W10 Pro to W10 Pro Installation / Upgrade?

Mike Lynch · 4 Weeks Ago

I have a W-10 Pro 64 PC that has POS Software on it and has some type of infection. Please let's not get into it right now.
The supplier of the POS Software only provides a Version that runs under W-10 Pro.
Is there a way for me to find the W-10 Pro License on this System and somehow download a free copy of W-10 Pro and apply the license to it.
I will disconnect the Hard Drive with the W-10 Pro "infected" info on it and replace it with a new Drive.
With a fresh copy of W-10 Pro on a new Drive, the POS Supplier will rebuild their Software on it.
Can / will any member help me through this?
Thanks in advance.

Mike Lynch

MisterEd · 4 Weeks Ago

First make sure that Window 10 Pro is activated with a Digital License. If it is then you can reinstall Window 10 Pro without worrying about its product key. Once you install Windows 10 Pro again just select you don't have a product key. When it goes to activate Windows 10 it should activate automatically.

W10 Pro to W10 Pro Installation / Upgrade?-windows-10-activation.jpg

Get a 8GB or larger USB flash drive. You will be overwriting everything on it so make sure there is nothing on it that is important.

Plug the flash drive into a USB port on your computer.

Go to this website: Download Windows 10

Scroll down to: Create Windows 10 installation media

Select Download Now.

Run: MediaCreationTool_22H2.exe

Select: Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC.

The USB flash drive is the default so you can keep clicking Next until it starts to create the Window 10 setup flash drive.

Bree · 4 Weeks Ago

Mike Lynch said:

Is there a way for me to find the W-10 Pro License on this System and somehow download a free copy of W-10 Pro and apply the license to it.

As @MisterEd says, you don't need to find a key once the PC has a digital licence. Activation in W10 works quite differently from W7. When W10 has been activated on a PC a digital licence is stored on the Microsoft activation servers and linked to the hardware ID of the PC. You can clean install W10 without providing a key, as soon as it can contact the activation servers it will activate from the existing digital licence.

Downloading W10 direct from Microsoft has changed too. It's freely downloadable and you won't be asked to provide a key to get it (as you were for W7). Make an install USB using Option One here:

Create Bootable USB Flash Drive to Install Windows 10 | Tutorials

Mike Lynch · 4 Weeks Ago

Question:

The POS PC has been in existence for about three years or more.
Would Digital Versions have been around that long?
If not, do I have another path to moving the License?

ALSO

With the License being tied to the PC's Hardware ID, does this cause a problem when migrating to a new machine (hardware)?

Best regards,

Mike

samuria · 4 Weeks Ago

If its a new pc then its likely you need to buy windows

Bree · 4 Weeks Ago

Mike Lynch said:

Question:

The POS PC has been in existence for about three years or more.
Would Digital Versions have been around that long?
If not, do I have another path to moving the License?

ALSO

With the License being tied to the PC's Hardware ID, does this cause a problem when migrating to a new machine (hardware)?

Best regards,

Mike

The digital licence was introduced with the launch of Windows 10 in 2015. It has not change with the launch of Windows 11, the digital licence is valid for both.

the EULA permits a W10 Retail key to be moved to another machine, provided you remove Windows from the first machine. I understand you can use a Retail key to activate a replacement machine about 3 times before you'll be asked to use telephone activation. Then you'll need to confirm to MS that you are no longer using it on any other PC before they will activate it for you.

An OEM key is tied to the first machine it was installed on, if you try to use it again on another PC you'll be blocked.

A digital licence for W10/11, however obtained, can be moved to a new machine after a major hardware change (this could be anything from changing the motherboard up to moving the OS to a completely new replacement machine as I had to do). To do this you need to first have signed into the original machine with your Microsoft account. On the new machine you run the Activation Troubleshooter, tell it you have changed hardware, then it asks you to sign in to your MS account and select the original PC that had the digital licence. It will then activate the new machine.

Use Activation Troubleshooter in Windows 10 | Tutorials