Help with activation!

[tristanpizza]

a few months ago my computer broke and my storage got wiped, I get my friend to install windows for me, I end up on windows 10 PRO, the problem is I can not activate windows because I'm not on a organizations connection or something along those lines, so now I'm stuck with un-activated windows. I've had no luck with my search for solutions idk if I'm just googling the wrong stuff or not looking in the right places but either way i cant figure it out. is there a way to downgrade windows without deleting my stuff or activate it without paying more money. 

I've looked through the forms and I tried a few things and nothing lead anywhere useful so now I'm just going directly to begging for help so please anyone help me out!!!

[Donut417]

1 minute ago, tristanpizza said:

a few months ago my computer broke and my storage got wiped, I get my friend to install windows for me, I end up on windows 10 PRO, the problem is I can not activate windows because I'm not on a organizations connection or something along those lines, so now I'm stuck with un-activated windows. I've had no luck with my search for solutions idk if I'm just googling the wrong stuff or not looking in the right places but either way i cant figure it out. is there a way to downgrade windows without deleting my stuff or activate it without paying more money. 

I've looked through the forms and I tried a few things and nothing lead anywhere useful so now I'm just going directly to begging for help so please anyone help me out!!!

You need a valid Windows license. Best place to buy one is Microsoft.com.

[tristanpizza]

additional information i have windows on a thumbstick from years ago that had been purchased from Microsoft  

[tristanpizza]

16 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

You need a valid Windows license. Best place to buy one is Microsoft.com.

is there no way to remove windows and just re install it? i have a actual windows license for windows home i believe i would just need to find it the thing im struggling with is i don't know how to get rid of windows 10 pro without getting rid of everything else on my pc

[Donut417]

1 minute ago, tristanpizza said:

is there no way to remove windows and just re install it? i have a actual windows license for windows home i believe i just dont know how to get rid of windows 10 pro without getting rid of everything else on my pc

You have to reformat and reinstall. OR buy a Windows Pro key.

 

This is why I keep my Steam Library and some other stuff on secondary Drive(s). So when I reinstall Windows I loose very little.

[tristanpizza]

5 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

You have to reformat and reinstall. OR buy a Windows Pro key.

 

This is why I keep my Steam Library and some other stuff on secondary Drive(s). So when I reinstall Windows I loose very little.

i would like to keep the pro key as the very last option. do you think i could just move everything to a different drive and then reinstall or would formatting and reinstalling make it so i dont have to move anything? ive also heard that there's a way to upgrade it from windows 10 pro to just base windows 11 do you know anything about that?

 

[Donut417]

1 minute ago, tristanpizza said:

i would like to keep the pro key as the very last option. do you think i could just move everything to a different drive and then reinstall? ive also heard that there's a way to upgrade it from windows 10 pro to just base windows 11 do you know anything about that?

 

Documents, music and photos can easily be moved to where ever. Software can be reinstalled easily. Cant speak for all game clients but Steam does have a process to A) create a library on a secondary drive and B) Move games between drives.

 

As far as the upgrade to Windows 11, I cant say. Im still running Windows 10. Im frankly waiting to see what Windows 12 has to offer.

[tristanpizza]

2 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

 

Documents, music and photos can easily be moved to where ever. Software can be reinstalled easily. Cant speak for all game clients but Steam does have a process to A) create a library on a secondary drive and B) Move games between drives.

 

As far as the upgrade to Windows 11, I cant say. Im still running Windows 10. I'm frankly waiting to see what Windows 12 has to offer.

okay before I do move stuff and all I was just gonna ask, when you reformat windows isn't there an option to press that says "keep my files" or something along those lines, wouldn't I be able to select that and not have to move anything and still get to reformat and reinstall windows 

[Donut417]

Just now, tristanpizza said:

okay before I do move stuff and all I was just gonna ask, when you reformat windows isn't there an option to press that says "keep my files" or something along those lines, wouldn't I be able to select that and not have to move anything and still get to reformat and reinstall windows 

No. All that does is reinstall the Windows files, it does not allow you to change versions from my knowledge and your software is still deleted. From what I have seen it just saves files that are in my Docs, Music, pictures, etc.

 

To my knowledge there is no non painful way to change from Pro to Home. You can go from Home to Pro but not backwards.

[tristanpizza]

thanks ima try my best to look into other stuff but ill switch over at some point