically you could get it for dirt cheap, well as it happens that means you got a license for dirt cheap. Where as with 8.1 and now 10 because it's free you don't get a license you just get a free upgrade. It's so unbelievably stupid. I wish they had charged 1p for Windows 10 just so that I wouldn't be put in this ridiculous situation where I have to install from 8 to get back to where I was in the event of a failure, or as Arthur says, ring up and beg after the offer ends. Edited August 3, 2015 by JRowley
abillybob Posted August 3, 2015 Posted August 3, 2015 Ugh. Re-imaging my Surface... I just feel so dirty when I do a standard 'Upgrade', has to be done to put my mind at rest. My OCD is getting worse I swear!
googlemad Posted August 3, 2015 Posted August 3, 2015 So if I install Windows 10 on my work PC can I still join the Server 2008 R2 domain and access all my mapped drives and the like? There aren't too many group policy settings applied to my system...
Gatt Posted August 3, 2015 Posted August 3, 2015 So if I install Windows 10 on my work PC can I still join the Server 2008 R2 domain and access all my mapped drives and the like? There aren't too many group policy settings applied to my system... Yeah should be fine - it's been like for all other versions You just wont be able to manage Windows 10 GPO's from the Domain without copying them to the DC's Central Policy Store
AJWhite1970 Posted August 3, 2015 Posted August 3, 2015 Just for a laugh I in-place upgraded a freshly built staff win 7 pc this morning to see how much of a mess it would create. Amazed to find that after the upgrade the win 10 pc was still connected to the domain and 99% of the installed software (O2K, CS4, SIMS etc) all still worked, nw printers included. While I will be building a win 10 image from scratch it was still pretty impressive.
Arthur Posted August 4, 2015 Posted August 4, 2015 It's so unbelievably stupid. Stupid and confusing. It's hard to know what to believe since there are so many conflicting answers. www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2015/jun/25/microsoft-windows-10-free-upgrade-7-questions-answered Store-based activation I built my own PC two years ago and am thinking of changing my processor. Will I need to buy a new copy of Windows or a new license since the registration key is tied to the motherboard? If Microsoft allows the free upgrade to Windows 10 to be burned to disc, and provides a registration key, will I be able to switch the motherboard and install Windows 10 just like a new copy of Windows 7 or 8.1? Cory Tricky question. I asked Microsoft UK, which said: “If a customer has already taken the upgrade, they will be able to clean install back to Windows 10 because their device will have been provisioned with the new store-based license. No product key interaction required. Just ‘Skip Key’ and it’ll activate once installed.” So, keep your current system, and do an “in place” upgrade to Windows 10. Use a Microsoft identity – such as an Outlook.com or Hotmail email address – to create your Administrator account to access the online Windows Store. The store-based license key will supersede the registration key that is locked to your PC’s motherboard. After that, you can change the motherboard, check that activation still works, then do a clean installation to a new drive. The following image I found via Reddit implies that you can't change any hardware without Windows deactivating itself. https://imgur.com/gallery/8OJ4t http://vgy.me/1RFuwh.png
JRowley Posted August 4, 2015 Posted August 4, 2015 That cannot possibly be true, for example if you were to upgrade the ram on a laptop you would need to reinstall Windows? That sounds like a step to far to me, even for Microsoft.
GuyJD Posted August 4, 2015 Posted August 4, 2015 I recently upgraded my mobo and processor and Ram on my gaming PC it was running the preview program final release before it was due to roll over to the full release and the upgrade has de-activated the install even though it's rolled over to the final release it still hasn't activated, my work PC and Laptop have both rolled over fine but after trying pretty much everything I can think of it looks like I'm going to have to install 8.1 and upgrade it to get it activated again. Oh and one other thing I noticed someone said that you'd have to re-upgrade if you install a graphics card, I did this too a few weeks back and windows 10 stayed activated, this was on the preview release but I can't see it being different for the full release.
gshaw Posted August 5, 2015 Posted August 5, 2015 I thought the components that used to re-trigger activation were motherboard and HDD, other bits like RAM and graphics card are usually OK. MS have made this free upgrade way more complicated than it needs to be imo.
newpersn Posted August 8, 2015 Posted August 8, 2015 Installed my ssd. Instead of messing around windows 10 key I'm gonna install windows 7. Install updates then install windows 10.
LosOjos Posted August 10, 2015 Posted August 10, 2015 I'm gonna install windows 7. Install updates then install windows 10. Why bother installing Windows 7 updates if you're going to upgrade to 10?
fiza Posted August 10, 2015 Posted August 10, 2015 I have successfully upgraded 2 laptops but for some unknown reason I cant upgrade a 3rd laptop. It keeps failing the upgrade and reverting to Windows 7. The message I get is ; "Windows 10 could not be installed - Errors found - C1900101-2000C - Windows update encountered an unknown error". I have tried upgrading using the USB drive method but get the same error. The laptop is a Dell Inspiron with 4GB and plenty of hard drive space. Anyone any ideas?
Arthur Posted August 10, 2015 Posted August 10, 2015 Why bother installing Windows 7 updates if you're going to upgrade to 10? Isn't IE11 one of the prerequisites for upgrading to Windows 10 from Windows 7?
sparkeh Posted August 10, 2015 Posted August 10, 2015 Isn't IE11 one of the prerequisites for upgrading to Windows 10 from Windows 7? Only prereq I have seen is to have SP1 installed. Do you have a link to that info?
Arthur Posted August 10, 2015 Posted August 10, 2015 Only prereq I have seen is to have SP1 installed. Do you have a link to that info? 6. If you are using an older version of Internet Explorer web browser in Windows 7, you must upgrade to the latest version i.e. IE11. Once you upgrade to IE11, run Windows Update and Windows will find and install the required updates to show Windows 10 upgrade app icon. www.askvg.com/fix-get-windows-10-upgrade-app-icon-is-missing-in-taskbar/ IIRC I also remember it being mentioned in one of the MS Ignite videos about Windows 10, but can't remember which one. 1
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