Ahh, ok yeah that makes sense. Wouldn't want to do something like that. Hopefully when RTM hits I can just enter my key then. Thanks endbase...
You will have to install W7 and then upgrade, while all TPs are activated your old license is probably kept inside tokens or somewhere else which is then used for RTM activation, right now it doesn't appear there are any plans to just let people enter their W7/W8 retail keys to activate it, they already screwed this up in 8.1 and they will do it again in 10 for no good reason, how hard could it be to just accept all W7, W8 and W10 RETAIL Keys?
@skorrpn, I don't think anyone know for sure how this will work yet. MS have said that the TP's can be upgraded into RTM. But, how they check for a Genuine Licence is not known. I can't see them allowing Windows 7, 8.x Keys to activate Windows 10, but way back in the 'Dark Ages' you could do a 'Clean Upgrade' by entering your valid 'Old' Windows key at a Setup screen, before you entered your 'New' Windows key. Maybe they could try that again.
Installed Windows 10 Build 10041 & Classic Shell (Start Menu) & Aero Glass (Experimental debug version for build 10041) with Symbols today, all are working ok.
Well I hope not. I already installed 10 "again" a few hours ago, this time cleanly. Its running MUCH better then when I let it upgrade from 9926 to 10041. However, I now have no plans to re-install Windows 7 just to get to RTM. I can't wait to find out how they plan on doing it. It only makes sense for the Insiders to simply use their already valid keys, imo, but if it makes sense Microsoft will usually avoid it. Depending on the cost of 10 without a valid license I may just buy it if I'm forced to. If its a high cost, which I doubt, I could be persuaded to re-install 7 again, if I must in order to get it cheaply. If for some reason it refuses to become a genuine 10 via key alone, but only cost say $25 or so to make it become genuine, then by all means I will purchase it just to avoid having to re-install 7 again. Haha, I guess this is all dependent on the health condition of the TP/CP by the time RTM gets here... I "might" just do another clean install, might. Thanks everyone for your thoughts.
First of, regarding OS beta testing, I don't like upgrades, I prefer clean installs. Anyway, I did an upgrade from 9926 to 10041 and everything is alright, really. I'm here to test everything. Of course, I've experienced the People, Mail, Calendar bug, but that was fixed easily, thanks to people over here.
I posted elsewhere that I am activated with Win8 and 8.1 keys retail. Win7 failed though. But in 10041 tokens folder has been renamed to 'store_test', so they are busy working on SPP - perhaps an update will allow Win7 retail keys for activation. BTW: not sure if this means anything, but TP boots from WinRE.
Well technically you don't have to care about the health condition because you can Reset Windows right after you installed RTM which gives you a... guess what! a Clean install. How do you even check if you are ACTUALLY activated? Does the watermark on the desktop vanish or what? I can't find any trace of W7 on a VM i upgraded to W10, if you install TP it's always activated but that's surely not going to be once the RTM builds rolls around.
What I'm saying is that the activation server accepted the keys... the whole "Thanks, you're done" story. The watermark/timebomb is obviously hardcoded and will not dissappear.
Oh you meant you entered the 8.1 keys directly? Well i guess, that's not much of a change though as 8.1 also accepted 8.0 keys but only inside Windows.
Nope, it's online activation. (i.e inside Windows implies for installation - which is governed by pkconfig)
Bulls**t! you can download official ISO from here: http: //windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso-update-1503