Upgrade to a fresh PC using Windows 10 with the W8 key.
Upgrade to a fresh PC using Windows 10 with the W8 key.
Hello everyone, I'm planning to assemble a new PC and install Windows 10. I've learned that Microsoft has started accepting Windows 7/8/8.1 keys for W10 since the 10586 release, but I'm curious—do these only apply to versions that were already activated? I have an old serial for Windows 8 and want to avoid re-installing or upgrading on a new machine. Can a fresh installation of W10 work using the W8 key with a recent (10586 or newer) build? Thanks ahead of time!
You might need to upgrade to version 8.0 or higher, then follow the upgrade steps. Your current key will become outdated, and you may have to reinstall Windows 10 from scratch.
The difference comes from minor variations in the BIOS settings or firmware updates, even if the core hardware remains the same.
Set up Windows 8 using the traditional approach, then leverage a tool within Windows 10 to create a bootable DVD or USB. After that, format the hard drive and install Windows 10 from scratch. You’ll need to activate it manually since Microsoft prevents direct burning of a bootable USB or DVD on another system. The motherboard information helps enforce this restriction.
This means you can reinstall Windows 10 on any device using previous version keys. It also suggests uncertainty about whether the activation status needs to be verified or if it's possible to use an unactivated copy.
I attempted a fresh 10 1151 setup last week on my new build using the 8 Pro key, but it wouldn't activate because the key was already in use and phone activation failed due to an invalid key. I had to remove 10, switch to 8.1 Pro, activate it, upgrade back to 10, confirm activation, and then reinstall 10. It didn't work for me.