Windows 10 Product ID

[CFC]

I recently upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Just wondering if you have a problem with the hard drive and need to do a clean install, do you think the Product ID Key that is currently showing on my machine will activate Windows 10 when I re-install the software.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Yes. Once you upgrade you can then run a clean install. Just choose 'Skip' when a Product Key is requested.

[RichCor]

As Jiu-Jitsu wrote, just keep pressing 'Skip' when the Product Key is requested.

When the Windows install completes, go to Start Menu, Settings, Accounts and click Sign-in with Microsoft Account.

Once logged in, you will be asked to 'verify' your account on this device (usually via SMS). Once verified then the device Windows 10 should activate itself (and display in Settings:System/About or Settings:Update&Security/Activation as 'Activated')

[DogNo1]

Yes, there should be no problems but be sure to do the upgrade before you do the clean install. There is still no clear word about whether pirated versions of Win 7 & 8 will be validated. Users who do the fresh install before the upgrade will have to pay for a key to get windows validated. Both C|Net and ZDNet have good articles about the Win 10 validation details.

[aarn]

There was a good piece of advice on TV recently, if you need to find your product ID use

https://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/

[cooked]

Yes, there should be no problems but be sure to do the upgrade before you do the clean install. There is still no clear word about whether pirated versions of Win 7 & 8 will be validated. Users who do the fresh install before the upgrade will have to pay for a key to get windows validated. Both C|Net and ZDNet have good articles about the Win 10 validation details.

Your windows 7 or 8 needs to be fully updated before uploading Windows 10. Long ago when I had a pirated version of Windows XP IO couldn't update. I got a legal version of W8 two days ago, updated it and got Windows 10, no mention of asking for a product key. Cost me ฿400.-.

[thedemon]

Upgraded OEM versions of Windows 10 do NOT utilise unique product keys for activation. Windows 10 neither knows nor cares what your old Win 7/8/8.1 product key was. You can extract your Win 10 product key if you like but in any case it will the same as a few million other computers.

Whether a Microsoft account is used or not is also irrelevant to activation of Win 10. And the upgrade does not require that the previous Win 7 (SP1), Win 8 or Win 8.1 installation is updated. You can take a machine with one of those OS's right out of the box without a single update and the upgrade to Win 10 can be done with an ISO or install media. (Upgrading via the Windows Update method does require at least some updates because you need the "Get Windows 10" icon to appear).

The way activation works in Windows 10 is quite simple. During the initial upgrade from Win 7/8/8.1 to Win 10 the current activation status is verified (not the product key) and then a unique Hardware ID is created for your machine. This is done by assigning a value to several components, the BIOS UUID and adaptor MAC addresses etc. which in turn use an algorithm to create a GUID for your machine which is then stored on Microsoft's activation servers. Thereafter you can clean install Windows 10 as many times as you like and as long as your machine is online it will activate automatically because the activation servers will recognise your GUID.

I think Microsoft refer to this new system as "Digital Entitlement"

I'm sure most people will not be sorry to see the end of product keys. Well mostly anyway. Retail versions of Win 10 do come with a product key but I'm not sure quite how that works in regards to future re-installs or transferring to another machine.

[Pib]

And "Product ID Number" like shown next to the location where it says whether your Windows is activated or not is not to be confused with "Product Key."

I have a Win 7 "Full Packaged Product (FPP) version which means I can move it from computer to computer...when you move such a version to another computer you'll have to contact MS to get it to activate...I've done it a couple of times over the years.

And I'll probably do it at least one more time as I'll probably buy a new, low cost laptop to serve as my secondary/backup computer before the free upgrade period to Win 10 passes and I'll probably initially load the Win 7 Full version to this computer, it probably won't activate, then I call MS to get it activated. Then I'll do the free upgrade to Win 10.