- Local time
- 11:58 PM
- Posts
- 1,717
- OS
- Windows 11
So you find a Windows 10/11 Pro OEM product key for like $10 from an online seller. There should be a disclaimer: OEM product keys cannot be used to upgrade to Pro. Well, that is not exactly true. I first conducted this test to verify that Windows 10 upgrade from Home to Pro with an OEM product key works the same as it always did, and it does. So then I repeated the test with Windows 11:
Start with Windows 11 Home fully activated (that really does not matter), up-to-date, and connected to the internet:
Now, I am going to change the product key to the generic retail product key for Windows 10/11 Pro and I get an error:
Next, I will try the Windows 10/11 Pro OEM product key while connected to the internet, and it errors:
Next, I disconnect from the internet (turn off WiFi, unplug ethernet cable), and if I try the same product key above, I still get the same error. But, if I change the product key to the generic Windows 10/11 retail product, I get an upgrade, but it is not activated:
I connect to the internet, still no activation:
Now, I change the product key to the Windows 10/11 OEM product key I tried before, and I get this error because I had just tried this test successfully on a Windows 10 VM:
Finally, I change the product key to an old Windows 7 Pro OEM product key, and I get activation!
Note, because I used a Windows 7 product key, when Windows 11 activated it automatically replaced it with the generic OEM product key for Windows 10/11.
Start with Windows 11 Home fully activated (that really does not matter), up-to-date, and connected to the internet:
Now, I am going to change the product key to the generic retail product key for Windows 10/11 Pro and I get an error:
Next, I will try the Windows 10/11 Pro OEM product key while connected to the internet, and it errors:
Next, I disconnect from the internet (turn off WiFi, unplug ethernet cable), and if I try the same product key above, I still get the same error. But, if I change the product key to the generic Windows 10/11 retail product, I get an upgrade, but it is not activated:
I connect to the internet, still no activation:
Now, I change the product key to the Windows 10/11 OEM product key I tried before, and I get this error because I had just tried this test successfully on a Windows 10 VM:
Finally, I change the product key to an old Windows 7 Pro OEM product key, and I get activation!
Note, because I used a Windows 7 product key, when Windows 11 activated it automatically replaced it with the generic OEM product key for Windows 10/11.
- Windows Build/Version
- Windows 11 22H2
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- Windows 11
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Homebuilt
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
- Motherboard
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WiFi)
- Memory
- 32GB
- Graphics Card(s)
- EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
-
- Operating System
- Windows 11 Education
- Computer type
- Laptop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Inspiron 7773
- CPU
- Intel i7-8550U
- Memory
- 32GB
- Graphics card(s)
- Nvidia Geforce MX150
- Sound Card
- Realtek
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 17"
- Screen Resolution
- 1920 x 1080
- Hard Drives
- Toshiba 512GB NVMe SSD
SK Hynix 512GB SATA SSD
- Internet Speed
- Fast!
