I am in need of a Windows 10 Pro x64 License for an upgrade project on my wife's Laptop. This machine has been running Window 7 w/o issue for many years, but due to a recent upgrade to my Internet Service and my Home Network, it cannot see the Wi-Fi, and needs to be upgraded to W10/W11.

The Back Story...I now have 2.2 Gbps Internet Service from Fidium Fiber, which FINALLY became available here, and I dropped Comcast Xfinity like a bad habit! Fidium provided a Gateway Router w/ 2 Satellite APs, so now I've got Wi-Fi 6 AND 2.5 Gb Ethernet! I performed a MAJOR upgrade to my home network, adding a Multi-Gig Switch, and pulled CAT6 Ethernet Cable from a new Network Enclosure to ten Ethernet Jacks. Then I wired the Satellite APs for Ethernet Backhaul, so now I've basically got 2.2 Gbps available EVERYWHERE in the house! The problem is that my wife's Lenovo X1-Carbon laptop came with a Windows 8.1 Pro License (Downgraded to Windows 7) and I need a new license to activate Windows 10, which is already installed. I was caught off guard on this as I expected Windows 10 to activate automatically with the license embedded in the BIOS, which I 'thought' was a Windows 10 License. A visit to the Lenovo support website confirmed it's NOT! The Laptop in question is a CTO (Configured to Order) machine...Just not by me, so here we are. Anyway, ultimately I intend upgrade the OS to Windows 11 via an in-place upgrade w/ a 'Local Account' so I can avoid using a Microsoft Account.

Please NO suggestions to drop Windows altogether and get a MacBook, or just install Linux...We already have both of those options available here on multiple machines but this laptop needs to run Windows.

So, anyone have an unused/unneeded or perhaps forgotten Windows 10 Pro x64 license they can part with? Please let me know.

That said, if you can suggest a source for a 'Legit' W10 Pro License, I'm open to suggestions. For the record, I've checked 'WinandOffice.com' and 'NerdUsed.com', both of which have W10 Pro Licenses available for $29.99 and $24.99 respectively. Honestly I'd rather not pay that much, considering I'll ultimately be installing W11 on unsupported hardware, and I'm not sure what workarounds will be nixed by Microsoft by the time they roll out the next version of Windows. I know I can install W11 25H2 w/o any issue, but come October 2027, I'm not sure upgrading the Laptop in question will be possible. As such, I'm looking for a low cost/no cost option here.

Thank You for your attention to this matter!

I probably shouldn’t be writing this because I am going totally off of memory. But I believe there is a version of Windows 10 software that allows you to install it with a Windows 7 license key. You used to be able to buy Windows 7 license keys off of ebay for a very small amount of money.

You may be able to extract the Windows 8.1 license keys out of your machine with certain software. But I am really fuzzy on how that worked. Microsoft didn’t put a sticker with the 8.1 license key on the computers like they did with Windows 7

If her machine came with win 8.1, that means it's pre-2015 the Wifi-card in that machine is only wifi 5 capable. as the X1 carbon gen 8 is the first wifi 6 machine and that came out in 2020.

^^ The issue seems to have been that the W7 Driver was the limitation. It works just fine connecting to the WiFi now w/ the 'yet to be activated' W10 Pro OS currently installed. The build date on the Laptop is 08/2015, and the WiFi module is an Intel Dual-Band Wireless-AC 7265 - Model 7265NGW. Regardless Lenovo offered MANY options on their CTO Business Laptops, especially re: the OS as many corporate IT departments are NOT early adopters.

quote:

Intel Dual-Band Wireless-AC 8265

as I said wifi5
https://www.intel.com/content/.../specifications.html

that aside it's not going to stop working it'll simply have the water mark and limit her from changing her wallpaper.

but if you insist G2A is my go to for this sort of thing.
https://www.g2a.com/microsoft-...04-b61d-db9d3ae07d55

quote:

if you can suggest a source for a 'Legit' W10 Pro License, I'm open to suggestions.

Here's where I get MS licenses. Electronic First

I don't know how they do it, but Electronic First's price for a Win 10 Pro 32-64 license key is $4.75.

I've used them for OS and for MS Office for years, ever since a buddy who runs a computer shop told me about them. The license keys are legit and activations have always worked, but that is indeed all you get. You're on your own to find and download the software itself, although it's not hard as MS offers downloads on their site.

^^ 'Electronic First'...Looks like that's probably the ticket right there! As the Laptop has an Preinstalled OE License, which is embedded in the BIOS, I don't get the Activate Windows Dialog Box during Setup where an OEM License product key would be entered when installing the OS. When I connect to the internet after the install, the OS fails to activate due to the Preinstalled License.

As such, I'm fairly certain I need a Retail License Key at this link --> https://www.electronicfirst.co...-10-professional-oem

Not only does the Retail License Key facilitate Activation after install (Settings > Update and Security > Activation > Change Product Key) where you can 'Enter a Product Key', it also does NOT require a Microsoft Account, which is exactly what I want for my 'Local Account' only Windows Install(s).

It seems ElectronicFirst.com also has similar product keys for Windows 11, at similar pricing to the W10 Pro (Qty. 1 ~ $5.00 and Qty. 3 ~ $11.60) as well.

You've already done it, so this isn't a recommendation to re-do, but for future reference: All you need to do to install win11 on older hardware is remove the check for RAM QTY & TPM Hardware in the processor. It's a checkbox in RUFUS at this point. I strip it from the ISO even for hardware that supports Win11 - mostly because the laptop my kid uses needs a 'back-up the mydocs/desktop folder & nuke/pave' every few months.
You aren't introducing (new) security risks & MS hasn't killed installs -at least not that I'm aware of or have experienced on the 3-4 machines I have done it for. You are probably more exposed on Win10 vs a 'hacked' win11 install on older hardware.

Local-only accounts are becoming more of a PITA. It's been a couple years, but I fought my wife's new laptop mightily. It has a goofy light-version of win11 that 'had' to have a windows account. I won, but blocked the memory apparently.

^^ I created a Windows 11 ISO of my preferred build version using UUDunp.net, and then used RUFUS to create the bootable installation media. Works like a charm! Currently I've got five (soon to be six!) PCs running Windows 11 on 'unsupported hardware'!

Regarding the use of Windows 10, in my experience performing a clean install of W11, Microsoft absolutely SUCKS when it comes to installing the correct drivers on unsupported hardware, often using 'Microsoft drivers' where a driver provided by hardware manufacturer is basically a requirement for proper performance. They suck SO Bad, I've even seen 'Microsoft Drivers' with Driver Dates of 7/18/1968 and 1/1/1970 installed on Intel System Components! As such, I prefer to start with clean install of Windows 10, set with up with a 'Local Account', and then use the PC manufacturers 'System Update' tool to install the correct drivers. Then I do an 'In-place Upgrade' to Windows 11 (without a network/internet connection!), 'Pause' Windows Updates, turn off ALL of the Microsoft Telemetry, and then run the 'System Update' tool again. Once that's complete, then I run Windows Update.

I also use Macrium Reflect to image the hard drive at certain milestones during the process, so I can always go back/restore to a 'Golden Image' should I need to. Lately, that means creating an image after a Clean Install of Windows 10 (Fully Updated EOL Build), another after the 'In-Place Upgrade' to Windows 11 (Fully Updated to the Latest Build), an image after installing Microsoft Office (Fully Updated), and one final 'Deployment Image', with all other software installed. Storage is cheap, and those 'Golden Images' are cheap insurance, making it VERY Easy way to 'go back' (Literally in Minutes!) should I ever need to! One key to this methodology, is that ALL of my personal data is stored of a separate physical drive, and backed up separately. Having lived through the Windows 98 era, and the infamous BSOD, I do NOT store/save ANY personal data on the drive with the OS. It's an old habit, but I sleep much better that way!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: nhracecraft,

Windows will load 'default' drivers for system devices at install. You're right about them being hit or miss on function, but MS isn't at fault for that. You'd have terabytes of drivers on the boot image if they included everything. Then AMD would release a borked video driver that causes BSOD for everyone & you'd be SOL.
The only 2 I have right now are older than dirt laptops that were decommissioned in like 2015. i5-4xxx processors. The default drivers for all network functions are wonky, sometimes even ethernet won't work. Being laptops from a well known MFG, I just got the drivers from their website & save them on my server. Assuming I remember when I make the bootable image, I'll drop them on the USB & load manually. If not, I say bad things & search for another USB. There are also utilities that will copy all the drivers on your system to a location of your choice - handy for those oddball devices that you forget to slipstream the drivers into the ISO EVERY DAMN TIME.

I used to do the image-at-stage & a clean image, but I'm not organized enough to deal with all that. Win updates sometimes made the 'start fresh' ISOs troublesome as well, so I gave up. I do make sure I keep the install iso/exe's together when I update my main PC. When I've started fresh, I get a new ISO from MS so I don't have to roll the dice on updates.

Email inbound.

JP

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