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As per thread title, I'm trying to resurrect an aged laptop for general family use and want to buy a Win 10 Pro key...
There appear to be many, many sites flogging them at varying prices, which are legit and which should be avoided?
If it's already running Win7 or 8, you don't need to buy a key. You can download the Win10 installation files from the Microsoft website and create a USB installation stick. Then install Win10 as an upgrade (not a fresh installation). It will automatically register itself. After that, you can do a fresh installation without needing to enter a key.
If you can't boot the existing OS, and you have the serial number for a Win 7 or 8 installation, you can just enter that when Win 10 asks for a serial number.
However, if it's running a Home version of Windows and you want to upgrade to Pro, you will need a new licence. There are very few functional differences between the two though, disk encryption is the only one I can think of off the top of my head. Pro will have a bunch of stuff enabled that system administrators use for remote management, but that's irrelevant for a regular home user.
It's running Vista this is an experiment on a surplus laptop...
Installation is currently downloading to a USB drive, I'm going to buy a key and have a crack at a fresh install later...
If you just want to see how the laptop will work with Windows 10 installed you can just install from the USB without entering a key, it will work just fine, I think you get a message on he desktop saying it needs activating.
Don't actually need a key, it will let you install Windows 10 without one, even on a machine that previously ran Vista. You get a watermark on screen reminding you to activate it and I think lose some personalisation options. I've done exactly what you're doing on an old Vista laptop which has resulted in a perfectly usable machine. At some point I may take a punt and buy a key for a few quid off EBay, so far not needed to (been 8 months since I changed the OS).
Used this lot before.. https://theunitysoft.com
+1
Used them in November to buy a Windows 10 Pro key
PcPro are selling legit Win10 keys for £40.
I did Vista to 10 a few months ago. I think I went via 7, but didn't need to buy anything. Well worth it, made a usable laptop.
Yep the plan is to install Win 10, see if it's a goer and then just buy the cheapest (ideally legit) Win 10 key.
TBH I'm not sure I can be arsed trying the Win 7 upgrade route but it could save a couple of quid...
I think that if you have your Vista key you can use that and it will be accepted. Used to work anyway.
It's not like you have to sit there and watch it! Just set it going and come back in an hour. repeat a few times then you have a Windows 10 laptop for free.
I think that if you have your Vista key you can use that and it will be accepted. Used to work anyway.
Really? I'll give it a go, just waiting on the install now...
Hmmm, well that's interesting, I've installed it but it seems to have either done it as a repair or an update straight on top of Vista...
Rather than completely format the HDD it's stuck all the files from the old system in a 'windows.old' folder but seems to have activated W10 without me needing to enter a key...
Anything I wanted to keep from the old install I'd already backed up on a separate drive, and it's taking up a stupid amount of drive space so I assume I can just delete the lot? or at least all the old user and program files?
I kinda don't want to attempt a reinstall now as it running pretty well (albeit with bugger all spare HDD space)...
Actually no, I've got the activate windows watermark now....
Think I'll see how it goes for a week or so then if it's running well I'll either do a full reformat (or maybe even spring for a new cheap HDD) and buy a key.
So best recommendation so far is unitysoft then?
I had a quick look at someone selling them via amazon, reviews made it sound dodgy TBH...
What do you want Pro for?
I think that if you have your Vista key you can use that and it will be accepted. Used to work anyway.
No you can't and no it didn't. You need W7 or W8.1.
What do you want Pro for?
My Desktop has Pro, every PC I use at work has Pro, the licence isn't that much more so I want Pro...
Cos I am Pro (and I'm worth it)…
No you can’t and no it didn’t. You need W7 or W8.1.
Thanks for the clarification, I might do a W7 install -> W10 update next week if it's going to save me a tenner...
So far it's working quite well, Win 10 has changed it from a ponderous bag-o-shite to a usable bag-o-shite.
I discovered that the battery is good for no more than about 20 minutes, I might want to try and replace it but I'm not too sure I'll be taking it too far from a plug generally.
Ordered a cheap SSD this morning, I doubt it'll actually make much difference TBH, the main bottleneck is always going to be the processor, but if I'm going to do a fresh install I might as well have a bigger capacity, quicker disc...
Cheers all.
Ordered a cheap SSD this morning, I doubt it’ll actually make much difference TBH, the main bottleneck is always going to be the processor
I wouldn't be so sure, HDDs have been a major bottleneck for years, even if the processor is crap, You should see a good benefit, but I'm not sure what spec laptop you have.
Things should load a lot faster, and even things like page files, when reading/writing to a much faster SSD will improve memory management a fair bit too.
For general desk jockeying, pretty much any old potato of a processor will do, reletivley speaking.
For general desk jockeying, pretty much any old potato of a processor will do, relatively speaking.
Not sure if I mentioned before, it's a 2.0GHz Celeron 550: a single core, 32bit Potato...
I did check and while there were versions of the same laptop that could be upgraded to a core 2 duo, this ain't one of them.
I could go shopping for a slightly higher clocked 560 or 570 but I'm not sure an extra couple of hundred Mhz is really worth the faff TBH...
Win 10 is a noticeable improvement over vista, but run it with a few browser tabs open, and a couple of Docs/spreadsheets and you notice it choking a bit, it's not going to be a heavy multitasking machine...
I've also got an little netbook thing with an Atom in it, currently running Linux, that technically meets the stated minimum Win 10 requirements. I'm slightly tempted to try installing Win10 in that just to see if it runs*…
(*not really)
My Desktop has Pro, every PC I use at work has Pro, the licence isn’t that much more so I want Pro…
Cos I am Pro (and I’m worth it)…
The work PCs are Pro (or Enterprise) because they're part of a domain. Have your own domain at home do you?
I went down this road when W10 first came out. Older versions of Windows sure, Pro was the 'not cut-down' version. With W10 though it's what it says on the tin, the Pro features are almost exclusively corporate stuff that you'll never use (certainly on that laptop). You almost certainly don't need it.
Not sure if I mentioned before, it’s a 2.0GHz Celeron 550: a single core, 32bit Potato…
I'm all for keeping old hardware running but I wouldn't be spending a dime further on that unless I could swap out that CPU for something that wasn't shit back when it was new. And from your update it'd seem that's not an option.
I might do a W7 install -> W10 update next week if it’s going to save me a tenner…
You don't need to do that unless you have a running W7 installation and don't know the key (and even then there's ways around that), the advice above is out of date. If you have a W7 key you can just bang it into W10 when prompted and it'll work.
a single core, 32bit Potato…
Ahh shit, thats a potato alright... its ready for the bin mate.
It's doing surprisingly well so far, better than I expected TBH.
Its a free emergency laptop, heavy lifting can be done by the desktop.
By the time I've changed the HDD and paid for a license of something windowsy (pro, home or otherwise) it's still going to be cheaper and easier than picking up a newer used one and trying to sort it out.
Plus I'll have no qualms handing it over to my youngest to potentially wreck (as lockdown 3 beckons)...