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How to Upgrade to Windows 10 - Information on Obtaining a Clean Install
Video Tutorial Playlist
I have made a number of Video Tutorials focusing on Clean Installing Windows 10:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1RkaknDn7v-Ucth4gt0U3BHVSY7oNkWr
The Download a Windows 10 RS1 .iso and Create a Bootable USB and Clean Install Windows 10 RS1 with a Windows 7/8.1 OEM Product Key (UEFI) BIOS are the most important two.
Before the Free Upgrade
Its recommended to carry out a few steps before performing an OS Upgrade. These mainly relate to a data backup and also the creation of OS Recovery Media. You will need an external Hard Drive for this and a few 16 GB USB Flash Drives:
The first thing you should do is copy anything important from Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures and Videos that you cannot afford to use onto the external hard drive. You should do this regularly.
Next you will want to create Factory OS Installation Media using the latest version of Dell Backup and Recovery:
One may wish to also use Macrium Reflect to create an image of their Hard Drive which they can Restore from:
The first image is of Factory Install (how Dell shipped the system) and the second is of the current setup (all user installed updates, programs and files/folders).
Note when using a Macrium Reflect Image the Factory Restore may not work which is why I recommend carrying out both steps.
The Windows 10 RS1 Free Upgrade from Windows 8.x/10 OEM
Windows 10 RS1 is available as a Free Upgrade for all Dell Systems sold with Windows 8.x OEM and Windows 10 OEM.
The product key is embedded in the Dell UEFI BIOS and will automatically be input by Windows 10 RS1 Installation Media. The most important thing to note is the Free Windows 10 Upgrade is Edition specific. Installation Media of the Correct Edition will not ask for the Product Key as it'll automatically be picked up by installation media.
To Download and Prepare Windows 10 RS1 Installation Media see Download a Windows 10 RS1 OEM and Retail .iso.
The Windows 10 Free Upgrade from Windows 7 OEM
For a system shipped with Dell Windows 7 OEM the key is not embedded in the UEFI BIOS you'll be prompted for it during installation:
A Windows 7 COA will state the Windows 7 Edition and 25 digit product key:
This may be found in the battery compartment of many laptops to prevent fading:
Power off the system, remove the AC Adapter and Battery. Take a picture of your Windows 7 COA with your smartphone.
Note on the first installation of Windows 7, your systems hardware profile will be compiled and stored with a Microsoft Product Activation server. This means you will only ever need to enter the Product Key once for an initial clean installation and never if you've performed an initial upgrade install. In all subsequent clean installs you may skip input of your Product Key and then select the correct Edition:
Once the hardware profile of the system has been compiled and stored on a Microsoft Product Activation server, the system is a "Windows 10 Edition Device". A Windows 10 Edition Device will automatically reactivate Windows 10 Edition when online.
To Download and Prepare Windows 10 RS1 Installation Media see Download a Windows 10 RS1 OEM and Retail .iso.
The UEFI BIOS
For optimal results the latest Dell UEFI BIOS should be installed before Windows 10 Clean Installation. Moreover one should Enable SecureBoot for optimal security. See:
Not all Windows 7 Systems have a UEFI BIOS as UEFI was implemented in 2011. You don't need UEFI and SecureBoot to install Windows 10 but if you have these features its recommended to utilise them for maximal performance and security.
Dell Driver Support vs Microsoft Driver Support
There has been much confusion here. Dell are an Original Equipment Manufacturer who make and design hardware and initial compile driver sets for their hardware. They support their hardware only for the duration of the warranty period (lifecycle of the product) however Dell Products normally survive for many years outwith their warranty period. See Dell Computers Tested for Windows 10 Upgrade.
Microsoft are a software company and want everyone running Windows 7 OEM or Windows 8.x OEM to Upgrade to Windows 10. Microsoft have decided they do not want to waste resources in supporting multiple Windows version and also want to have the biggest userbase possible for their Windows Store, Browser/Search Engine Marketshare and Online Cloud Storage OneDrive with Office 365. This gives them a continuous revenue so they can continue to support and develop their flagship products Windows and Office.
As the agenda of the two different companies is different many will be in the circumstance where Microsoft support the Upgrade but Dell doesn't. Luckily all these systems are over 4 years so the hardware is extremely well-established. As a consequence its extremely likely Microsoft have updated Windows 10 installation media to have inbuilt driver support for the components or will automatically obtain the system drivers automatically from Windows Update.
Here is a demonstration of an OptiPlex 7010 which has a clean install of Windows 10 64 Bit. I've opened the Device Manager and within 5 minutes of first connecting to the internet you see Windows 10 has downloaded all the drivers to ensure functionality. A handful of more up to date drivers may be found direct from Intel...
The latest version of Intel Management Engine Interface can be downloaded from Intel and prevents some black screen issues when coming out of sleep which are common symptoms with Windows 10 due to an older driver being obtained from Windows Update.
I have additional guides on obtaining the latest Dell Touchpad and Dell Wireless Card drivers.
The Windows 10 Free Upgrade from Windows Vista or Windows XP (Unofficial)
Neither Microsoft (or Dell) support this Free Upgrade Path.
Microsoft do not allow direct clean installs of Windows 10 using Windows XP or Windows Vista licenses. They however allowed an Upgrade Install from the Insider Preview Build 10130 to Windows 10 Pro. The Insider Build 10130 uses a Generic Product Key for installation so anyone can install and activate it.
One can hence install Windows 10130 on a system shipped with Windows Vista and then utilise that a stepping stone for their Free Windows 10 Upgrade. Once the hardware profile of the system has been compiled and stored on a Microsoft Product Activation server, the system is a Windows 10 Pro Device and will automatically reactivate when online. If you later perform a clean installation skip entry of product key and opt to install Windows 10 Pro.
For more details see:
Note however as Windows XP was released in 2001. Early Windows XP systems have ridiculously weak hardware and won't be Windows 10 capable. If you have anything older than 10 years you will struggle with this upgrade path and its time for new hardware or second hand hardware such as an ex-business OptiPlex 780.
Download Windows 7 or 8.1 Installation Media (Semi-Official)
One can Download all the Editions of Windows 8.1 OEM with Update 2 from Microsoft except for the with Bing OEM Editions. For more details see:
Windows 7 OEM can be Downloaded from Microsoft's Techbench. For more details see:
Philip_Yip
7 Technologist
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December 27th, 2015 06:00
More than likely the Dell OEM UEFI BIOS SLP key is for Windows 10 Home Single Language and you have installed Windows 10 Home... For Windows 10 TH2 Installation Media:
(A) For Windows 8/8.1/10 OEM the Windows 10 TH2 installation media will automatically input your UEFI BIOS Embedded System Locked Preinstallation Key during installation provided you have the correct Edition selected.
(B) If you are installing the wrong Edition you will be asked for a key….
Philip_Yip
7 Technologist
7 Technologist
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16K Posts
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December 27th, 2015 06:00
Losing bloatware is a good thing and the clean install should perform much better.
Regarding Office if you have the key... Its usually simple to reinstall.
Office 2013/2016:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-office-365/
Office 2010:
https://www7.downloadoffice2010.microsoft.com/row/registerkey.aspx?culture=en-GB&ref=pkc
Office 2007:
https://www7.downloadoffice2010.microsoft.com/o12/registerkey.aspx?culture=en-GB&ref=o12&country_id=GB
BillX8300
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May 23rd, 2016 17:00
I purchased my Dell XPS8300 from Costco in 2011 and overall it's been a good experience. It came with Windows 7 and MS Office 2010 pre-installed.
In December 2014 I accepted MS's invitation to upgrade to Windows 10 Home. My version currently is 10.0.10586 Build 10586.
I had the Start Menu problem and resolved it by uninstalling Dropbox. As yet I haven't re-installed DB.
One program -- Makemusic Finale Printmusic -- does not accept my purchased serial number. PM pops a message box saying I must log on as Windows Administrator. I can confirm that was and remains the case.
In a long dialog with the MM Support folks, they acknowledge the same problem being experienced by some Windows 10 Upgrade users. But not with others, and never with Windows 10 pre-installed users.
MM Support believes there may be an issue with Windows, saying they need Microsoft (or someone who knows the full Windows permissions architecture) to help resolve this.
In the Windows Community forum, there are references to similar permission and authorization problems . Windows Support offers to address this but wants to charge for it.
An option is to invoke something called Windows 10 Refresh, which installs Windows 10 and keeps the user's data. What programs are retained or lost is a little vague. I am concerned I will lose MS Office 2010 that came pre-installed by Dell.
If any knowledgeable users or Dell folks are listening, please chime in with any advice and feedback.
matthewcrim
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June 23rd, 2016 00:00
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