Windows 11 Clean Install Activation

[Zodler]

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11

 

Now that the iso image is officially available I was thinking of doing a clean install for my first Windows 11 install. My question is about the activation.

 

What you had to do with Windows 10 at the beginning, for the first install you had to upgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 10 over it to get it activated. After the activation it was tied to your hardware, then you could start to do clean Windows 10 installation.

 

I want to bypass that for Windows 11. Can I do a clean Windows 11 installation (booting from USB) for my first install? If yes, how the activation works?

 

1- Should I enter my Windows 10 activation code at the beginning?

2- Or should I say I have no code and after the installation, Windows 11 will get activated automatically without entering any code?

3- Or should I upgrade to Windows 11 over Windows 10 for my first install?

[Stahlmann]

The easiest solution is to tie your windows license to your microsoft account (if you have one). Then it will automatically re-activate W11 once your logged in.

 

Without a microsoft account you first have to deactiveate your current PC and then reuse the code in the W11 installer.

[CommanderAlex]

5 minutes ago, Zodler said:

1- Should I enter my Windows 10 activation code at the beginning?

Depends, if you have a Microsoft Account linked to the product key for Windows 10 on that motherboard, then you don't need to. 

 

5 minutes ago, Zodler said:

2- Or should I say I have no code and after the installation, Windows 11 will get activated automatically without entering any code?

Refer to my line above, just click "I don't have a product key" and continue with installation, it'll ask to login to your Microsoft Account and automatically validate your key. 

 

5 minutes ago, Zodler said:

3- Or should I upgrade to Windows 11 over Windows 10 for my first install?

Unless you have personal information on the drive with Windows 10, I would wipe the drive and start fresh. Doesn't take long to install Windows 11 from a USB thumb drive on a USB 3.0 port. 

[Stahlmann]

1 minute ago, CommanderAlex said:

Doesn't take long to install Windows 11 from a USB thumb drive on a USB 3.0 port. 

Took about 10 minutes from boot to desktop when i did it yesterday.

[CommanderAlex]

Just now, Stahlmann said:

Took about 10 minutes from boot to desktop when i did it yesterday.

Same here, it's pretty painless...just gotta click through the installation process of the different services/trackers etc. 

[Zodler]

Wow, that could cause a lot of issues. Are the Windows 10 activation tied to hardware or to your Microsoft account? Other people could use the hardware. Imagine if I want to give my old PC to a family member. I do a clean install, local account for them, what happens?

 

For my first install I prefer to add a local user and later to sign in to Microsoft account if needed.

 

So my question is not answered yet. I do not want to activate based on Microsoft accounts. I prefer the activation to be tied to hardware and not people.

 

Are you sure you have to deactiveate your current PC? You never had to deactiveate Windows 8.

[Zodler]

Writing from Windows 11. Finally did it. Here is what happened.

 

Made bootable USB. On a PC that already had Windows 10 activated, booted with the USB and deleted the windows partitions, the whole drive. Installed without giving a serial number and as a local user.

 

After the installation, Windows 11 was not activated even that I was connected to Internet and tried several times. It gave an unknown error. I had to enter by hand the Windows 10 serial that I had and Windows 11 was activated.

 

So I thought since Windows 10 was already activated and Microsoft knew my hardware, Windows 11 should be activated automatically in the clean install but it wasn't the case.