During my vacations days, I got nothing to do. So I decided to do some experiment of my own on Windows 10 free upgrade as well as clean install.

First Experiment
Using Dell laptop (preinstalled Windows 7 Starter OEM)

Firstly, I reset to factory default setting using recovery. After that, install Service Pack 1 which I already downloaded before. For your information SP 1 is require for upgrading Windows 7 to Windows 10. After that I Install Windows 10 using ISO created from Microsoft Media Creation Tool and the result are:-

1- Windows 7 Starter SP1 upgrade to Windows 10 Home = Windows 10 Home activated without problem.
2- Windows 7 Starter SP1 upgrade to Windows 10 Home = Windows 10 Home activated without problem and do a clean install of Windows Home = Windows 10 Home again activated without problem.
3- But after I clean install again, meaning I did twice clean install the result is Windows 10 Home is not activated
After call Microsoft Support, It seems there are been cases like where windows is not activated if users perform twice or more clean install after free upgrade is done. The CS said, with free upgrade users cant activated via phone activation since all free upgrade users are given generic keys which the installation ID is not unique like installation ID with retail keys
However, he said Microsoft have been informed about this problem and working a patch on it.

Second Experiment
Using Dell laptop (preinstalled Windows 7 Starter OEM)

Firstly, I reset to factory default setting using recovery. After that, install Service Pack 1 which I already downloaded before. For your information SP 1 is require for upgrading Windows 7 to Windows 10. After that I Install Windows 10 using ISO created from Microsoft Media Creation Tool and the result are:-
1- Windows 7 Starter SP1 upgrade to Windows 10 Home = Windows 10 Home activated without problem.
2- After that, I clean install again the laptop but using Windows 8.1 Pro retail key and do the Windows 10 upgrade process again the result is Windows 10 Pro activated successfully.
3- The same things happen where the first clean install, Windows 10 Pro activated but clean install for two and four times yield the same result which Windows 10 Pro failed to activate
Forget to mention before, the fail activation are not due to Microsoft server overload as the CS said the overload no longer a problem
4. But I repeat the steps
Windows 7 Starter SP1 upgrade to Windows 10 Home = Windows 10 Home activated without problem. After that, I clean install again the
laptop but using Windows 8.1 Pro retail key and do the Windows 10 upgrade process again the result is Windows 10 Pro activated successfully.
Next steps, I clean install with Windows 10 Home not Windows 10 Pro, the result is Windows 10 Home not activated

Therefore I conclude that the activation ID of Windows 10 Pro must have overwritten the activation ID of Windows 1o Home

In the end I suggest the best ways to avoid problems like BSOD, lagging, and so on after upgrade to Windows 10, you may do like me which are

1- Download Windows 10 ISO using Microsoft Media Creation tool and save it on external hdd or another partition
2- Download Service Pack 1 Updates or Windows 8.1 ISO from Microsoft site. These much easier than update via windows update or from store
3- Reset your laptop/PC to factory setting if OEM pre-installed. Clean install windows 7 or windows 8. You may use windows 7 SP 1 straight way but for windows 8 user, you cannot clean install straight away Windows 8.1 unless your keys is for Windows 8.1
4- Don’t install any software yet as well as drivers except for wifi and LAN
5- After reset/clean install, disable windows updates, to ensure windows don’t download any update yet. Now install SP1/Windows 8.1 update which you downloaded earlier before. You may skip this steps if you already reset/clean install to Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 during step 3
6- Make sure Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 is now activated. If not activate now via online or Phone Activation
7- Now, mount the Windows 10 ISO using windows built-in mount features or you make the ISO into USB boot using Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool which also can be downloaded from Microsoft site. Don’t install and mount the ISO using software like Daemon tools, it likely causes the upgrade fail. If the mount features is not available like on Windows 7 Starters, use USB method.
8- Run setup on Windows 10 ISO. The upgrade process time depend on your computer specification
9- After done, you may now install all the latest driver and software. FYI, most drivers for Windows 7 and Windows 8 works well on Windows 10 just in case you can’t find windows 10 drivers for your hardware
10- Last but not least, make sure your Windows 10 activated lol

With these steps you will unlikely face failure during the upgrading process and any problem like BSOD and lagging after the upgrading to Windows 10
If you want to do clean install Windows 10, it up to you. But I think with these steps, it already like clean install Windows 10 right. Anyways it up to you, just friendly remainder, better wait several month until the activation problem is fixed

I simply refuse to believe free upgrade users cant do phone activation. Unless Windows 10 has different policy regarding multiple activation.

Let's just say my motherboard is faulty and I have to change, that is definite reason for Windows to be deactivated and phone activation has always been necessary for this. If I can't be allowed to do phone upgrade I have been refused to my right here.

for VLK/MAK keys, i wasnt sure regarding phone activation as i dont have VLK/MAK keys for windows 10

but for previous version of Windows like XP/Vitsa/7 and 8/8, phone activation can be done as i already test them before using the VLK/MAK keys

As for now, according to CS, only retail/OEM windows 10 keys can do both online and phone activation, maybe later free upgrade can do also. Many users also wonder about activation if hardware changes and Microsoft still hasnt given firm answer as the activation issues still have many flaws

This post has been edited by kiritoffx: Aug 31 2015, 05:48 PM

imo a clean install means getting rid of everything on the os disk, and starts over. this includes all system partitions created by the old os. during w10 upgrade, an additional recovery partition is created for the new os at the end of the disk. the old recovery partition is still located at the beginning of the disk. if you do a reset, you cannot do disk wipe to free up space taken by the old one. well, like you said, it's really up to user preference.

you're right. since the license of the old os is the base of w10 license in the upgrade, there is no reason why ms doesn't allow us to do phone activation.

Can I apply ?

bro, can u guide me how to directly from win7 clean(pre installed) directly upgrade to win10?

Won't the Media Creation Tools work?

This post has been edited by Floria Scarlet: Oct 28 2015, 04:47 PM

havent receive my update yet T_T

i downloaded the media creation tool, may I know is it must finish download the updated file win7 just can upgrade to win10?
today morning until now just finish update win7 ;-(

no need to download all update just SP1 update is enough. then can proceed upgrade wins 10

Nope, no need to update, just make sure that you have the things required to run the OS
You can pm me if you need any help or tips~
Here's my desktop, good luck on your upgrade~


This post has been edited by Floria Scarlet: Oct 28 2015, 06:46 PM

Very nice desktop
What is the software you using?

Sofware: Rainmeter
Theme: Purple Heart (HDN)

I have a problem here, my win7 cd key `win vista HmPrm - Win7 HmPrm UPG fulfill` from Dell.
last time when I buy this laptop is win vista, then dell free upgrade to me to win 7.
so, this cd key cannot upgrade to win 10?
I ady follow ur step download media creation tool to upgrade win 10, now I was in win 10 but I cannot active the win 10 now

Hmm.. If you can't activate Windows 10 using that key that means your key counts as Windows Vista key. Therefore you can't upgrade for free
If you did your upgrade in less than one month, you can get back to Windows 7.
Head to Settings-->Update and Security-->Recovery-->Go back to...

If you really like Windows 10, then try using KMS Pico to register, but it's illegal

I found this is getintopc.com, could be useful, so I posted it anyway

it shouldnt be a problem. i edi tried with my friends laptop XP-->wins 7--> wins 10 without a hitch. Just make sure ur windows 7 is activated first before upgrade

Thank you, i still perfer the orginal cd key for safety use for my ow pc.
Today morning i ady reverse back to win 7, ady use microsoft app to double checked.
It is orginal cd key n aso ady confirm activated.
Now wsit win10 auto appear to let me download n upgrade.

Ok, noted thank you very much

Oh, it seems that it's just a small bug. Problem solved then

Ok, thank u

I have windows 7 home edition on my HP envy 17 laptop.
Got the windows 10 upgrade for free too.

But should i update to Win 10 now?
Heard so many issues now.
Some more i use a lot of ehem softwares like photoshop & some research simulation softwares. Heard Win 10 won't be able to run these ehem softwares is it true??

no issue with wins 10 except privacy issue (google it). wins 10 far more stable than wins 8.1/7 in terms of performance/ ram usage and gaming.

regarding pirated software... no problem as far as i know

Just some quick questions:

1. does Windows 10 comes with free Microsoft Outlook for email management? Is it the Outlook 2016 or something like Outlook that comes with Win 8.1 aka Mail?
2. should i do UPGRADE from Win 7 or do a FRESH,CLEAN installation of Win 10? Any difference between these two in terms of retaining hardware drivers / migration from Win 7 to Win 10?

1- microsoft outlook is part of microsoft office. In wins 10 , it came with mail app like windows 8/8.1 but with slight improvement in GUI
2- If you don’t take advantage of the upgrade process first, this registration will never happen. There’s no way to enter a Windows 7 or 8.1 key into the Windows 10 installer, nor is there some sort of web form that will give you a Windows 10 key if you provide your Windows 7 or 8.1 key. Sorry — you’ll have to upgrade to Windows 10 before you can perform a clean install.

I was like jumped into the upgrading bandwagon, registering win7 sp1 and took like 16gb of broadband quota to update it. Also downloaded win 10 iso hoping that if nothing pops from the default update I might as well gunning for a blind install.

But there's no more free upgrade to w10 right?

the free upgrade is valid until july 2016.

Yes, it took them a while after the update to offer the upgrade. Now upgrading at 10% progress. Hopefully the upgrade didnt wipe out the entire partitions on the hdd as I click upgrade and left it just like that for a late snack without giving any input as to how the upgrade should be done. Suppose there should be a prompt, if there's one I missed that already because I heard the reboot beep and didnt bother to check what's going on at the screen.

Add:

Just finished installing, activated (I just click activate, it doesn't ask for key) and running on it now. Luckily the upgrade process didn't interfere with anything. The first hiccups was I have to install DX9 to play World Of Tanks. Reading review/howto on net one should do backup before upgrading but everything seems to be fine even I had the AV Bit-defender Total Security on during the process but it was smooth transition for now.

This post has been edited by PedangGila: Nov 9 2015, 05:37 AM

you're one of the lucky ones. in general, it's recommended to do full system and data backups before doing anything like os upgrade. this gives you guaranteed options to revert/recover successfully from disasters. actually a much simpler way is to do it with a spare disk first. that way you will never have a chance to screw up your current system.

well, good for you anyway haha

Yea very lucky. The HDD is my own personal museum with stuff dated 15 years ago, I'd be really pissed of with myself if the drive wipe happened. Before the upgrade I installed Bitdefender, Ms 2007 office, foobar, klite codec and there were some files in the download folder. The upgrade never touch them really. I test run all those pre-installed and they worked fine. Not recommended to all upgrading blindly, it's just im too excited for my first ever licensed OS or PC software that is.

I must say this is my first experience upgrading the OS as I skipped win 8 and of course win 10 feels like home as if nothing changed. Task manager seems to ditch the multi core graph. Oh my excel files loaded faster too. Start menu seems more organized and have to right click to get the run command option.

Next challenge is to clone the OS partition onto a new SSD. Getting the Samsung evo 120gb as I feel 60gb is not enough la nowadays for OS partition.

wow. 15 years. don't do that again.

the multi-core graph for cpu is in resource monitor now.

as for cloning to new ssd, i think it's better for you to do some checks first. ssd needs ahci as optimal sata operation option (it's either ahci or raid). if your current os is running on sata mode other than ahci or raid, you will need to check out necessary registry tweaks after cloning.

another way to do this is to create a system image with built-in windows recovery tool. i have been using this one for some times. as long as your target disk is larger than your current disk, the process should be seamless.

my hdd only lsat for 5 years before it dead

It's in normal data mode alright. Thank you for the heads up.

The some content is dated 15 years but hdd is around 4 years of age. 80% health with around 600 days on time. That if you think my hdd is 15 years old.

Hi there, I'd like to ask something. Is it possible to do the upgrade without a separate bootable DVD or flash drive?

via windows update or direct from internal hdd (just run setup and choose upgrade or clean install)

By this you mean, after I installed the SSD then ask the recovery tool to unpack the backup image in HDD into the new SSD? Then disconnect the HDD, boot with SSD?

Ha btw kiri, allow me to hijack your thread bro. Hehe

Copy entire hard disk to another or migrate OS from HDD to SSD without Windows reinstallation.

EaseUS Partition Master

use free edition

yes. something like that. use windows built-in system recovery tool to create a system image of the current os in an external hdd. boot the computer with windows installation media and choose repair computer to proceed. it preserves everything (depending on what you choose to become part of the system image), including os activation state, and all os updates / sofware patches that you have applied.

My target ssd is just 120 GB but the whole content hdd is about 400GB. You have used this software to copy the OS partition, namely C: to a new sdd eh?

add: Bought Paragon Migrate OS 4.0 for rm90+. In the end it might end up costly

This post has been edited by PedangGila: Nov 12 2015, 10:03 AM

The whole image is like 40GB but sadly it's on the same hdd. I might have to redo it using other hdd. Thank you.

Oh that's ok. If it's a system image created with windows tools, it should be able to use that image for system restore to new ssd.

can i apply too..?