Thank you! We have received the required details. We will work towards a resolution. In the meantime, you may also receive assistance or suggestions from the community members.
You do not need to reinstall anything to upgrade. Simply install your 10 Pro license key, which will unlock the Pro features of Windows 10. They're already on your system - the license key is all you need.
Yes, please see above. License seller states that it is valid for new install only. They provided some guide to download and run Media Creation Tool and create the USB drive. I followed it but it allows installing Home on a computer running Home and Pro only on a computer that is running Pro. So, it looks I can't upgrade. Up to this point it didn't request for the new pro key. What I want to avoid is to completely erase the system partition and reinstall win 10 from scratch.
You will likely want to contact your seller -- my suspicion is that this is a "system builder" license, sold for integration with a new PC. These are sold to system builders that don't ship systems with mainboards containing Windows activation keys. Even if you do manage a clean install, the installer will pick up the fact that your Dell system has an onboard key and activate that. Since you can't use the license key to upgrade an existing copy, that will block even a clean install from working.
You need to contact your seller and explain that you need an upgrade license for Windows 10 Pro -- not a system builder license. Or, for that matter, you can purchase an upgrade directly from the Microsoft store within Windows. Either way, what you've purchased isn't going to work for what you want it to do.
If your key is Retail you can switch edition in system using the product key... If the key is rejected here, it is likely an OEM key (designed for system builders to bundle with hardware and not for use as a Retail Upgrade).
In addition if you use Windows 10 installation media, it will automatically input your Windows 10 Home OEM key and you will get no opportunity to input the Windows 10 Pro OEM key during installation.
It is designed this way as a system is not allowed to have two OEM licenses.
The only possible way around this is to add a PID.txt file to the sources folder of your Windows 10 Bootable USB. This should contain the lines below (note this uses the generic Windows 10 Pro key which allows installation but not activation). Once this is done, you may be able to activate using your Windows 10 Pro Key. If activation still fails in this scenario, the key is unusable with your system.
DELL-Cares
Moderator
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27.6K Posts
0
December 29th, 2020 06:00
Thank you! We have received the required details. We will work towards a resolution. In the meantime, you may also receive assistance or suggestions from the community members.
TBoneNW
1 Rookie
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3 Posts
0
December 29th, 2020 06:00
Hi,
Reseller states that the key is valid for new install only.
So, I can't change the product key.
ejn63
10 Elder
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30.7K Posts
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December 29th, 2020 06:00
You do not need to reinstall anything to upgrade. Simply install your 10 Pro license key, which will unlock the Pro features of Windows 10. They're already on your system - the license key is all you need.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/upgrade-windows-10-home-to-windows-10-pro-ef34d520-e73f-3198-c525-d1a218cc2818#:~:text=Upgrade%20using%20a%20Windows%2010,upgrade%20to%20Windows%2010%20Pro.
TBoneNW
1 Rookie
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3 Posts
0
December 29th, 2020 07:00
Yes, please see above.
License seller states that it is valid for new install only. They provided some guide to download and run Media Creation Tool and create the USB drive. I followed it but it allows installing Home on a computer running Home and Pro only on a computer that is running Pro. So, it looks I can't upgrade. Up to this point it didn't request for the new pro key.
What I want to avoid is to completely erase the system partition and reinstall win 10 from scratch.
bacillus1
2 Intern
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415 Posts
0
December 29th, 2020 07:00
have you actually tried the pro key for the upgrade?
ejn63
10 Elder
•
30.7K Posts
0
December 29th, 2020 11:00
You will likely want to contact your seller -- my suspicion is that this is a "system builder" license, sold for integration with a new PC. These are sold to system builders that don't ship systems with mainboards containing Windows activation keys. Even if you do manage a clean install, the installer will pick up the fact that your Dell system has an onboard key and activate that. Since you can't use the license key to upgrade an existing copy, that will block even a clean install from working.
You need to contact your seller and explain that you need an upgrade license for Windows 10 Pro -- not a system builder license. Or, for that matter, you can purchase an upgrade directly from the Microsoft store within Windows. Either way, what you've purchased isn't going to work for what you want it to do.
Philip_Yip
9 Legend
•
16.1K Posts
0
December 29th, 2020 12:00
If your key is Retail you can switch edition in system using the product key... If the key is rejected here, it is likely an OEM key (designed for system builders to bundle with hardware and not for use as a Retail Upgrade).
In addition if you use Windows 10 installation media, it will automatically input your Windows 10 Home OEM key and you will get no opportunity to input the Windows 10 Pro OEM key during installation.
It is designed this way as a system is not allowed to have two OEM licenses.
The only possible way around this is to add a PID.txt file to the sources folder of your Windows 10 Bootable USB. This should contain the lines below (note this uses the generic Windows 10 Pro key which allows installation but not activation). Once this is done, you may be able to activate using your Windows 10 Pro Key. If activation still fails in this scenario, the key is unusable with your system.
[PID]
Value= VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T