Does anybody have any experience in applying Windows 10 Enterprise (using E3 / E5 VLs) directly without having to have an existing Pro license on the laptops / desktops?. We have few laptops that came with Windows 10 Home & some with Ubuntu. For a project requirement, we thought we could purchase Windows 10 Enterprise E3 licenses & use them on these laptops (with a clean install of Windows 10 Enterprise on them). But apparently it is not possible(?)!! as per the info provided on MS websites & as per authorised resellers. It seems one needs to have a Pro license on the laptop / desktop to be able to use Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5 VLs. Since I'm trying to achieve this on the laptops which belong to the organisation that I work for, I can't use any not so legal (KMS, HWID etc) to upgrade to Pro or Enterprise and then use E3 / E5 licenses we buy.
If you want to do things legally, you will need a licensed copy of Windows 10 Professional on a PC to be eligible to upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise using the upgrade license. Otherwise, you are not eligible to purchase and upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise. Microsoft's licensing strategy is quite convoluted....but if you have a PC which doesnt have Windows 10 Pro, you need to pay for both Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise Upgrade License (through the Volume Licensing or CSP (Enterprise E3, E5))