Solved Windows 7 upgrade to Windows 10/11


siliconbeaver

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Windows 7/11
Long time ago, my son built an MSI-Intel game computer, activated with Windows 7 Pro, from a Dell OEM COA (The Dell hardware failure, NOT in use since then). later he upgraded to Windows 10 (should be Pro but I don't know). Then he realized Windows 10 NOT good for his gaming. and downgraded to Win 7 pro again.

Recently the computer retired and was back to me. during my Windows 10/11 upgrade test (clean-install), its' found that its Windows 10 Pro unactivated. (to activate, or I need a new Win 7 Pro key)

I was thinking Windows 10/11 once activated. its digital license has been stored on MSFT server. or this Rule only applied to OEM computer?

I am NOT sure which step I did wrong in the procedure. or should I have to do upgrade install than clean install.

Thanks,
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7/11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP/Lenovo/Asus
    CPU
    Intel
    Hard Drives
    NVMe SSD/SATA SSD
@siliconbeaver If he signed in with an MS account, you'll need it. Otherwise, (I've actually tried this) a Win7 key works for activating Win10 if you clean install. Seriously, try it.

IF you are happy with performing a clean install, follow these instructions.

You'll need to flash a USB drive or external drive with an image from this official MS link. I recommend Rufus to do so once you have the image. Then boot from the media, and follow instructions. When you're prompted, enter the Win7 key.

You may need to change the boot order, there should be guides on this form on how to do so. However, you need to provide the vendor of your UEFI/BIOS.
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home 21H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook 15, model K513E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Generation (1135G7) at 2.4GHz
    Motherboard
    Unknown
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe (intergrated), NVIDIA GeForce MX350 (dedicated, 2GB VRAM)
    Sound Card
    Unknown
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1080p ASUS OLED display, 15.6 inches, pixel shift enabled via MyASUS app
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe SSD (encrypted with TPM 2.0)
    PSU
    Unknown
    Case
    Laptop body - aluminium + plastic
    Cooling
    Unknown
    Keyboard
    Non-backlit, with numpad
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 1000, built-in trackpad
    Internet Speed
    (From speedtest.net, recommended server, WiFi 6) 383.36 Mbps download, 35.80 Mbps upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security/Defender
    Other Info
    Win11 compatible, although update not yet offered through Windows Update (Win11 install assistant was used).
No, no WHY did i just provide instructions for a clean install???
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home 21H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook 15, model K513E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Generation (1135G7) at 2.4GHz
    Motherboard
    Unknown
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe (intergrated), NVIDIA GeForce MX350 (dedicated, 2GB VRAM)
    Sound Card
    Unknown
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1080p ASUS OLED display, 15.6 inches, pixel shift enabled via MyASUS app
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe SSD (encrypted with TPM 2.0)
    PSU
    Unknown
    Case
    Laptop body - aluminium + plastic
    Cooling
    Unknown
    Keyboard
    Non-backlit, with numpad
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 1000, built-in trackpad
    Internet Speed
    (From speedtest.net, recommended server, WiFi 6) 383.36 Mbps download, 35.80 Mbps upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security/Defender
    Other Info
    Win11 compatible, although update not yet offered through Windows Update (Win11 install assistant was used).
Post updated
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home 21H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook 15, model K513E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Generation (1135G7) at 2.4GHz
    Motherboard
    Unknown
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe (intergrated), NVIDIA GeForce MX350 (dedicated, 2GB VRAM)
    Sound Card
    Unknown
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1080p ASUS OLED display, 15.6 inches, pixel shift enabled via MyASUS app
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe SSD (encrypted with TPM 2.0)
    PSU
    Unknown
    Case
    Laptop body - aluminium + plastic
    Cooling
    Unknown
    Keyboard
    Non-backlit, with numpad
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 1000, built-in trackpad
    Internet Speed
    (From speedtest.net, recommended server, WiFi 6) 383.36 Mbps download, 35.80 Mbps upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security/Defender
    Other Info
    Win11 compatible, although update not yet offered through Windows Update (Win11 install assistant was used).
I was thinking Windows 10/11 once activated. its digital license has been stored on MSFT server. or this Rule only applied to OEM computer?
All PCs upgraded from an activated Windows 7 to Windows 10 should have got a digital license for Windows 10 stored on the MSFT activation servers. This would allow a clean install of W10 (or W11) to skip entering a key when asked and to activate from the existing digital license. This applies whether you use a local account or a Microsoft account.

The only proviso is that you must install the same edition (Home or Pro) as the original Win7 install was entitled to (Starter, Home Basic/Premium = W10 Home, Pro/Ultimate = W10 Pro). A W10/11 digital license if for a specific edition, a license for Home will not activate an install of Pro.

The Win7 CoA sticker should tell you which edition of Win7 the OEM originally supplied with the PC.

After a clean install Windows must be able to connect to the insternet in order to activate from a digital license. Should the original upgrade have somehow failed to get a digital license, then you should be able to activate a clean install of the appropriate edition of Win10 by changing the installed key to to the Win7 one from the CoA sticker.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Just to be a wet blanket, you realize that a PC that's more than a couple of years old will probably not meet the hardware requirements for 11?

You can force install it, but if you want an officially supported OS, that'd be 10. Supported until at least October 2025.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) Kingston DDR5 5200 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1600 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    Alphacool Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    1200 Mbps
  • Operating System
    windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA329C
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8 TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
@Bree
your explanation is clear. let me try and go clean-install to verify Home or Pro.

he was using a Win 7 Pro OEM COA. then should have got Windows 10 Pro activated. but I forgot my test was Home or Pro (as I kept hitting "Return", and NOT realized Home or Pro).

my Windows 11 NOT finished yet because my Windows 10 install didn't go through, couldn't get activated. Thanks bobkn and quack101
for your reply.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7/11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP/Lenovo/Asus
    CPU
    Intel
    Hard Drives
    NVMe SSD/SATA SSD
my Windows 11 NOT finished yet
As @bobkn stated, a computer that old will not have Windows 11 compatible hardware.Therefore, it will not pass the hardware check. Your only alternative would be to use one of the procedures for upgrading from 10 to 11 on imcompatible hardware that are readily found on the internet. Then you would run into the problem of getting drivers that will work which I doubt you could. My advise is to get it running on 10 and stay there.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
I am watching that update. It's noticed Win 11 22H2 beta, I have some problem to install it. (but 21H2 no problem so far). :)

I had been maintaining a team of Win 7.
Last year, I decided to upgrade all lappies to Win 11 21H2. Lenovo and Asus. It's noticed, Win 11 OS size more compact than Win 10. Yoga and IdeaPad running better on Win 11 than on Win 7/8.1. But Asus didn't see much improvement.
This year I started to upgrade old desktop computers to Win 11. presently, only main PCs stay with Win 7 Pro.
Therefore, these PCs are grouped into two. Win 7 OS and Win 11 OS.

As @bobkn stated, a computer that old will not have Windows 11 compatible hardware.Therefore, it will not pass the hardware check. Your only alternative would be to use one of the procedures for upgrading from 10 to 11 on imcompatible hardware that are readily found on the internet. Then you would run into the problem of getting drivers that will work which I doubt you could. My advise is to get it running on 10 and stay there.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7/11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP/Lenovo/Asus
    CPU
    Intel
    Hard Drives
    NVMe SSD/SATA SSD
upgrade install takes too long time. Hence I prefer clean-install. a reason good for those retired computers.
indeed I have made a copy of Win 11 image, then restore it on any computer needs an OS. (Lenovo Asus HP. laptop or desktop). It saves time.
(I just found it's Win 11 Home. As Bree mentioned, I am working on a clean Win 11 Pro image)
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7/11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP/Lenovo/Asus
    CPU
    Intel
    Hard Drives
    NVMe SSD/SATA SSD

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