Formatting a laptop with Windows 10

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Resolve

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Hi guys,

Just a quick question about something I'm not sure about.

Last year I did the free upgrade from Win 7 to Win 10. I'm upgrading my laptop now with an SSD now.
I take I will have to reinstall Win 7 and if I want Win 10 again I will have to buy it?

Thanks in advance.
 
nope you wont have to rebuy it i reinsall my free upgrade version of win 10 from time to time just use the same CD key you used to upgrade.
 
Same motherboard ? with the same BIOS?

Why don't you create yourself an installation media before you do the SSD upgrade? Follow the instructions for doing on:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Then make sure you know what the product keys are by using this simple little routine:

https://www.tenforums.com/software-apps/2577-showkeyplus.html

Make sure you have saved all your other files etc.

Then you should be able to recover an get WIN 10 back up and running on the new SSD.
 
Produkey can get your key quickly if you have lost it somehow. Download an image of Windows 10. Easy process.

Or rather go back to Windows 7. What were you thinking. Lol. Just kidding.
 
You should be able to install Win10 directly - it should activate if it still the same laptop.
 
grump_grouch said:
You should be able to install Win10 directly - it should activate if it still the same laptop.
Click to expand...

I should state that this originally was a Win 7 laptop. Still has the Win 7 key underneath. I got the keys from produkey as well. Should then be able to get Win 10 to work
 
flamevector said:
nope you wont have to rebuy it i reinsall my free upgrade version of win 10 from time to time just use the same CD key you used to upgrade.
Click to expand...

Ive also done a reinstall with Win 10 on this laptop before. But this is a new SSD. So will see if the keys I pulled activates the Win 10 install.
 
Resolve said:
I should state that this originally was a Win 7 laptop. Still has the Win 7 key underneath. I got the keys from produkey as well. Should then be able to get Win 10 to work
Click to expand...

Will still activate. MS keeps your hardware info on the activation servers. You won't even have to enter a key upon reinstallation IIRC. Download the latest Win 10 Creators Update iso from MS before you format.
 
werfie said:
Will still activate. MS keeps your hardware info on the activation servers. You won't even have to enter a key upon reinstallation IIRC. Download the latest Win 10 Creators Update iso from MS before you format.
Click to expand...

And choose the WIN 10 Pro !
 
There's a far simpler solution that I followed in December: buy a cheap external hard drive enclosure as well as an SSD. Put the SSD into the external enclosure and connect it via USB to your computer. Use the free software included with your SSD to clone the old laptop hard drive (after deleting sufficient contents so that it'll fit on the SSD's capacity). Take out the old laptop hard drive and put in the new SSD. Turn on laptop and voila: everything is there exactly how you want it, no activations or anything to worry about. As far as Windows is concerned it's the same system.
 
Foxhound5366 said:
There's a far simpler solution that I followed in December: buy a cheap external hard drive enclosure as well as an SSD. Put the SSD into the external enclosure and connect it via USB to your computer. Use the free software included with your SSD to clone the old laptop hard drive (after deleting sufficient contents so that it'll fit on the SSD's capacity). Take out the old laptop hard drive and put in the new SSD. Turn on laptop and voila: everything is there exactly how you want it, no activations or anything to worry about. As far as Windows is concerned it's the same system.
Click to expand...

Agreed, that is another option. Don't know I agree that is simpler though.
 
Foxhound5366 said:
There's a far simpler solution that I followed in December: buy a cheap USB 3.0 external hard drive enclosure as well as an SSD. Put the SSD into the external enclosure and connect it via USB to your computer's USB 3.0 port. Use the free software included with your SSD to clone the old laptop hard drive (after deleting sufficient contents so that it'll fit on the SSD's capacity). Take out the old laptop hard drive and put in the new SSD. Turn on laptop and voila: everything is there exactly how you want it, no activations or anything to worry about. As far as Windows is concerned it's the same system.
Click to expand...
FTFY

Not all of us are as patient as you :p
 
Microsoft logged everyone's BIOS serial numbers for those that did the upgrades (and everyone else that has ever used win10 hehe...) so you can just download an image straight off the Microsoft website and install. When it asks for a key select "I don't have one" and on the first boot of the machine it will connect to the internet, where Microsoft will send the key straight to your machine.

Easy

Then all you need to do is remove all of Microsoft's spyware. That is more exciting than the install of Windows 10 itself!
 
flamevector said:
nope you wont have to rebuy it i reinsall my free upgrade version of win 10 from time to time just use the same CD key you used to upgrade.
Click to expand...

I think the requirement is that you have a linked MSN account and is using it on the existing win 10 installation, I had a similar issue before but not sure if the MSN account was the problem or not (I could not reinstall win 10 and had to stay on win 7, there was a motherboard change but there is a mechanism to keep your license even with that)
 
agentrfr said:
Microsoft logged everyone's BIOS serial numbers for those that did the upgrades (and everyone else that has ever used win10 hehe...) so you can just download an image straight off the Microsoft website and install. When it asks for a key select "I don't have one" and on the first boot of the machine it will connect to the internet, where Microsoft will send the key straight to your machine.

Easy

Then all you need to do is remove all of Microsoft's spyware. That is more exciting than the install of Windows 10 itself!
Click to expand...

Did what you said.

Thanks for all the help guys. Installed Win 10 Pro (Was originally Win 7 Home) and it activated first time I went online.
 
You cannot remove ALL of Micrococks spyware. It still dials home to a lot dozen international servers last time I checked. And yes, I did all the steps and checks to make sure. For that reason alone I wiped that laptop and installed Mint.
 
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