How to do a clean install of Windows 10
Microsoft released a tool yesterday that enables you to create installation media, an ISO image or USB files, so that you can use it to upgrade existing Windows systems or clean install Windows 10.
Users who run Windows 7 or Windows 8 currently will run into issues when they try to do a clean install as they are prompted for a product key during installation of the new operating system.
When they try to enter their Windows 7 or 8 product key, they will receive information that it is invalid and not accepted.
The issue here is that existing keys need to be converted to Windows 10 keys first before they can be used to activate a Windows 10 system.
So how do you achieve that?
According to Microsoft, you need to run an upgrade first on an existing system to convert the product key. Once you have done that, you may use the product key to do a clean install of Windows 10.
That's obviously not overly comfortable, considering that you spend time upgrading the system only to clean install Windows 10 afterwards.
There is no other solution for this at the time of writing. An online product key converter would be handy for this, or maybe even an option to call Microsoft and get the key converted as both options should take less time.
Anyway, here is the process in detail
- Backup your existing system. I cannot stress enough that you should back up important files before you run the upgrade. Since you do want to run a clean install anyway, make sure all important files are backed up to a save location before you start.
- Accept the upgrade offer that is displayed on the Windows 7 or Windows 8 system. If you have troubles getting the Windows 10 upgrade offer to display read the linked article. You find a tool download link there which should resolve the issue and display the upgrade offer on your machine.
- You may create an ISO image or prepare a USB Flash drive alternatively, and use installation media to upgrade. Since you do need one of the two anyway for the clean installation of Windows 10, you may very well use it right away.
- Run the upgrade. Either use Windows Update for that and follow the prompts displayed on the screen, or boot the PC from the installation media you created earlier and follow the instructions to upgrade the existing system.
- Once the upgrade process completes -- you will notice that when the system boots the Windows 10 desktop -- you have converted the product key successfully to a Windows 10 product key. This means that you can now use clean installation media to install the operating system. Note that it seems only possible to install Windows 10 anew on the PC you ran the upgrade on.
If you upgraded to Windows 10 on this PC by taking advantage of the free upgrade offer and successfully activated Windows 10 on this PC in the past, you won't have a Windows 10 product key, and you can skip the product key page by selecting the Skip button. Your PC will activate online automatically so long as the same edition of Windows 10 was successfully activated on this PC by using the free Windows 10 upgrade offer. (source)
Update
Some users have reportedly problems activating Windows 10 after doing a clean install of the operating system.
These users should check the following on the system:
- Check under Settings > Update & Security >Â Activation whether "Windows is Activated", and if the right edition is installed.
- Check under Settings > Accounts > Your Account to make sure you are signed in to your verified Microsoft Account.
- Use the following VB Script to check the product key and compare it against the following generic keys
- Windows 10 Home - YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7
- Windows 10 Pro - VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
- Windows 10 Home SL- BT79Q-G7N6G-PGBYW-4YWX6-6F4BT
- Windows 10 Pro VL-MAK - QJNXR-7D97Q-K7WH4-RYWQ8-6MT6Y
- If you have a generic key, there is no other solution currently but to call Microsoft Support (source)
Closing Words
The only option right now to clean install Windows 10 is to run an upgrade first. The only exception to the rule is if you bought a full copy of Windows 10 as you get a product key with it that you use during installation to activate it.
Now you: Did you run into issues installing Windows 10?
What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277