Help with clean windows install

[Dunkan77]

Hello guys,

I am currently running a Win 10 Pro machine that I upgraded from win 8 and 8.1 pro. Therefore the activation key I have is a digital one and not something I can enter in when re-installing Windows. I ran into this issue a few years back now when I did another clean install of windows of Windows 10 directly and couldn't activate my copy with the windows 8 pro key I had, which is a genuine one.

I had to go through Microsoft's live chat and let a technician activate my OS for me, I would have liked to skip this step today but I was prepared to tell them my story again... This is when I realized their live chat is impossible to find on their website, so that option's out.

I need you guys' help as I'll create a bootable Win !0 USB drive to wipe and reinstall windows on my machine. I wanted to know if there's a repair option in the boot menu that will wipe and reinstall everything windows-related and keep my digital license or if I will have to erase windows entirely then install it all over again. Neither are a problem for me, the former would be I guess less time consuming (will it delete everything on my C drive or just the OS?) but the latter will probably be "cleaner".

Either way I need to know how I can reactivate my copy of windows since I have a digital license and I only know how to install windows 8.1 with my win 8 key (clean wipe) then upgrade that to windows 10 but that's a really long process. I'm sorry this is kind of a long post, but I'd really appreciate doing it within this week as I've been putting it off for far too long by now...

Thanks

[IdiotPenguin]

You just need to link your Microsoft account to your current windows in the options and it’ll save your code for you which will activate once you log into a new windows with that account. Keep in mind if you have an OEM license and you switch motherboards it won’t switch but if you have the full license it’ll work on whatever hardware you change up

[Zmax]

If you want to see if your digital license is valid go

 

settings

security

activation

It should show window as been activated with digital license

 

Does you pro version show up in the activation

 

 

[TheKDub]

16 minutes ago, IdiotPenguin said:

You just need to link your Microsoft account to your current windows in the options and it’ll save your code for you which will activate once you log into a new windows with that account. Keep in mind if you have an OEM license and you switch motherboards it won’t switch but if you have the full license it’ll work on whatever hardware you change up

I haven't even needed to sign into a Microsoft account for it to activate for me in the past. I installed Windows 10 Pro on my old desktop which previously had Windows 8.1 Pro (upgraded to Win 10 Pro, then reverted back to Win 8.1 Pro, so Win 10 Pro had been used on that mobo.) and I didn't have to log in or enter a product key or anything like that. Microsoft just activated it automatically.

[Dunkan77]

29 minutes ago, IdiotPenguin said:

You just need to link your Microsoft account to your current windows in the options and it’ll save your code for you which will activate once you log into a new windows with that account. Keep in mind if you have an OEM license and you switch motherboards it won’t switch but if you have the full license it’ll work on whatever hardware you change up

Alright I can do that. But what about wiping the C drive entirely or only reinstalling windows components? Is there an option to do one or the other?

[Dunkan77]

12 minutes ago, TheKDub said:

I haven't even needed to sign into a Microsoft account for it to activate for me in the past. I installed Windows 10 Pro on my old desktop which previously had Windows 8.1 Pro (upgraded to Win 10 Pro, then reverted back to Win 8.1 Pro, so Win 10 Pro had been used on that mobo.) and I didn't have to log in or enter a product key or anything like that. Microsoft just activated it automatically.

I have changed motherboards in the past 6 years but when I did my Win 10 clean install off of a win 10 system I don't think I changed motherboards. Not sure about it tho

[Dunkan77]

24 minutes ago, Zmax said:

If you want to see if your digital license is valid go

 

settings

security

activation

It should show window as been activated with digital license

 

Does you pro version show up in the activation

 

 

It does say:
Windows 10 Pro
Activated with a digital license

I had already checked this

[Zmax]

Then you good to go and do a clean install. Just --> Skip or do Later <-- anything to do with registration. Your system is registered at Microsoft.

 

It will be stressful the first time, but you should be ok. The pro version is on the USB Key.

 

You can find --> How to do a clean install <-- video in YouTube

[LogicalDrm]

22 hours ago, TheKDub said:

I haven't even needed to sign into a Microsoft account for it to activate for me in the past. I installed Windows 10 Pro on my old desktop which previously had Windows 8.1 Pro (upgraded to Win 10 Pro, then reverted back to Win 8.1 Pro, so Win 10 Pro had been used on that mobo.) and I didn't have to log in or enter a product key or anything like that. Microsoft just activated it automatically.

 

I did same with Home versions from Win7 upgraded. Reinstalled with clean ISO, not manufacturers one and it was activated when desktop loaded.