Solved Windows 7 upgrade to Windows 10/11


S

siliconbeaver

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Member
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OS
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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7/11Intel i7-11800H32GB DDR4 3200MHzNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
OS
Windows 7/11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP/Lenovo/Asus
CPU
Intel i7-11800H
Motherboard
Lenovo Legion 5i Pro Gen 6
Memory
32GB DDR4 3200MHz
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
Monitor(s) Displays
LG 35WN65C-B
Screen Resolution
3440 x 1440
Hard Drives
1TB PCIe SSD
Other Info
Edition Windows 11 Pro
Version 25H2
Installed on ‎12/‎12/‎2025
OS build 26200.7462
@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.
 
Last edited:

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Home 21H2Intel Core i5 11th Generation (1135G7) at 2.4GHz16GB DDR4Intel Iris Xe (intergrated), NVIDIA GeForce M...
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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Home 21H2Intel Core i5 11th Generation (1135G7) at 2.4GHz16GB DDR4Intel Iris Xe (intergrated), NVIDIA GeForce M...
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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Home 21H2Intel Core i5 11th Generation (1135G7) at 2.4GHz16GB DDR4Intel Iris Xe (intergrated), NVIDIA GeForce M...
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).
siliconbeaver said:
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?
Click to expand...
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 My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    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 (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to lid hinges starting to break up this laptop has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

    I've now clean installed 25H2 and used Garlin's scripts to update Secure Boot to CA 2023 and revoke the PCA 2011 certificates. It's new role is to test secure boot issues.

    Info for 2021-2026:
    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 2021 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, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude 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.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR was a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (1st gen) type 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device. This has now been sold. It has been replaced by my System Eight.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, 1920x1080 touchscreen, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine. As its new home has an existing digital licence for Pro I've been able to upgrade the migrated OS from Home to Pro.

    My SYSTEM EIGHT is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (5th gen) type 20LN, Celeron N4120, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, a supported device for Windows 11. Currently running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds as 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 My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 26300.9278Amd Threadripper 7970X128GB (4 X 32) G.Skill DDR5 6400 (RDIMM)Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    OS
    Windows 11 26300.9278
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D Rev. 1.0
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) G.Skill DDR5 6400 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Innocn 32" 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
    BeQuiet! Straight Power 12 1500W
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    SilverStone Technology XE360-TR5, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Cherry KC 500 MX LP (mechanical)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    2000/250 Mbps (down/up)
    Other Info
    xFinity gateway

  • At a glance

    windows 11 26300.9278Intel I9-13900K64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Operating System
    windows 11 26300.9278
    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
    Philips 27E1N8900 27" OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8TB 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
    Keyboard
    Cherry Streaming (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (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 My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7/11Intel i7-11800H32GB DDR4 3200MHzNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
OS
Windows 7/11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP/Lenovo/Asus
CPU
Intel i7-11800H
Motherboard
Lenovo Legion 5i Pro Gen 6
Memory
32GB DDR4 3200MHz
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
Monitor(s) Displays
LG 35WN65C-B
Screen Resolution
3440 x 1440
Hard Drives
1TB PCIe SSD
Other Info
Edition Windows 11 Pro
Version 25H2
Installed on ‎12/‎12/‎2025
OS build 26200.7462
siliconbeaver said:
my Windows 11 NOT finished yet
Click to expand...
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 My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9445i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9445
    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
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9445AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9445
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.9445
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.

glasskuter said:
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.
Click to expand...
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7/11Intel i7-11800H32GB DDR4 3200MHzNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
OS
Windows 7/11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP/Lenovo/Asus
CPU
Intel i7-11800H
Motherboard
Lenovo Legion 5i Pro Gen 6
Memory
32GB DDR4 3200MHz
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
Monitor(s) Displays
LG 35WN65C-B
Screen Resolution
3440 x 1440
Hard Drives
1TB PCIe SSD
Other Info
Edition Windows 11 Pro
Version 25H2
Installed on ‎12/‎12/‎2025
OS build 26200.7462
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)
 
Last edited:

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7/11Intel i7-11800H32GB DDR4 3200MHzNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
OS
Windows 7/11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP/Lenovo/Asus
CPU
Intel i7-11800H
Motherboard
Lenovo Legion 5i Pro Gen 6
Memory
32GB DDR4 3200MHz
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
Monitor(s) Displays
LG 35WN65C-B
Screen Resolution
3440 x 1440
Hard Drives
1TB PCIe SSD
Other Info
Edition Windows 11 Pro
Version 25H2
Installed on ‎12/‎12/‎2025
OS build 26200.7462
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