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Installing a fresh Windows 10 install using Windows 7 product key

E

empire01

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 22, 2010
40
8
UK
I have a copy of Windows 7 with the product key. But would like to have a fresh install, using bootcamp, of Windows 10. If I install Windows 10 will it access the Windows 7 product key or do I need to install 7 first and do an upgrade?
Thanks
 
Windows 10 is a free upgrade from Windows 7. Try installing Windows 10 directly. If that does not work, then install your copy of Windows 7 and then upgrade.
 
empire01 said:
I have a copy of Windows 7 with the product key. But would like to have a fresh install, using bootcamp, of Windows 10. If I install Windows 10 will it access the Windows 7 product key or do I need to install 7 first and do an upgrade?
Thanks
Click to expand...
You will need a licensed copy of Windows 7 to get Windows 10 for free. Windows 10 will be automatically activated after upgrading.

Just in case, the version you are eligible to upgrade to is related to your licensed copy of Windows 7.
 
MisterMe said:
Windows 10 is a free upgrade from Windows 7. Try installing Windows 10 directly. If that does not work, then install your copy of Windows 7 and then upgrade.
Click to expand...

No. Have an installed and licensed W7/W8/W8.1 already. Update it to W10 and get the free W10 license. Optional/additional: Install Windows 10 clean by booting from installation media, skip the product key inputs. W10 will keep the license of the previous update.
 
Last edited:
macenied said:
No. Have an installed and licensed W7/W8/W8.1 already. Update it to W10 and get the free W10 license. Optional/additional: Install Windows 10 clean by booting from installation media, skip the product key inputs. W10 will keep the license of the previous update.
Click to expand...
This is correct. An additional option is to not do the online upgrade at all.
Instead, from your current, activated copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, download the Windows 10 ISO file for the corresponding edition (Home or Pro), or create a bootable USB flash drive. Without exiting your current Windows version, double-click the ISO to mount it as a virtual DVD (or open the USB flash drive with installation media) and then double-click Setup.

Your goal is to get to the screen with the full range of options.
Choose the option that says you want to keep nothing. The Windows 10 Setup program installs a clean copy of the edition that corresponds to the one you have installed. As part of the process, it verifies the activation status of your old Windows, creates the new license certificate, and blows away your previous install. And you never had to enter a product key.

After you restart, your clean copy of Windows 10 is activated, and you can reinstall it any time without having to worry about activation. And you'll never need a product key again.
Click to expand...

An interesting article about Windows 10 activation where I obtained the above info is here.
 
sigh... if it isnt broke, dont fix it.


I tried updating my bootcamp drivers for w10. boot loop.

restart the partition i guess... now i can make it smaller i suppose, which is something i wanted to do for a while anyway
 
kepler20b said:
sigh... if it isnt broke, dont fix it.


I tried updating my bootcamp drivers for w10. boot loop.

restart the partition i guess... now i can make it smaller i suppose, which is something i wanted to do for a while anyway
Click to expand...

Same thing happened to me. I deleted my partition, did a fresh install and it's now working.
 
To activate your free Windows 10 license you need to run the installer from within your already licensed version of Windows 7 or 8 but you don't need to upgrade.
One of the options the installer will present will be to keep nothing.
Select that one and you'll get a fresh installation of Windows 10.
During the installation it will examine your hardware, create a hashtag, and send that tag to Microsoft's servers.
For every subsequent installation of Windows 10, as long as your hardware hasn't changed excessively, it will automatically activate without ever having to enter an other product key.
 
macenied said:
If you don't upgrade first you will need a W10 product key.
Click to expand...
Not true
Gjwilly said:
To activate your free Windows 10 license you need to run the installer from within your already licensed version of Windows 7 or 8 but you don't need to upgrade.
One of the options the installer will present will be to keep nothing.
Select that one and you'll get a fresh installation of Windows 10.
During the installation it will examine your hardware, create a hashtag, and send that tag to Microsoft's servers.
For every subsequent installation of Windows 10, as long as your hardware hasn't changed excessively, it will automatically activate without ever having to enter an other product key.
Click to expand...
This is correct. As I posted before, this link explains it pretty well.
 
@Darth.Titan:

This is hair splitting and confusing. You consider the upgrade with the option "keep nothing" as no upgrade ;) .

The point is:
When you boot from installation media ( W10 DVD or W10 USB stick ) it is always a new install. Don't do this for the first W10 installation when you want to get the free license.

To get the free license, boot an installed W7/8/8.1 and execute the setup program on the installation media.
 
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I have Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit, but I can only upgrade to Windows 10 32 Bit, because my processor is not supported in the 64 Bit version of Win 10.

How do I go about this without buying a license and doing a clean install. I know I have to do a clean install, but I guess I will have to buy a license to go from Win 7 64 to Win 10 32 because there is no upgrade route.
 
Frisco said:
I have Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit, but I can only upgrade to Windows 10 32 Bit, because my processor is not supported in the 64 Bit version of Win 10.

How do I go about this without buying a license and doing a clean install. I know I have to do a clean install, but I guess I will have to buy a license to go from Win 7 64 to Win 10 32 because there is no upgrade route.
Click to expand...

I think it should be as easy as downloading the Windows 10 32-bit installer and running it from within your current Windows 7 setup.

You might also want to check here to see if your CPU is really a problem.
https://www.infopackets.com/news/9619/how-fix-cpu-not-compatible-windows-10-error
 
No it says I need the 64 Bit version when I tried that. But I researched my processor and it is not supported.
 
Frisco said:
I have Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit, but I can only upgrade to Windows 10 32 Bit, because my processor is not supported in the 64 Bit version of Win 10.

How do I go about this without buying a license and doing a clean install. I know I have to do a clean install, but I guess I will have to buy a license to go from Win 7 64 to Win 10 32 because there is no upgrade route.
Click to expand...

This sounds weird. What Mac and processor do you have?
 
If you're going to have to do a clean install anyway then you may as well do a clean install of Windows 7 32-bit and then you'll at least be able to claim your free Windows 10 license.
Use a key finder program if you don't still have your Windows 7 license key and then use that key to download the Windows 7 Ultimate installer for 32-bit.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-recovery

The same key will work for 32 or 64-bit.
 
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