I Accidently Installed Windows 10 Home But I Have Windows 10 Pro Serial Key
Downgrade from Windows 10 Pro to Home My laptop originally came with Windows 10 Home Single Language. However, I wanted to upgrade to Pro and I used the generic Windows product key to upgrade. The free Windows 10 standard instructions are to upgrade from within Win7/8, keeping your apps and data during the upgrade (and upgrade like for like, pro to pro, home to home). Once activated, and MS has your hardware ID fingerprint, you can supposedly do clean installs.
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- I Accidently Installed Windows 10 Home But I Have Windows 10 Pro Serial Key Replacement
I have a laptop here that came with Windows 10 Home pre-installed. But I want the more feature-rich Pro edition instead. I have access to the Microsoft DreamSpark program through collage. So I have ordered a new license key for the 'Multiple Edition'. This is thought to be a Home and Pro bundle in one ISO file, but the license key activates only the more feature-rich Pro edition. This is according to a forum thread on tenforums.com.
I have now done a clean install using the provided ISO file. But the installer never prompted for a license key? I did get a 25 character key from DreamSpark. Once the installation was done, and I connected to the network, it appears to have been activated, and it's licensed to 'Windows User'? But the installed edition is still just 'Home'?
How do I go about to activate Windows 10 Pro edition on this Windows 10 Home laptop?
The currently installed Windows version is 1607, build 14393.0. Vmware workstation 11 serial key 32 bit for windows 7. This is definitely not the build that came with the laptop. The PC came with the TH1 update (some 10.0.10240.x build). This indicates that the install went well, but this activation thing is a puzzle.
Update 1:
In any normal operating system world, the solution provided by Timmy should be the correct solution. And it is the correct path to follow, except for the fact that it doesn't work properly. But that's a problem of Microsoft and Windows itself.
I followed the instructions provided by Timmy. Except I did not use the 'Go to Store' link, but the 'Change Product Key' link. But this should not be important, as both links seem to lead to the same 'Enter a product key' prompt.
This appeared to be working. A Microsoft Support rep even confirmed that my Pro key had in fact been activated. The PC rebooted and some 'upgrading' message appeared on the screen. So all was well.. except for the fact that the Home to Pro upgrade installer program appears to be broken, because it failed to properly enable all of Pro features and benefits. It only enabled some of them.
One of the features it failed to enable is the lusrmgr snapin. It seems to suggest that I am using Windows 10 Home edition.
This snapin may not be used with this edition of Windows 10. To manage user accounts for this computer, use the User Accounts tool in the Control Panel.
Even though Microsoft confirmed that Pro edition had been activated, and I saw some upgrade installer reboot my PC. But apparently this installer has issues.
So I will have to use the clean install (WinPE) method/installer. But for this to succeed I need a way to prevent the installer from automatically reading my UEFI embedded key and configuring Home edition during install. I need an override method for this automation. I need a way to provide the installer with the Pro key manually before the installation starts. The method given by Daniel seems promising. I will post back if it works.
Update 2:
Essentially, the first answer that was provided by Timmy is the correct solution to my question. If it were not for the road blocks due to buggy Microsoft software!
So my original question has turned into at least two separate problems.
- Why is
lusrmgr.mscstill not accessible now that I havesuccessfully activated Pro edition? - How to prevent clean install method (WinPE) from using my PCembedded key for the installation, or how to force it to prompt mefor a key?
I will post back if and when I overcome these damn roadblocks. I can't possibly wait for Microsoft to get their head out of the cloud and fix the Home to Pro upgrade installer. So being able to answer my second question here seems like the best shot at correctly configuring Pro edition on this PC.
As always, the clean install method has proven to have the best outlook at fully and successfully installing, configuring and activating Windows. I just wish it wasn't so much more automated in Windows 10, with little to no user control over the process. It bases its decisions on a lot of predictions, trying to outsmart the human sitting in front of the screen. Since it's just a stupid computer, it has no concept of understanding user choice or preference. I think I know my own PC better than Microsoft and Windows put together. Not to mention my own preference and choice. No one else knows that better than I do.
Update 3: second install
I have done another clean install. Microsoft support asked me to do this. I have documented the entire process for future reference.
As I explained earlier, this PC came with Window 10 Home pre-installed by Asus. So it was an OEM type of thing with some minor bloatware. I used the ISO file that I got a link for from DreamSpark store and Rufus 2.10 to create a bootable USB flash drive.
The file was:
en_windows_10_multiple_editions_version_1607_updated_jul_2016_x64_dvd_9058187.iso
This installed Windows 10 Home and got activated automatically by the installation process. This PC is a laptop, and it has only WiFi for connectivity. And! I did not connect to the WiFi AP during setup. So it had no chance at activating over the Internet. The installer must have used the pre-activated key that's embedded on the machine.
Microsoft support representative used a remote session on my PC to try to sort out any issues with enabling Pro features. All attempts failed so they asked me to do a clean installation. Again?! So I obeyed and did another installation.
They gave me a link to download the latest Windows 10 build ISO file.
The file was:
Win10_1607_English_x64.iso
I used Rufus 2.10 again to prepare a USB flash drive. The installation completed again, and again, I had Windows 10 Home instead of Pro. As I suspected, the installer picked up the embedded Windows 10 Home key and configured Home edition. It failed to prompt for a key, just like the last time.
I tried to upgrade from Home to Pro using the same steps, and again, the upgrade installer failed to enable all Pro features. But Windows 10 Pro activation worked fine, just like the last time.
So I have clean installed Windows 10 Home not once but 2 times now since I left the bloated OEM Windows that came with the PC. I used 2 different official Microsoft ISO files, both with the same result. I also formatted the Windows partitions both times. I made my partitioning scheme on the first run, and I reused my existing partitions on the second run instead of having to recreate my partitions. But I made sure to format the target partition that I installed Windows on.
Windows 10 Home clean installed and activated:
You can see that it says 'OEM' at the end of the product ID. So yes, the installer did use the embedded key for the installation.. again.
After half successful Home to Pro upgrade:
You can see that it says 'AA338' at the end of the product ID. This activation did not use the OEM key.
Update 4:
I tried disabling Secure Boot and performing a clean installation using the Win10_1607_English_x64.iso image without any modifications.
On some systems, disabling Secure Boot effectively prevents the Windows installer from reading the embedded key. This did not work on my PC. Windows 10 Home was installed, just like the last two times. It did not prompt me to enter a key which was the expected behavior.
Update 5:
I have successfully installed Windows 10 Pro cleanly using the ei.cfg trick. Apparently, this good old trick still works which is great. It works regardless of whether or not Secure Boot is enabled.
3 Answers
Try this:
- Go to Settings > Update & Security > Activation
- Click 'Go to Store'
- Click under the $99.99 button the 'I have a Windows 10 Pro Product Key' link
- Put your key in that you got from DreamSpark
Here is the article I found this information from.
Since you also mentioned that your clean install didn't ask for a key, you may be able to just change the product key in the Activation section of Update & Security.
I Accidently Installed Windows 10 Home But I Have Windows 10 Pro Serial Key Code
Tim G.I Accidently Installed Windows 10 Home But I Have Windows 10 Pro Serial Key Free
Tim G.- Choose
Windows 10 Prowhen installing - No need to input your product key during installation
- If you need to change your key,
slmgr.vbs /ipk 'your key'
On my Windows 10 Home version 1607 build 14393.105 laptop, when I click on
I Accidently Installed Windows 10 Home But I Have Windows 10 Pro Serial Key Generator
- Start -> Settings -> System -> About
- There is a link there called: Change product key or upgrade your edition of Windows. Click on that link
- In the section titled Upgrade your edition of Windows click on Change product key and enter your Windows 10 key for your desired edition of Windows.
- Then follow the prompts to change editions.
The ability to do this was, I think, introduced in the Nov 2015 update version 1511 aka 'Threshold 2'.
Towards the end of July I was upgrading a bunch of computers for work to 10 and a few from home to pro, though I was forced to go via the route of using the method Charles on the MS forums describes as I was activating with a pre Windows 10 key. The above is just a bit shorter as you already have a 10 key, and don't need to go through an additional key swap.
I Accidently Installed Windows 10 Home But I Have Windows 10 Pro Serial Key Replacement
Edit: If components seem to be missing or corrupt connect to the internet and try running the component store clean up from an elevated command prompt
followed by the system file check
Both commands could be needed, and need to run in the above sequence as the sfc command does not use windows update as its source for repairing files.
See the technet article Repair a Windows Image and the MS KB page Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files for more info on these tools.
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