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July 29th, 2015 09:00
Clean Install of Windows 10 - What OEM Product Key to Use
I how downloaded my Windows 10 Professional x64 ISO using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool. I created my boot media on USB. Now that I am installing it, it is asking for a Product Key. The Windows 7 Pro OA product key that is listed under the battery of my Dell Latitude E5530 is not working.
- I can skip the initial failure and install Windows 10 on the drive
- Once the OS has loaded and walking through the inital setup screens, I am prompted again
- Finally get logged in (just using local accounts, and not a Live Account) I try to activate again.
The product key fails with error code 0x004f050. This is basically a "Key" not valid.
So what do we do with this scenario? Do I need a different key from Dell? Do I need special OEM media from Dell to recognize the BIOS?
I know this is early, just wasn't sure about what protocol we need to use to upgrade hardware or just do a fresh installation with Windows 10.
Thanks,
--Jay
bluemoon6
36 Posts
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August 12th, 2015 03:00
Holly Mollie !!! Nice double DECK Microsoft :emotion-59:
yo LovemyV, sounds like that was some nasty rootkit! What was the name of it and any tips on how not to contract it?
Never tried Linux... Did you go for Ubuntu or another distribution?
Nerd_Baller
5 Posts
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August 17th, 2015 04:00
Alienware 17 laptop, Windows 8.1 - I fully updated it. Got Windows 10, but updates wouldn't download or install so I did a restore and it got stuck in an endless restart loop.
Burned an ISO for Windows 10 and used that to boot laptop and got Windows 10. However, two problems; each boot up, it asks if I want to load windows 8.1 or 10, and also it asks for an activation key. The one that populates is, I believe, the one from Windows 8 and I can't change it.
Any ideas ? TIA
kuoman
5 Posts
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August 17th, 2015 22:00
I have E6400 and E4310, when I upgrade E4310 from Windows 7 to Windows 10, it is showing "windows is activated". However after I did a clean install (download windows 10 IOS using media creation tool and skip all pages that asked for serial numbers) windows 10 is showing "windows is not activated" with error code "Error code: 0xC004C003". I waited 5 days and windows 10 is still not activated so I reinstall Windows 7 then upgrade to Windows 10 and it shows "Windows 10 is activated". After 2 days later, I tried clean install of Windows 10 and still get same error code and "Windows 10 is not activated"
On my other laptops (HP EliteBook 2540p, EliteBook 8440p), I have no problem doing clean install after upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10.
My understanding is once your laptop is activated with Microsoft in Windows 10, you can reinstall as many time as you wish as long as the hardware remain the same and that you don't need to enter windows 10 key.
Philip_Yip
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August 18th, 2015 01:00
It sounds like the .iso is the incorrect Edition to me.
Check your Edition of Windows 7 in system. Check your Edition of Windows 10 in system and Check the Edition of your Windows 10 .iso.
Philip_Yip
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August 18th, 2015 03:00
The initial install must be an upgrade. Clean Reinstallation does work on my four Dell systems.
picpic
1 Message
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August 18th, 2015 03:00
Just had Dell Support on phone and they told me only the update works. No clean install.
I guess we have to wait until dell ship Windows 10 OEM medias for a clean install to work. Like previous DELL OEM version, it will simply detect you have a genuine Dell computer and won't ask for any key.
Pretty annoying since I'd like to make clean install with bitlocker enabled by default, and not an update.
Windows 10 preview has been available for countless months, and still there's nothing at Dell to help people install Windows 10.
dmr_2011
21 Posts
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August 18th, 2015 04:00
I did a clean reinstall on my Dell laptop, a i3531-1200BK. The only problem is that "restart" turns the laptop off and then the dell logo shows up and the balls go in a circle for a second and then stop. This happens every time I try a restart. It will stay in that locked state overnight, it never goes away. I have to hold down the power button, very annoying.
kuoman
5 Posts
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August 18th, 2015 22:00
Original OS is Win 7 Pro, the recovery DVD shows Windows 7 Professional, the key on the system shows Win 7 Pro. the ISO file I made (twice) are windows 10 Pro. Unless Dell shipped Windows 7 Pro N but that didn't show on OS Edition.
kuoman
5 Posts
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August 18th, 2015 23:00
Are your four Dell systems compatible with Windows 10? Both E4310 and E6400 I owned are showing "Product not tested for Windows 10 upgrade" on Dell website.
Philip_Yip
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August 19th, 2015 01:00
Latitude D820 - Not certified by Dell as compatible
Latitude E5510 - Not certified by Dell as compatible
XPS 8300 - Not certified by Dell as compatible
Inspiron 13 7347 - Certified by Dell as compatible
Ramrunner
10 Posts
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August 21st, 2015 08:00
Yep same here on an Asus U30SD. After reading some suggestions I even removed the SSD, put in a spinning drive, re-installed 7 (having to ring for activation), then upgraded to 10 again choosing to NOT keep files, but it failed again.
From what I've been reading somewhere in the installation the Windows 10 upgrade tries to resize your main partition, which goes horribly wrong, leaving the file system on that partition as RAW. Some Microsoft reports state this can happen on some SSDs. I can confirm (as others do) that this is just as likely to happen on HDDs.
There have been some suggestions booting to recovery command prompt and running scandisk /f /r on that partition will re-instate the NTFS file system on that partition.
I can confirm this does indeed happen. When the PC blue screens on re-boot like this, the main partition has indeed changed to a RAW partition. I fix it with the chkdsk as described, re-check it, and the partition then says NTFS.
Unfortunately then performing a normal boot, the (now continuing) setup tries to screw with the partitions again, and somehow corrupts the main partition again, and it shows RAW again. An endless loop I have not yet found a fix for.
I'm not the only one (wide ranging reports of this now), and due to the fact I had MAJOR issues with the first Dell XPS 14 I tried to update, I have NO confidence in the Windows 10 installation routine. The developers of that should be shot.
I won't say anything bad about Windows 10 as the OS, I have no problem with it at all, but getting it on a PC is just a nightmare!!!
Why Oh Why can we not just do a fully clean install using the existing Windows 7/8/8.1 product key? There's no reason Microsoft can't do this as they have our machine IDs when activation occurs anyway. They are fully aware which PCs had working (eligible) OS on it already, why force us into a broken upgrade like this? So stupid!! I think the developers who wrote the installation routine are probably the same developers responsible for Windows 8?
theflash1932
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August 21st, 2015 10:00
It may be a common problem, but certainly not a universal problem:
In-place upgrade on Latitude E5540 from 8.1 to 10 on 128GB Intel 320 SSD went flawlessly.
Clean install on the same system after putting in a 250GB Crucial MX200 also went flawlessly, including automatic activation of Windows 10 based on the embedded 8.1 key.
Ramrunner
10 Posts
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August 21st, 2015 19:00
Yes yes, I've also had 2 systems where it was no problems, but 2 where it has major problems. That's only a 50% success rate. That is simply not good enough for a major new operating system release. I think it's wonderful for you you haven't experienced any problems. I hope it continues for any other systems you may upgrade, but so far my experience is dismal.
Philip_Yip
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August 22nd, 2015 03:00
More likely to be third party software in your case causing a conflict.
I've upgraded 5 systems now of varying vintage to Windows 10 without any major hassles.
All 5 systems had Crucial SSDs.
theflash1932
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August 22nd, 2015 11:00
Sorry, there were a few blanket statements made ("developers of [Windows 10 installation routine] should be shot", "getting [Windows 10] on a PC is just a nightmare", "Why can we not just do a fully clean install using the existing ... key", "why force us into a broken upgrade") that are simply not the case (and in the case of the first comment, somewhat irresponsible and threatening). There are a few isolated issues documented out there, but there are bound to be with the rollout of a new OS. You happen to be in the small minority experiencing issues. Good luck.