Clean install on new SSD drive?

[sabas1]

OK, so I just want some clarification here:

I have a laptop with a retail copy (bought from store) of windows 7 home premium installed on it.

I just bought a new SSD drive that I want to replace with the HDD drive that's currently in the laptop.

Now to get Windows 10 on that SSD drive after I swap it do I need to first install my windows 7 home premium onto it then upgrade to Windows 10 , then do a clean install?

Or is there a more simpler way then that?

Would greatly appreciate any feedback or clarification, thanks.

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[Carlos002]

Just copy your product key of Windows 7, install Windows 10, activate with your product key and you are ready to go!

 

[AnkitGondalia]

Just copy your product key of Windows 7, install Windows 10, activate with your product key and you are ready to go!

Can i install it directly with just clicking on ISO file and not with usb or hdd with media creation tool? Will it ask product key if i install that way? If not how can i add product key after installing?

 

[sabas1]

Just copy your product key of Windows 7, install Windows 10, activate with your product key and you are ready to go!

OK, so once I've got my SSD drive installed and boot up the computer for the first time, do I just boot from the DVD that I made with Windows 10 on it and go from there? So no need to install Windows 7 again then? Sorry I'm being so meticulous about this but I just want to be sure. Thanks.

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[Deadmask]

I don't think copying windows 7 key will work, to get the key to work you need to upgrade your key to a windows 10 key first. In your scenario the easiest method would be,

1> Make a Microsoft account (if you don't have one already)
2> Connect your old hard disk to laptop (with Windows 7 installed)
3> Take the free upgrade offer to upgrade your windows 7 to windows 10 (Doing that will upgrade your key to Windows 10 key and attach it to the Microsoft account)
4> now take off the old hard disk and put in the new SSD
5> Do a clean windows 10 install (Now you should be able to use your key)
6> Use the Microsoft account to login to windows 10 (that should activate the windows 10)

from what you said your OS seems to be a OEM version, so as long as you don't change the motherboard you can re-install windows 10 on that laptop any no of times and still have activated windows

 

[sabas1]

I don't think copying windows 7 key will work, to get the key to work you need to upgrade your key to a windows 10 key first. In your scenario the easiest method would be,

1> Make a Microsoft account (if you don't have one already)
2> Connect your old hard disk to laptop (with Windows 7 installed)
3> Take the free upgrade offer to upgrade your windows 7 to windows 10 (Doing that will upgrade your key to Windows 10 key and attach it to the Microsoft account)
4> now take off the old hard disk and put in the new SSD
5> Do a clean windows 10 install (Now you should be able to use your key)
6> Use the Microsoft account to login to windows 10 (that should activate the windows 10)

from what you said your OS seems to be a OEM version, so as long as you don't change the motherboard you can re-install windows 10 on that laptop any no of times and still have activated windows

Ugh! I hate creating freaking accounts just to get something done, so annoying. Anybody else want to chime in? Thanks for the help and suggestion though deadmask.

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[sabas1]

Just copy your product key of Windows 7, install Windows 10, activate with your product key and you are ready to go!

Carlos002 do you know this for sure? Would really appreciate some confirmation, thx.

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[Jozef jurcisin]

5> Do a clean windows 10 install (Now you should be able to use your key)

I see many post saying DO NOT use a key.

Which way is correct?

 

[Tony Clegg]

From what I've read on previous threads about clean installs, by putting Win 10 on your device without upgrading, you cannot activate Windows 10 with a previous Windows versions (with that licence key). When you upgrade this converts and updates your product key, and once upgraded you can wipe and re-install as you wish.

By installing Win 10 without the upgrade you run the risk of not having the right product key and won't in turn activate Windows.

I have upgraded one of my pc's and will at some point wipe the device and install via the downloaded ISO as the licence from Win 8.1 has been updated to Win 10.

Have a read of "The Windows 10 Clean Install Thread" as there is a guy on there that downloaded the ISO and instead of upgraded did a clean install and Win 10 wouldn't activate. Sorry my post count is only 2 so can't give a direct link.

 

[ttsoldier]

Your windows 7 / 8 key won't work with a clean install. You NEED to upgrade FIRST. THEN , do the clean install with the ISO...

 

[Deadmask]

5> Do a clean windows 10 install (Now you should be able to use your key)

I see many post saying DO NOT use a key.

Which way is correct?

First you need to upgrade from existing windows 7 or 8.1 install to get your licence key converted (You have 1 month time if you wish to revert back). after that you can do Clean installs on that device

 

[Jozef jurcisin]

First you need to upgrade from existing windows 7 or 8.1 install to get your licence key converted (You have 1 month time if you wish to revert back). after that you can do Clean installs on that device

When I get license key converted do I need to enter a key when I do clean install or use skip?

 

[Tony Clegg]

Nope, skip through the key and should install automatically. Its unsure at this stage if you need to have created a Microsoft account and login with your e-mail address. Something I'm considering when I do a clean install at the weekend.

 

[sabas1]

From what I've read on previous threads about clean installs, by putting Win 10 on your device without upgrading, you cannot activate Windows 10 with a previous Windows versions (with that licence key). When you upgrade this converts and updates your product key, and once upgraded you can wipe and re-install as you wish.

By installing Win 10 without the upgrade you run the risk of not having the right product key and won't in turn activate Windows.

I have upgraded one of my pc's and will at some point wipe the device and install via the downloaded ISO as the licence from Win 8.1 has been updated to Win 10.

Have a read of "The Windows 10 Clean Install Thread" as there is a guy on there that downloaded the ISO and instead of upgraded did a clean install and Win 10 wouldn't activate. Sorry my post count is only 2 so can't give a direct link.

So then my initial post is correct then?

Install Windows 7 on new SSD.

Upgrade windows 7 to windows 10.

Then perform a clean install with the windows 10 DVD I created.

Right?

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[Tony Clegg]

Having read through some other posts, that seems fine. The main point is to upgrade from your old OS to Win 10 initially. Once that is all up and running, you can perform a clean install as Microsoft will have updated the licence, presumably in 'the cloud' which is assigned alongside your Microsoft logon account. When you do a clean install of Windows 10 and enter your Microsoft logon info, the W10 license is retrieved from 'the cloud' and used to complete your Win10 install. No manual license entry occurs so when it prompts you can skip through this.

 

[Tony Clegg]

Not sure what happened to my other post - seemed to vanish. However, with the sequence you are proposing, there shouldn't be any issues. The crux of the whole licensing is to run an upgrade initially which will update your Win 7 licence key. Once Win 10 is up and running, you can perform a clean install. As to my previous post, I'm ensuring I use my e-mail address associated with Microsoft in case this is somehow related to the clean install and storing the upgraded licence key in the cloud.

 

[a5cent]

Unfortunately, it's not always easy to separate fact from FUD, particularly with so many answers like post #2, which clearly belong in the later category.

So then my initial post is correct then?

Install Windows 7 on new SSD.

Upgrade windows 7 to windows 10.

Then perform a clean install with the windows 10 DVD I created.

Right?

I'd say yes, but not optimal.

First read this:

http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...0015-windows-10-upgrade-installation-faq.html

That will give you a basic understanding of what is going on.

In your situation, this is likely the most optimal approach:

1. Prepare you W10 installation media (DVD, USB key) and ensure you can boot from it.
2. Make sure all your personal and documents are backed up to a safe place

3. Create an MS account
4. Do an in-place upgrade of your existing W7 installation
5. If you're not asked to sign into your MS account as part of the upgrade, do it the first chance you get and ensure your Windows settings are being synched

6. Install your new SSD
7. If you didn't remove your HDD, then format it so the setup procedure doesn't try to create a dual boot system.
8. Install W10 from your prepared installation media (skip all the prompts to enter a license key)

If at the end of this W10 doesn't immediately show as being activated, give it some time. You can use W10 for quite some time without it being activated, and it should eventually do so automatically.

 

[xrko]

This activation is nonsense. I tried installing with a new SSD and my win7 key was not accepted. It offers to skip the product key, but what happens then, if you skip the product key, do they start harassing you for money? I am not going to install windows7 first. If this continues, I will install w7 and stay with it.

 

[a5cent]

This activation is nonsense. I tried installing with a new SSD and my win7 key was not accepted. It offers to skip the product key, but what happens then, if you skip the product key, do they start harassing you for money? I am not going to install windows7 first. If this continues, I will install w7 and stay with it.

In the post immediately above yours, I provided a link to a FAQ where all that is explained.

On a side note, it has never, in the history of Windows, ever been possible to activate a new version of Windows with a license key belonging to an older version of Windows... never.

Just because Windows 10 is a free upgrade doesn't mean all the licensing mechanisms are going away. You still need a valid W10 key. The FAQ explains how that works.

 

[Tony Clegg]

Xrko - Did you install this as a clean install prior to installing ? If so, this is why you cannot activate Win 10 and will not accept your licence for Win 7. If you installed Win 10 without performing the initial upgrade it won't work - see previous posts within this thread, in particular to a5cent.