Computer Wiz needed, windows 10 upgrade question

[HERE4BEER3]

Prepare for a long winded post....


I am in the midst of upgrading my PC CPU and MoBo. All new mobos require windows 10. I have a windows 7 64 bit CD and heard you can upgrade to windows 10 for free. I am trying to do that but the Windows 10 upgrade keeps failing because I think it may think I have an illegitimate liscence since I used that cd to install windows on 2 computers.

After I installed it on my desktop however many years ago I thought I'd get my dead laptop back up and running. I installed windows on my laptop only to have the HDD die on me again a few weeks later. So that laptop is now locked away in the basement where it has been for years. I am learning now that my windows liscense was only good to install on one pc, why I was able to install it on both without issue is beyond me.

So am I hooped now because I installed windows on that 2nd computer? Having to purchase windows 10 for 150$ is really putting my upgrade over budget. Could I reinstall windows 7 from the cd on my desktop to relegitimize it? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Grayfox]

You could install windows 10 for free.
Download the windows 10 media creation tool
https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/software-download/windows10
Run it
Insert a Blank USB drive into the PC
Once done it should have written the ISO to the flash drive.
Insert that into the new PC.
Start the PC up.
Press the Boot Selection Menu button
Select USB storage device
Windows should boot
Follow prompts to install
Windows 10 should install
You can install Windows 10 without a license key and it is fine.
You just cant do setting changes*# to the OS without a key
If you enter your windows 7 key at the license key screen, it should accept it.

# Windows 10 can have settings changed if the PC is NOT connected to the interent, once you connect settings changes are locked out
* Windows 10 can have settings changed if you know what values to change in the registry that pretain to those settings
Eg Adding these to the registry will add Computer, User Documents, Network icons to the desktop when you cant add them via the GUI

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel]
"{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}"=dword:00000001
"{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}"=dword:00000000
"{F02C1A0D-BE21-4350-88B0-7367FC96EF3C}"=dword:00000000
"{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}"=dword:00000000

 

[Rallywagon]

Prepare for a long winded post....


I am in the midst of upgrading my PC CPU and MoBo. All new mobos require windows 10. I have a windows 7 64 bit CD and heard you can upgrade to windows 10 for free. I am trying to do that but the Windows 10 upgrade keeps failing because I think it may think I have an illegitimate liscence since I used that cd to install windows on 2 computers.

After I installed it on my desktop however many years ago I thought I'd get my dead laptop back up and running. I installed windows on my laptop only to have the HDD die on me again a few weeks later. So that laptop is now locked away in the basement where it has been for years. I am learning now that my windows liscense was only good to install on one pc, why I was able to install it on both without issue is beyond me.

So am I hooped now because I installed windows on that 2nd computer? Having to purchase windows 10 for 150$ is really putting my upgrade over budget. Could I reinstall windows 7 from the cd on my desktop to relegitimize it? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Follow Grayfox's recommendations. If the key doesnt work, it's likely done for. There are two other possible options that could help you out that doesnt require 150 bucks or a computer degree. You can try talking to someone at Microsoft. There is a chance they may unlock the key or assign you a new one. Maybe.
The second, if memory serves, when I upgraded from 7 to 10, I recieved a different key to use with 10. If you dont have the key handy, there are programs that a google search will reveal that can pull the key for you. Install windows 10 per Grayfox's instructions and use that key.
Or... you know.... Linux?

 

[HERE4BEER3]

Thanks guys, I should have updated this thread but it ended up working rather normally. For whatever reason the upgrade failed the first two times but 3rd times a charm I guess. I was able to just download the windows 10 Creation Tool and update it by just following the prompts without having to do any work arounds. It's possible I was missing some updates on my Windows 7 that prevented the Windows 10 upgrade as I was catching up on 2 years worth Win 7 update and some of them kept failing as well.

All for naught in the end as I decided to just buy a brand new PC instead

 

[Grayfox]

Thanks guys, I should have updated this thread but it ended up working rather normally. For whatever reason the upgrade failed the first two times but 3rd times a charm I guess. I was able to just download the windows 10 Creation Tool and update it by just following the prompts without having to do any work arounds. It's possible I was missing some updates on my Windows 7 that prevented the Windows 10 upgrade as I was catching up on 2 years worth Win 7 update and some of them kept failing as well.

All for naught in the end as I decided to just buy a brand new PC instead

Upgrading from an older OS can be messy even at the best of times.
So many things can cause it to fail.
Anti Malware, disabled services, inactive services, no updates, too many updates, programs.