I have a license for Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit Retail, and I want to uprgade it to Win 10 while it's free, but the upgrading of the license doesn't seem to work. Here's what I did: - I installed Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit in a virtual machine; - I activated Win 8.1 using the product key; activation worked; - I used a Windows 10 Pro 64-bit iso, to upgrade from Win 8.1 to Win 10; - after the upgrade completed, Win 10 was already activated (it seems that the Win 8.1 activation transferred to Win 10); - I deleted the virtual machine; - I created a new virtual machine, and I did a clean install of Win 10 Pro 64-bit in that new virtual machine; - after WIn 10 finished installing, I clicked on "change product key" to enter the Win 8.1 product key so that I can activate, but after entering the product key correctly, this error is returned: The product key activates win 8.1 pro, but it doesn't activate win 10 pro. The only way I could activate win 10 pro, is by activating win 8.1 and then upgrading to win 10 using a win 10 pro iso. This means I have to keep both a win 8.1 pro iso, and a win 10 iso, but I wanted to delete the 8.1 iso, and keep only the win 10 iso, because I will not use win 8.1. Is it possible to activate win 10 pro, with a win 8.1 product key, but without upgrading from 8.1, so that I can delete the 8.1 iso and be able to clean install win 10 in the future ?
That error normally arises due to a key channel mismatch between the installed key and the activation key... on Pro with the latest build it should not occur though...
That's the exact culprit!! Mistake done by the OP itself: using to install 8.1 and activate on VM, which creates a sepcific HW-ID which is further used by Microsoft for further activation of Windows 10! Seems to be the only working and legit way now is: install Windows 8.1 on normal machine, NOT VM activate 8.1 upgrade 8.1 to Window 10 and let autoactivate do a clean install on the same machine, NO VM, of Windows 10 again! That install should be activated automatically, no any use of the 'old' 8.1 key necessary, if asked for a Product Key within clean install, just skip the key in of the p-key and finish the install. That way just should work, and if not because of the previous installs as VM, OP may have to do the Phone Activation!
Why such a question? Of course not. Besides - you received after the upgrade to Windows 10 also new activation key for Windows 10. Other question is, of course, is whether you know it. And also, this is valid only on the same machine and with the same Microsoft account.
If I install win 8.1 after july 29 2016, then I activate it, then I upgrade it to win 10, will win 10 be activated ?