Happy Hopping
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2004
- Messages
- 7,837
Right, here's the breakdown:
1. Install a legitimate version of Windows 7 and make sure it's activated. (Hit Winkey + Pause/Break and look at the very bottom of the window for activation status)
2. Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool and run it on said activated copy of Windows 7.
3. One of the options the MCT will offer you is to do an in-place upgrade. "Upgrade this PC Now" Choose that option, and also choose Keep my files and settings. (I've always done this, you could probably choose a clean install and still have it work, but I would rather not take any chances) Allow the in-place upgrade to complete.
4. When you finally boot into the 'upgraded' install of Windows 10, ensure you're connected to the internet and then hit Winkey + Pause/Break and check the bottom of the system properties page for activation status. If it shows Activated, you're golden. If it doesn't, do a few reboots and check again.
At this point you've got an activated copy of Windows 10 and it should be married to the motherboard. I, because I'm finicky and anal about 'upgraded' installs of Windows, usually do a reformat and clean install of Windows 10 at this point. This allows me to both verify that the license will stick through reformats and really is tied to the motherboard, and have that massengil fresh feeling as far as my windows installation is concerned. Just make sure and choose 'I don't have a key right now' when prompted during installation. It's also important to install whatever version of Windows 10 the machine has the license for. IE if you upgraded Windows 7 Home you'll want to install Windows 10 home, if you upgraded Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate, you'll want to install Windows 10 Professional.
There may be quicker and less tedious ways to do this loophole, but this way has worked for me EVERY TIME and so it's what I stick with.
I also have a sneaking suspicion that once the "Spring Creator's Update" releases in April, they may very well close this last remaining activation / upgrade loophole with a revised Media Creation Tool or via another method. But maybe not... Microsoft REALLY wants people on Windows 10.
I have an update question:
any PC that has a legitimate ver. of win 7, does that win 7 installation has to be UFEI mode ? What if it's originally installed w/ Legacy mode and the BIOS is set to Legacy. Do we need to change it after win 10 installation?